23 Comments on The Ideal ESV Edition

Bryce on Sat, 4th Jun 2005 17:17


Well, I might as well post my ideal here also…

Cordovan Leather (binding exactly like the current one offered by Crossway)
not red-letter edition
some really nice, high quality paper. not the really thin stuff Bibles are usually printed on that you can see through. I know this will be thicker than most Bibles. That’s fine (to an extent, I don’t want to be carrying an old-fashioned family Bible around :)) It might even be cool to leave the edges rough…I don’t know.
Two ribbons — 1 for my personal reading, 1 for preaching
Single-column text — this isn’t a HUGE deal, by I do wonder why two columns has become the standard. It would be nice if poetry lines didn’t always wrap onto the next line.
No section headings, no reference column, no human insertions of any kind into the Word of God.

Basically, I just want a really nice Bible that will last a long time. I only want the Word of God between the covers. I have a whole library of resources when I want to do further study, and nothing that a publisher adds to footnotes or a centre column is going to match it. I’m not a fan of red-letter Bibles at all. Honestly, I think they’re kinda silly. I’m not sure who came up with the idea or why, but the whole Bible is the Word of God, so we shouldn’t highlight certain portions over others. Basically I want a translation with as little interpretation as possible. If I wanted the translator to do the interpreting for me I would buy Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase. But having section headings, red letters, etc., seems to me to detract from the whole idea of an essentially literal translation.

Wayne Leman on Mon, 6th Jun 2005 14:30


Brian, thank you for alerting me by email about your post. For me, before I can deal with the externals of the ESV bindings, cross-referencing, etc., I need to see much more revision to the problem wordings in the text. I have been addressing these in my Better Bibles Blog. And I am glad that the ESV team spent last week working through possible revisions. These will make the ESV more accurate and more effective.

david on Wed, 8th Jun 2005 22:10


My ideal ESV Bible would be more accurate than the present one.

Joel on Thu, 9th Jun 2005 11:41


I am thoroughly enjoying my ESV and really believe it will be the Bible of the next generation. It will give some serious competition to the NIV, which is greatly needed. The Bible for the masses ought to be an “essentially literal” translation.
The ideal ESV would be to maintain would have the following:
the currect cross-references listed, put it in a single column format with wide margins for note taking.

Joel on Thu, 9th Jun 2005 11:43


In addition to my previous post, the ideal ESV would also have premium calf-skin leather. I agree with the previous posts don’t add anything else to the text (i.e. explanatory notes, red lettering)

Frank Martens on Thu, 9th Jun 2005 16:19


Easy…

- The Reformation Study Bible
calf-skin leather



Cheers

James on Sat, 11th Jun 2005 20:44


I also agree that a single column format would be nice. Also the limpest binding possible and the thinnest bible that is possible without the text bleeding through. Another request would be for the Compact thinline to be released in a sewn binding instead of glued.

James on Sat, 11th Jun 2005 20:46


To add - captialized pronounic deity would be nice.

David Dewey on Mon, 13th Jun 2005 12:39


My ideal ESV would have the following:
Revised text; just as literal but without the awkward word order encountered in some sentences.
Single column, with revised cross-references (Oxford, in their x-ref NRSV has done a much better job at updating the old RV/ASV x-refs).
Maps, but no book intros. Black letter. No cross-headings, but page headers instead.
An improved concordance: something like the one in the NIV Study Bible, Harper Study Bible or Cambridge reference RSV.
Improved, more modern and readable type face (the HCSB is good).
Good lined leather cover, like Crossway’s Cordovan or Allan’s highland goatskin.

Glenn Piper on Mon, 13th Jun 2005 15:43


I actually have two ESV’s I would love to have;
1} The upcoming ESV Study Bible (before 2008 please) in Cordovan leather using notes from the likes of John Piper and some of the other great scholars that Crossway have on there lists. This with an extra wide border edge for writing notes and a choice of Red or Black words of Christ. Also with 3 or 4 marker ribbons in silk and notes in Genesis pointing out that the literal reading of Gen 1 is actually 6 literal days (still include the other alternatives)

2} The Codovan Reference edition in thinline with the extra wide edging for notes and the choice of Red or Black lettering.

CJ Costello on Tue, 14th Jun 2005 21:22


Single column is the most important quality of my ideal edition. Black lettering and no themes at the start of books/chapters is also a preference.

Tom Morris on Fri, 17th Jun 2005 19:05


A decent study Bible, preferably with the apocryphal texts.

I love the ESV for literary value - I’ve been reading Proverbs, Psalms and the Song of Songs, and the ESV is brilliantly put together.

Jeremy Pierce on Fri, 17th Jun 2005 19:30


It’s going to be a long time before they make any completely new editions with a new typesetting. They’ll make different editions with the three or four typesettings they already have, but they did some research to figure out how many people were interested in various other editions, and they determined that it wasn’t cost-effective for them to produce any other type-settings.

BA on Fri, 17th Jun 2005 23:41


There is a pretty big demand for single column. With feedback, at least they can see what people want most. I think Crossway actually cares too.

John H on Sat, 18th Jun 2005 02:11


1. Apocrypha/deuteroncanonical books available in some editions.

2. Cleaner appearance (no headings within the text - RSV-style headings at the top of the page are fine - less intrusive verse numbering).

3. Revert to “judgements” instead of “rules” in Psalm 119 etc.

Capitalised pronouns for the deity = I never touch the ESV with a bargepole ever again. It’s a practice I use myself, but it would be an anachronistic imposition on the text with little or no benefit in terms of readability, accuracy or comprehension.

BA on Tue, 21st Jun 2005 18:20


Wayne at Better Bibles Blog posts his wish list:

http://englishbibles.blogspot.com/2005/06/esv-wish-list.html

Christendom Blogosis » Blog Archive » More on the ESV Bible on Tue, 21st Jun 2005 18:32


[...] de a post about the ESV here. In addition, I have two ongoing entries regarding the ESV. The Ideal ESV Edition is for ESV readers to post their feedback on what they would l [...]

Paul Hartwig on Sun, 10th Jul 2005 15:54


My ideal Bible is as mentioned above. I see that Harper and Collins are starting to publish ESV. My ideal is also, (1) a wide column, (2) with side references, and (3) with no intrusive chapter headings. Having grown up on the wide column NASB, I find two columns per page too pokey. The wide column layout for ‘God’s Word’ is nearly ideal, save the chapter headings. Maybe Harper and Collins will beat Crossway to this. When that layout arrives, I will be at rest - at last.
Paul, Cape Town

Matthew Kratz on Mon, 11th Jul 2005 23:54


I find the ESV Reformation Study Bible to have the best reference tools. It could be improved with maps and a dictionary in the back. 2 Ribbons and the confessions (like in the NIV Spirit of the Reformation SB) would make it perfect.

Bruce on Tue, 2nd Aug 2005 23:58


I like the well equipped study bibles that train people in exegesis and biblical background, but after theological study I desire the text of scripture cleanly presented on its own terms. This is the translating philosophy of the ESV, so my ideal esv would reflect these traits physically.
* Single column text is essential. No red letters, please - inverted commas and ’said Jesus’ usually do the job.
* textual notes as footnotes, with perhaps a short introduction on the manuscript history and provenance of the text.
* slightly serif font that is clear and accessible but hints at literary/poetic nature of the text.
* opaque paper
* I would like to see a more scholarly introduction from the translating team, perhaps as an appendix.
* covered economically, but classy. Black hardcover is fine with me, but I’d take calf skin at the same price.
* personally, I would like a compact edition for missional expediency so the word can be scattered without repetitive strain or back pain.

As a footnote, I was grateful to see crossway’s comments on the economics of bible publishing. However, I think there must be an ecclesiological and a missional component to this thinking - providing for both suitable pew bibles for churches, and for having excellent current biblical translation available for the non-church population (without all the seeker aids and packaging which can alienate and patronise - you couldn’t give one to an academic colleague). I hope some church agencies see the need to deliver published bibles designed without the biases of the church market. My experience is that the churchy look of a Bible reduces its accessibility.

Good luck to crossway. We do expect so much of the ESV!

David Ward on Sun, 7th May 2006 15:29


The ideal ESV— (for me) I have to admit that my cordovan calfskin classic thinline edition is wonderful. A calfskin covering is my first choice when affordable. Crossway admits in their own Blog that the cordovan calfskin is a product of Mexico so I am wondering how much more expensive can it really be? Perhaps I should not speculate on the actual price of the material when compared to its country of origin.
I would like to see a slightly better paper quality as well. My biggest disappointment with the two current premium calfskin thinline editions is that the bindings are not sewn. Given the suggested retail price it seems odd that we cannot have a sewn binding. It should be obvious that most people purchasing a Bible in this price range want a durable binding that will possibly last a lifetime. The Classic Reference calfskin editions are said to be sewn but the thinline editions are not. This could be improved. Why not both sew and glue all bindings for durability in all price ranges?
A recent Crossway Blog from this week states that a single-column version is going to appear in the near future and possible details may be given within the next 6 months or so. That will be a nice addition to the ESV family and one desired by many readers. The current HCSB Minister’s Bible has a very nice single-column format. I wouldn’t mind seeing a similar ESV format.
Finally, the font size. Crossway has a perfect font size in an edition that is apparently going to be discontinued. The font size is 10.25 in the Deluxe Reference Editions. This is the print size that I prefer. It would be nice to see this in other editions as well.
A company cannot make everyone happy. But there should be a few improvements along the way. Some nice compromises are in order. It is my feeling that a sewn binding for high durability is a must along with an appropriate print size that will appeal to readers with varying degrees of vision. A larger font can be read by almost all with the ability to see print while a smaller one excludes many.

David Ward on Sun, 7th May 2006 23:25


I should clarify my above remarks concerning the cordovan calfskin. Crossway states the the calfskin cover material is a product of Mexico. I did not want to confuse readers by allowing them to think the entire Bible is made in Mexico. Mexico is simply the supplier of the cordovan calfskin cover material.

Terry Catron on Tue, 8th Aug 2006 23:03


My favorite Bible …

- ESV single-column, black-letter, 9.5 font (readable)
- Premium calfskin or cordovan leather
- Wide margins, both inside & outside at least 1 1/2 inches
- no references or study notes

Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!