For it's size it does have extremely clear (yet small) type and is very functional for travel. The print is fine and many who do not have exceptional vision might find it very hard to read without reading glasses. Despite that it is a very well made bible. This costs about 30 sterling pounds or (less than 50 US greenbacks) and is well worth the money if you are looking for a KJV that you can take with you. I do all my memorization of scripture in KJV despite the fact that I read the ESV and NIV quite frequently. This bible is great to take with me for a back up reference when I get stuck on a set of verses that I am memorizing.

It comes with a pretty good concordance. It reminds me of a shrunken Cambridge RD266 in goatskin leather without the maps of course. The smell is great and the paper of excellent quality. It is small though, which is the point since it is a more of a pocket or travel bible. A great edition to my collection. Smyth sewn and all that jazz. A very high end quality pocket bible. One that will last unlike those tiny ones you get from Zondervan or one of the other bookstore type.

R.L. Allan's website calls it the Allan CC1 Cambridge Crystal Edition. The R.L. Allan's site shows that they are not selling it anymore but they may be waiting for a reprint. The link to R.L. Allan's website is here.

http://bibles-direct.com/

It comes with a concordance in the back and a list of proper names. This bible also has 15 lined pages in the back for note taking and 4 pages of color maps. The maps are Background of the Exodus, The Background of The Old Testament, Palestine in Old Testament Times, The Background of the New Testament, and Palestine in New Testament Times.

Ribbon marker is a bold single purple ribbon marker that seems sure to hold up as I have seen with many other Allan editions. The full yap cover gives this bible an old world look and the feel of the Highland Goatskin leather is the best I have had the pleasure of owning so far. My NIV Bold Reference Edition (also in Highland Goatskin leather) has a shiny but elegant feel to it. What I notice different about the Ruby edition is the leather is not shiny but actually softer in my opinion.

Now to the bad news. The bible ink has a tendency to smear just a little when you put your fingers on the page for awhile and then remove them. I noticed that the ink does not like the oil on my fingers or water for that matter. I'd say it is certainly worth owning but you will have to wash and dry your hands very well before handling this one. Overall, it is a great bible worth owning. It is small but fits in the hand quite nicely. I just simply love this ruby edition.

Little baby is smyth sewn and opens relatively flat. It is imperial purple which just happens to be my wife's favorite color. I would actually consider buying one for myself in the near future maybe in British Tan Highland Goatskin. A nice pocket Bible if you like the TNIV version.

After seeing my second purchase of an R.L. Allan's Bible, I have to say that they are clearly the best quality Bibles in my opinion. I have been disappointed with other Bibles but nothing from R.L. Allans has disappointed so far. Great quality that will last.

Throughout each book it gives pictures and further discussions that are relevant to the events of the book. The pictures of the artifacts and the discussions of historical events related to topics mentioned in each book are very valuable to learning about how history and the Bible connect.

Is it sturdy? Well, it won't last as long as an R.L. Allan & Sons Bible  would but it seems to be well made for a hard back. It opens flat and is well-illustrated. This Bible is loaded with information that all Bible readers should have in their library. I actually use it quite a bit more than I thought I would. It is a great resource to own if you are interested in Jewish culture or early Christian culture. I discovered that they have quite a variety of artifacts that I never even knew existed.

We all know about the Shroud of Turin but it is very interesting to see images and notes on casting lots or banking and money in the ancient world. As far as I am concerned, it is a must have. If you go to Amazon.com, you can find it for about $35 US Dollars or less.

This KJV Cambridge Concord Edition is much like the one in Calfskin mentioned below. However, it is bound in goatskin. The cover is supple (soft) and it feels good in the hands. Certainly my second most loved in the collection. Nothing can compare to my R.L Allan's NIV in highland goatskin but this bible is close. It has the same text, gold gilt edges, two silk ribbon markers, maps, concordance, and dictionary as the Concord Edition in Calfskin. It does have red letter text for the words of Christ which the Calfskin Edition did not come with.

Very flexible, that ol' goatskin, as you will see in some of the other pictures below. I bet your bible can not bend over backwards like mine unless of course it is a paperback.

Nice and neat. Clear text with no bleed through. Gold gilt pattern around the edge of the inner binding too. Leather lined on the inside as well.

If you would like a bible like this, it is very expensive from Cambridge directly but I will give you the link anyway. http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521512978

The best thing to do is find a bookseller online such as Christianbooks.com or Allbibles.com and see if you can find it cheaper. I got mine 50% cheaper than the going price from Cambridge. It sells from Cambridge at a whopping 125 english pounds which is about $247 US dollars at the moment. I think I paid just a hair over $100 for mine so do your shopping before you buy.

Stitching and a great binding allow for these types of feats. The bible is very strong and can withstand daily use for decades.

This is my KJV Cambridge Concord Edition in Black Calfskin. It was the first good quality bible I bought a few years back. I used it extensively and often use it these days if I can keep my hands off the R.L. Allan's NIV long enough! The quality is there but it is a step down from the Allan's NIV in highland goatskin reviewed below. It is a Cambridge bible from the Cambridge University Press. You can get at one here. http://www.cambridge.org/uk/bibles/kjv/conref.htm

The cover is nothing like my highland goatskin or the Cambridge goatskin that I own. It is not near as flexible but the text is very enjoyable. Printed on India paper (as all good bibles are) with a text that is large enough for easy reading. References are in the center. The price wasn't bad for this bible either. I got it on Amazon (brand new) for $49.00 plus shipping. Considering most of these go for almost $100 or more, it was a steal. If you love the KJV, a Concord Edition is the one to own.

This is the review of my main bible and most recent addition to my collection. It is the R.L. Allan's NIV Bold Print Reverence Edition in Highland Goatskin (NIVB1). You can order one of these through R.L. Allan's website at http://www.bibles-direct.com/category.phtml?Category=39. This is one of the best bibles made in the world. R.L. Allan's is located in Glasgow, Scottland and they bind bibles the old fashioned way. The print is legible with no mistakes that I have been able to find so far. The bible has two royal blue ribbon markers and is Smyth-Sewn with a highland goatskin cover. The bible is very flexible in the hands and the leather feels great to the touch. Oh, did I mention that it smells awesome too! Pages are nice with little bleed over from the back of the page. A pleasure to both hold and read for long periods of time.

This bible will undoubtedly last a lifetime, and with any luck, make it into the hands of my grandchildren (God willing.) The shame of it is that most Christian bookstores and other book sellers sell bibles that they feel are comparable to this one for $60 to $80 dollars. The ones that do sell for these prices are not even in the same quality league as this bible and it costs only about $94 dollars. That is just a little more for a bible that is 4 times better than the best ones the other booksellers promote. 

This bible lays flat and is totally flexible. You can wrap one half of the bible behind the other one! You couldn't do that with most other bibles. The bibles translation is the NIV (New International Version) which is a great version in my opinion for reading. I am also a big fan of the ESV, KJV, and the NKJV. In these days and times it is hard financially for many people but if you can save up for this bible, it will be well worth owning.

Here is a pic to help you understand what a good binding and goatskin cover will do. Do not try this at home kiddies!! You will destroy your Zondervan!

Is it possible to have "too" many bibles? Well, for those who do not know, I am just a little bit of a bible freak. I probably own well over 25 bibles of various design, binding, and translation. Over the course of the last decade or possibly going back even further than that, bibles have become subject to the cost cutting policies of many new publishers. The result are bibles that are not always the best bibles for long term reading. The quality of such bibles are at an all time low.

Walking into my local Christian bookseller, I find so many copies of bibles with cardboard like covers and pages that are glued together into the spine. It doesn't take long for these bibles to start deteriorating. It may not bother you, but it bothers me because I read mine almost daily.

Looking at the offerings in local shops and even what was online I figured all was lost in finding anything of good quality. That was until I ran across a man's blog page who had an equal fascination with the quality of a bible that he reads everyday. http://www.jmarkbertrand.com/ His site introduced me to binderies and publishers that still offer bibles that don't fall apart with excessive use. I dedicate this page to reviews of some of the bibles I own and what I think of them. You might ask why quality is important in a bible. After all, all that really matters is what is inside the book, not the exterior. True, but quality protects the words inside and incites the reader to pick the bible up and read it because it is comfortable in the hand and easy to read. Here are some things to look for in a bible.

• Smyth Sewn - This is a process of stitching the pages of the bible together instead of gluing them together. This makes the bible flexible and durable.
• Good Paper - Paper that a bible is printed on is very important. If it is too thin, it will often tear and rip apart. I had one bible do this and all I did was turn the page and it ripped! If the paper is too thin and transparent the letters from the back of the page bleed through and distract you while you are reading. There can also be a good amount of eye strain that a reader experiences due to the text size and print quality of the paper.
• Good cover - Always pick a cover that is durable, like leather. Goatskin or Calfskin will do but bonded leather is mostly like cardboard and feels horrible in the hands. I actually had one of these covers cut me when I moved my hand up the side of it.

After you see some examples from my own collection, you might understand why I have so many. Then again it might only encourage you to pray for me! Now, come on! ...That was funny!