About Cambridge Bibles
Cambridge University
Press has been publishing the Bible since 1591. Cambridge Bibles
continue to be of the highest quality, created by craftsmen and
women using traditional methods and materials.
The
Cambridge Guarantee
Cambridge Bibles are unconditionally guaranteed for life against
defective materials or workmanship of any kind. Each Cambridge
Bible has been made with skill and care from the best and most
appropriate materials. Treated with reasonable care and respect
as befits a well-made and valuable article, it will give years
of use.
The cover
material used in the binding of fine Bibles is a natural
product, and many of the binding processes still require craft
techniques and skills, so making each leather Bible unique.
However, if any customer has reason to believe that a Bible
suffers from defects in materials or workmanship and that its
condition is not the result of normal use or damage after
purchase, they should return it to the place where it was
purchased. We will arrange to inspect it and, if a replacement
is warranted, we will provide one free of charge.
The World's Best
Leather Bibles
Cambridge University Press is committed to the finest printing
and binding. We have our own Printing House in Cambridge which
is unique in being able to trace its history to the very
beginnings of printing with moveable type. In our dedicated
Craft Bindery, each volume is treated with same attention to
craftsmanship as was our first Bible in 1591. A hallmark of
Cambridge quality is the care taken in choosing the finest
leathers from around the world. Each is scrutinised and, if
accepted, is then cut to size for making the leather cases for
Bible pages. Cambridge uses a range of leathers, with different
grains appropriate to the size of the Bible.
Care and Handling
Leather, unlike many modern materials, will maintain its
attractiveness if you follow a few simple guidelines. Keep the
Bible away from sources of extreme heat and from water. Use a
slightly damp cloth to clean it but please do not use any
detergents or packaged Bible cleaning products. The best
preservative for leather bindings is a natural substance: the
oils transferred from your hands. The more you handle the Bible,
the more quickly it will become supple to the touch.
The combination of very
thin paper and a generous layer of gilding means that sometimes
the pages stick together until they are separated for the first
time. If this happens, hold the pages between your thumb and
index finger and rub them together with just enough pressure as
is necessary to release the pages.
Stitching
The stitching used to sew the pages together is tough but thin,
so open the pages carefully at first to allow the threads to
settle. Incidentally, when you open a Cambridge Bible, you may
see an extra row of stitching along the inner edge of some of
the pages. This is evidence of the extra step our binder takes
to secure the pages against strain. This extra stitching is
added to the first and last sections of the larger Cambridge
Bibles to protect the most vulnerable pages.
Ribbon markers
Ribbon markers allow you to keep your place while
looking up cross-references and to mark a particular
passage to which you want to return. If the Bible is one
of our larger volumes, it may have two ribbons so you
can keep your place in both the Old and the New
Testaments at the same time. At Cambridge we take
special care in choosing ribbon markers. Strong ribbons
of appropriate breadth for the size of each Bible are
selected, so that they will not curl up, become
thread-like and, in extreme cases, cut through the thin
Bible pages. A generous length is specified, too, so
that the ribbons do not get lost within the pages.
Paper
Because of their length, Bibles traditionally have been
printed on thin paper to ensure compact volumes.
Cambridge Bibles are printed on paper much thinner and
finer than ordinary book paper - yet also strong and
opaque, so that 'show-through' from one page to another
is minimised. Our paper buyers carefully choose the kind
of paper best suited to each Bible type and size. They
balance considerations of strength, thinness and
opacity, and use only papers that meet the highest
environmental standards.
Note-taking
The wide variety of pens and markers available nowadays
makes it impossible to give an unconditional guarantee
that notes written on the Bible pages will not smudge or
bleed through over time. If using pens or markers, we
suggest that you take care in your choice of writing
implement and the pressure that you apply.
Head and tail
bands
All Cambridge Bibles have the traditional 'head and
tail' bands which were once used to help people take the
books down from densely stocked shelves. Nowadays, they
are added as a decorative item and the colors are
chosen to complement the shade of leather and gilding
used in the binding.
Gilt Edges and
Blocking
Many Cambridge Bibles and Prayer Books are decorated
with metallic gold and silver on their covers and on the
edges of their paper. The material that is used in this
process gives a rich, bright and attractive finish to
the book. However, care must be taken to protect the
Bible or Prayer Book from rain and snow, as the metallic
foil may peel when exposed to moisture. |
 |
Cambridge
Bible Codes
Cambridge Bible codes comprise a number of
elements representing different Bible features.
Binding materials
Designated by the last digit in the code:
|
|
0
Hardcover
1 Imitation leather
2 Bonded leather
3 French Morocco leather
4 Berkshire leather
5 & 6 Goatskin leather
7 Calfskin leather
8 Cowhide leather |
Additional features
|
|
A
Apocrypha
B (over) Boards
C Concordance
D Bible Dictionary
F Button Snap (Flap)
G Gospels
IX Thumb Index
NT New Testament
P Psalms
P2 Pre-punched Pages, 2 holes
R Red Letter Text
W White
WM Wide Margin
Z Zip Fastener |
|
|
|
|
