On September 25th, Ignatius Press will be releasing the Ignatius Note-taking & Journaling Bible (RSV-2CE). This edition will feature an imitation leather cover, smyth-sewn binding, and 2-inch ruled margins. It will be relatively small (6.25 X 7.25 inches) with a double-column text layout and 7 point font. Check out the link above for all the product information. The current pre-order price from Ignatius Press is $33.96.
Great! Just hope that it will lay flat — which their current standard imitation leather RSV-2CE (the one with the icon on the cover) does not.
Not many double-column journal/note taking bibles that I am aware of. Will be interesting to see it.
Forgive the silliness, but I suspect the reason we don’t see many double column journaling bibles is the same reason why we don’t see very many planes with one wing.
Ignatius Press description says hardback and synthetic. Could it be a wrapped hardback? If so that could be a very good thing. Synthetic covers range from very poor (flakey) to very durable. I have had both. Either way, if it is hardcover it should open flat.
The double column was done probably to condense the size of the book. This probably means that both columns of text will have to share one note column. Unless one is wanting to write lengthy commentary this may not be an issue. I usually see short comments and impressions on these types of Bibles, sometimes a reference… but more and more I see full blown graffiti style artwork. (Not people I know, just blogs and social media pictures.) Now this is where this particular Bible can shine. The Ignatius is known for its thicker paper which will lend itself well to diverse pigments. I have a hardback 2CE that I use with micron pens of different colors and it works quite well.
“The double column was done probably to condense the size of the book.”
Well, perhaps. Frankly, I suspect it was done because Ignatius already has an existing two-column setting, and dropping that into a wide-margin block is a very low-effort way to get a new product and call it a “journaling Bible”. I’ll be very surprised if this new Bible’s layout differs at all from their preexisting RSV-2CE settings.
Bingo! SH I believe you are correct.
SH, yes I wouldn’t be surprised if it is an RSV-2CE with larger margins. Of course they could put a margin on each side of the page, but that would increase the size of the book. They could make it single column, but that would also increase the size of the book substantially (unless they used the super thin paper.)
This really isn’t my personal preference for a Bible format. At one time I probably would have bit. All the stuff that I would want to write in it… apologetics, CCC references, liturgical references…. are already in the Didache Bible, which has all these things in spades and more in a manageable size.
The appeal of this Bible is the current trend for doodling personal reflections and artwork in Bibles. You guys have heard of adult coloring books? This is similar but a more fruitful venture. Illustrating a reflection or verse right there on scripture is a kind of meditation. As you are doing it you are writing the words on your heart. This is something for the more artistically inclined, it’s not for everyone. We all learn, pray, and listen to God in different ways. Those who have been wanting a RSV-2CE to write in should love this. Those that truly want to JOURNAL… really need an actual journal. So in a way the name is a bit of a misnomer.
I am just glad that especially pastors, and then fans of the RSV2CE finally have a place to write a few long sentences on many places of the Bible for their own reference and learning.