From Ignatius:
The complete Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, is now available in a smaller, more portable size. It features the beautiful Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation along with introductions, outlines, and explanatory notes for each biblical book, extensive cross references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and an array of visual and educational aids to bring the message of Scripture into clear focus for Catholic readers.
More than any other study edition of the Bible on the market, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is “like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Mt 13:52). It draws insights from the best of modern scholarship as well as the best of the Catholic tradition of interpretation through the ages.
It explains the historical, cultural, literary, and archaeological background of Scripture, while at the same time looking to the Fathers, Doctors, and Councils of the Church for insight into its theological and spiritual teachings. The result is a veritable library of Bible study resources, all under one cover, designed to help readers understand the written Word of God and apply its lessons to their lives today. It is simply the most ambitious undertaking of its kind in our generation.
Key Features:
- Introductions and Outlines for every book of the Bible
- 17,500+ explanatory footnotes for every chapter of the Bible
- 20+ topical essays on major topics in the Bible
- 140+ word studies on the most important vocabulary in the Bible
- 25+ charts on the chronology, kings, parables, and other features of the Bible
- 50+ maps on the geography of the Bible
- 1,700+ cross-references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- 9-point type size, 7-point type for annotations
Link for Bonded Leather here.
Just ordered the hardback edition! The sole reason I never bought the original was because of its unwieldy size; I planned on buying an ebook copy when there was a sale, but this is a thousand times better!!
I ordered myself the bonded leather one.
Would like to see the 9 point font in action before I order
I’ll post a preview once I get my copy.
Please include your observations about the “thin” paper. Is the ghosting gonna be a deal breaker???
I think that’s the font size in the regular RSV2 that Ignatius publishes.
Went with the portable hardback version. Going to give away the full size bonded leather.
I plan to do the same thing, once the personal size hardback arrives. I have the larger edition in both hardback and bonded leather (I couldn’t make up my mind!). Both are too big to sit on the knee but I’ll keep the larger hardback as a desktop study bible. The bonded leather edition is just too floppy for such a large book. The spine is misshapen after much use but it’ll go to a good home.
If I’m reading the measurements right, then this would be the same dimensions as the regular burgundy RSV-2CE, just thicker. Depending on how the print and paper turn out, this might make the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible viable as a rebind, since it’d now be comparable in dimensions to the ESV Study Bible. I’ll wait till some reviews pop up to get a better look at it, then might get two, in addition to the “desk” version I already own: one for travel, and one to hold onto in case a friend of mine takes an interest in Catholicism.
Well, there goes my Lenten fast on buying new books! And it’s only day two!
That’s rough! Ouch!
Awesome, I just bought the hardback. I have the big one already but I want something I can carry without a wheelbarrow to Bible study. My Didache study Bible will have an honorary spot in my bookshelf now.
It shows such contempt for the buyers.
All we heard was how the sheer mass of ICSB content made it simply impossible to produce in these dimensions, even with thin Bible paper like Oxford or other premium publishers use.
But clearly, that wasn’t the case at all. So why bother to produce the oversized volume of questionable utility at all when they could have opened with this?
Oh, right. So they could sell it twice.
John Bergsma has said in several interviews (at least once on Pints) that the thin tea paper they wanted to use in the first printing has been out of stock since COVID, and the paper suppliers had no idea when it would be back in stock. So they went ahead with the first printing of the study Bible rather than wait around for the ideal paper to be available at an unknown time. But, Bergsma adds, as soon as that tea paper was available again they planned to print the book in a smaller size. He just had no idea when it would be. Their goal of a second printing at smaller dimensions has been public since the first printing.
Yes, and if you look online at some of the comparison between even the cover of the original and this new one, there is likely a different printer involved. I should be getting my copy today and will supply some photos soon after reception.
Would appreciate seeing the photos, thanks!
No, the reason they gave was that there was a shortage of Bible paper, so they had to use bulkier paper, which made the volume thicker than it needed to be, but they didn’t want to wait for the shortage to end because there had been so many complaints for years. “The text is finished, it’s edited, it’s ready for publication, why aren’t you publishing it?” So they didn’t want to wait another year to publish it. This is not a retroactive justification, it is what Ignatius said last year when it was published the first time.
And frankly, I’m annoyed, you weren’t happy when it was big, and now you are not because it is smaller, what’s a mother to do?
This is great news, but I will be skipping the personal size edition for now. I already have the hardback desk edition. My old eyes will probably prefer the 10/8 point type font size of the text and notes of the desk edition than the 9/7 font size of the personal edition. I have the Didache Bible if I need a portable RSV2CE and it has a 9.5/8.5 font size.
I will be saving my pennies for the upcoming CAB.
I’m sorry – I cannot imagine the print in the notes being any smaller than it already is. Maybe this would work for younger folk – but not me.
I just don’t see how a 91/4″ X 6 1/4″ X 2 1/2″ book is significantly more “wieldy” – yes, the full size Ignatius Study Bible is a behemouth, but to call this “personal size” is like saying Jasom Mamoa is a small guy because Shaquile O’Neil is bigger. 🙂 🙂
The #1 complaint people had was that it was much too big; this was due to a shortage of Bible paper. Now that the shortage is apparently over, they can publish the same text in the original size it was intended to be.
I just got an email from Ignatius Press stating that they are offering a bundle where you can get a print copy of the Study Bible, the desk or personal size version, and they’ll heavily discount the Study Bible app. So, for anyone who ever wanted the app but thought the price was too steep on its own, you might finally be able to justify it to yourself by smuggling the price into the cost of the new personal size. For the current cost of the hardcover desk size, you can get the hardcover personal size with the app. Not a bad offer, to be honest.
https://ignatius.com/ignatius-personal-size-study-bible-hardcover-bundle-2pshx/
If I had known they were going to print this in a more reasonable size, I wouldn’t have bought the first one. It’s very frustrating.
They said at the time that when the Bible paper they normally use became available, it would be reprinted in a smaller size; they didn’t have an ETA on when the shortage would end. So they made it clear that your options were to either buy the bulky size or wait an indefinite period of time for the smaller size to be published.
Thank you! I decided to purchase mine with the study app bundle after reading your post. It will be my first ICSB. Very excited for it arrive.
EL,
That is great. The app is great to have as well. Feel free to comment back here once you get your physical Bible and share your thoughts.
I think you’re rather uncharitably misstating my point.
I’m not pulling a Goldilocks, determined to be annoyed either way.
I’m annoyed that they’re double-dipping.
As others voice in this thread, had I purchased the first I’d be quite upset. Had they just printed it in their intended format at the start, you wouldn’t have heard anything from me at all.
I suggest that this is part of a pattern and practice of milking readers for years, selling one volume at a time, always promising the payoff is just around the corner. I suggest that Word on Fire is doing the same thing with its “Bible.” I suggest that this is an exploitive practice, and attest that it makes me not trust the publishers at all.