Bible Reviewer Tim Wildsmith published the following video today with sample copies of the upcoming Liturgy of the Hours Second Edition volumes from Ascension Press:
As Tim shows in the video, these copies are not final print editions (many pages are blank), but they give a sense for the size of the standard and large print editions, as well as the types of leather.
I think I’m going with Word on Fire. The existence of leather, zippered cases for these books by both Word on Fire and Ascension basically rules out the most premium option automatically, because what’s the point of uber-premium leather if you will never actually see or touch it 90% of the time, and the same leather case basically makes the paste-down/edge-lined debate moot. Am I underthinking this or is anyone in the same boat as me?
I’ll use the zip-case for transporting the breviaries if I need to throw it in a backpack. Otherwise, I’ll always be hands-to-leather (keeps the leather nice).
I went with the WoF for a few reasons, partially to be a contrarian as everyone I know is in love with Ascension’s version. Frankly I like it as well. However I owe a good deal of my conversion to Catholicism to Bishop Robert Barron’s writings. The Strangest Way being a huge influence on me in a terrible time in my life a few years ago. I own the WoF bibles, I like them a great deal though the N-RSV is okay as a translation, books themselves are made well and with care.
Plus the early bird price point was too sweet to pass up.
I worry that the text stamped on the front cover and spine will wear off the Word on Fire volumes.
Means it is being used. It’s a good thing.
Yes and no. It might mean the stamping is of poor quality where the text or illustration is on the surface only. Having said this, I’m not keen on the Word on Fire cover design on aesthetic grounds. At least the Ascension editions look like a Breviary. Unfussy.
The gold lettering on the spine of my Premium ed. Great Adventure Bible hasn’t come off in the slightest, and it’s had two years of nearly daily use. So, hopefully WoF will be using a high-quality lettering like that, as well.
A good “initial” review, with editions that are for the most part empty of text. Thus, the review is basically a “binding” review. Of course, many of the comments on the YouTube page are “calling out” Word on Fire asking them to submit editions for similar reviewing.
As for Will’s comment about coverings…I agree in that why would you spend a goodly amount of money on a binding that you might never “see” after placing it in a cover? Yes, if you opt for only one cover, then eventually, the three other editions will be sitting on your bookshelf so you can look at them.
My “negative” about WOF is the “billboard” style font on the font of every edition, and every one of their covers (not, of course, presumably, the third party covers that will soon be arriving, perhaps in early 2027).
What I appreciate about WOF’s offerings is that they aren’t “paywalling” art gilding and European printing behind the most expensive option. However, I do agree with the concern that the gold will likely flake off relatively quickly unless encased and handled delicately, because it doesn’t appear to be “stamped in” beyond the flat surface. It reminds me of how the Divine Worship: Daily Office: Commonwealth Edition’s gold sometimes didn’t even survive initial shipment and delivery intact, and if it did, it was partially rubbed off after barely a month of use.
That all said, I’m still waiting for January/February, just like with the CAB. The best early-bird discount in the world means nothing if I ultimately regret my choice when they finally come out and people get to critically compare and judge them based on real daily use.
I do not like the NABRE Bible. Therefore, any Liturgy of the Hours that uses this translation is not something I’d be interested in.
The primary scripture texts of the Liturgy of the Hours are the Psalms and Canticles, which in the upcoming 2nd edition are coming not from the NABRE but from the excellent Abbey Psalms and Canticles. The New Testament texts will be from the Catholic American Bible, not the NABRE. Non-Psalm and Canticle OT readings will be from the NABRE, but that comprises only a tiny fraction of all texts in the Liturgy of the Hours.
I decided to pre-order the Word on Fire 4-volume set for my own personal use. Initially, I expected to like the Ascension Press version better. The layout of the WOF edition, with huge margins and lots of white space, struck me as odd. But after looking at the sample images of each, the WOF layout started appealing to me. I now prefer the larger, less “chunky” form factor. WOF’s edition also seemed like a better value to me overall. My main concern is whether the binding will be durable. The edge-lined construction of Ascension’s two goatskin options is a tried-and-true design. WOF says they have researched how to make a paste-down liner more durable, and I hope they are correct.
I hope you’ve made the right choice. I’ve no skin in the game, as they say, as I live in the UK. I found the binding on the first volume of the WoF Bible wasn’t up to the job and swapped to the hardback for subsequent volumes. I’ve never regretted my decision, although hopefully WoF’s LotH volumes will stand up much better to repeated use. All that glitters isn’t gold.
As long as the paste-down liner is flexible (as early reviewers say it is) and has some reinforcement tape along the edge near the spine (like the split-calf Cambridge Diadems), I wager it’ll last a really long time.
For the record, I used my professional allowance to purchase the top-tier offering from Ascension, and would be happy to pen a review when I receive the Lent/Easter volume sometime in the next couple of months.
I’d be happy to host your review, Fr. Jedidiah!
I reached out to WOF when their preorders first opened on July 1st and asked about the binding of their Liturgy of the Hours volumes. Here’s the response I got from them:
“Edge-lined binding is a wonderful option, and we seriously explored it. Our book is different. It is a Smyth-sewn book with reinforced paste-down end sheets that uses a custom adhesive specially developed for this exact paper and this exact cover. This bespoke solution gives us the best balance of durability, beauty, ethical production, and accessibility. Producing an edge-lined four-volume set at this quality in a country outside China would have made the price dramatically higher, well beyond what most families, parishes, seminarians, and ordinary Catholics could afford. We’re very confident it will hold up to decades of daily prayer.”
Compared to the Word on Fire Bible, the new Liturgy of the Hours set will have:
“…a softer leather that testing shows holds the foil and glue better….We also changed the end sheets to a latex impregnated material that test showed will stay glued to the cover better because it flexes at a similar rate to the cover.”
Man, I would love to see an updated Byzantine Horologion with the quality of setup as these LotH volumes.
Also, not sure if there’s any other Eastern Catholics here, and this may be a hot take, but part of me wishes the Eastern churches in the US would also adopt the CAB for liturgical use, just so there is a unified translation of scripture in the US.
I would love to buy the new LOTH set, but it’s outside of my budget. I usually just pray Lauds, Vespers, and Compline anyways. So, I’m going to wait until a diurnal is published.
Looks like Ascension Press has a new edition of the RSV-2CE bible. It has large print and uses a special typeface to help readers with reading difficulties.
https://ascensionpress.com/products/catholic-reading-bible-dyslexia-friendly-edition-rsv-2ce?variant=47250184143040
I like it because it is large print, $45, and it comes in a standard bible dimensions of 9x6x2. Ascension’s Great Adventure Large Print Bible is $79.99 and has a bigger dimensions of 10×6.75×1.75.