Today is the first day of preorders for the Liturgy of the Hours Second Edition from both Word on Fire and Ascension Press. Word on Fire has updated their website with an informational video and lots of new details on their edition. Here is a quick run-down of the features in Word on Fire’s volumes:
- Both regular and large print editions will be available. The font sizes will be 11.4 pt in the regular edition and 14 pt in the large print edition
- The regular size will be larger (0.5 inches wider and 1.25 inches taller) than the comparable volumes of the current standard-print Liturgy of the Hours from Catholic Book Publishing Corporation (CBPC)
- All volumes will be offered in black full grain leather
- Red and gold art gilding
- 7 ribbons
- Printed by LEGO in Italy using French paper from manufacturer PDL Paper
- The page layout was redesigned to reduce clutter compared to the current volumes from CBPC. Red text labeling the readings, intercessions, antiphons, responsories, etc., have been moved to the margin.
- Artwork by Gustave Dore was used throughout the volume.
Preorder pricing (which includes a 28% discount off the MSRP), is as follows:
Regular size 4-volume set: $359
Large Print 4-volume set: $429
Dang, WOF is beautiful too. And I respect that they didn’t send out nearly the amount of surveys as Ascension and yet they still produced a smashing edition. I love Ascension’s artwork, but WOF avoided all use of sans serif fonts and that matters more in my book haha. Sans serif still looks 70s/80s. At the end of the day, both WOF and Ascension have shown how much the US Catholic Church’s aesthetics are healing.