The classic KJV Pitt Minion has now been updated to match the current line of Cambridge Pitt Minions. This is a new edition of the KJV Pitt Minion with many updates including the layout, font, and the addition of the Reader’s Companion.
Pros
- Digital font is sharp and print is consistent
- Paragraph format with poetry in verse format
- Reader’s Companion
- Small size is easy to carry
Cons
- Small text might be difficult for some readers
Here are the major features:
- Paragraph format
- 6.75-point Lexicon No. 1 digital font
- Red-letter (also available in black)
- Black Goatskin (other covers available)
- Center-column references
- Art-gilt edges
- Sewn binding
- 15 Maps with index to maps
- Reader’s Companion
- Red ribbon marker
- Epistle Dedicatory
- 1120 pages
- Ultrathin opaque paper
- Presentation Page
- 6.75 x 4.75 x 7/8
- 14.4oz
What is a ‘Pitt Minion’? That’s the question I get from everyone when they first hear about the Cambridge Pitt Minion. ‘Pitt’ comes from the Pitt Building. This is the building that houses the Pitt Press, named for William Pitt, the Prime Minister of Britain and Member of Parliament for Cambridge University. ‘Minion’ is the traditional term for a font in the 7-point range. (For more see BBH blog)
Cover and Binding
The edition I’m reviewing is black goatskin. It has a sewn binding, so it lays flat. The goatskin has a soft and elegant feel to the grain. Unlike the goatskin Cambridge Cameo, which is edge-stitched and leather-lined, the liner is synthetic and glued to the cover. This makes the cover not as flexible as the Cameo, making it easier to hold open in one hand. A Bible this size doesn’t need to be floppy (in my opinion). This is part of the price difference between the two Bibles.
Font
The font is larger than the original at 6.75 Lexicon No. 1 with 7-point leading. It is on the small side, but the sharpness and boldness helps make it readable. It has around a medium boldness and is very consistent throughout the Bible. The words of Christ while on Earth are in red-letter. The red-letter is about a medium shade of red and is equally consistent. I usually don’t like small text, but given the print and paper quality, I didn’t have any problem reading this text.
Layout
The layout for the new KJV Pitt Minion is beautiful. This edition is in paragraph format with poetry set in verse format. Searching for verses is a little more difficult because the verse numbers are not in bold. This makes the Pitt Minion a great reading Bible. I suspect we’ll see more KJV’s in this format.
Cambridge continues the layout/printing method they started with the Clarion with printing each line of text over the same area on both sides of the page. This adds to the readability because the white space between the text is cleaner, making the space between the lines seem larger. It looks better in the Pitt Minion because of the greater opacity of the paper.
Thumbing through to find specific chapters is easier since the top outside corners of each page has the range of chapters that appear on that page. I’ve used many Bibles that only give you the chapter that starts on that page. This cause’s unnecessary page turning because I was already on the page I needed, I just didn’t know it since the top of the page only showed the chapter that started on that page. I like the way this is solved in the Pitt Minion. At I wish this were standard in Bibles.
References
The references are from Zondervan. They are center-column and keyed to the text with letters for references and numbers for translation notes. There are verse numbers in bold in the center-column with all the references for that verse. References for verses in the left column appear at the top of the center-column, and references for the verses in the right column appear at the bottom of the center-column.
Paper
The Pitt Minion uses India paper. It is ultrathin and lightweight, and is much more opaque than the Clarion. Since the paper is so thin it does have some slight curling on the edges, but it is very slight. Edges in the goatskin edition are art-gilt, which gives the edges a red tone when the Bible is open. I love the elegance that art-gilt gives.
Reader’s Companion
Rather than having a concordance, the Pitt Minion now has the Reader’s Companion, which first appeared in the Cambridge KJV Clarion. It’s a combination of a concordance and a dictionary. I’m very glad that Cambridge is placing the Reader’s Companion in more KJV editions. Where it differs from a concordance is it only gives the reference and not a portion of the text. What it gives instead is a Bible dictionary entry. It includes introductions to the books of the Bible, short biographies of Biblical characters, and much more. I’ll take the Reader’s Companion over a concordance any day. I hope it becomes standard for all Cambridge KJV editions.
Maps
There are 15, newly updated, full color maps. There is also an 8-page index to maps that’s color-coded for Settlements, Political, Physical Land, Physical Water, Travel, and Jerusalem.
Conclusion
The 2nd edition of Cambridge’s KJV Pitt Minion is a beautiful edition of the King James text. It has many features that I’d like to see in all KJV’s. The text, even though it is small, is sharp and easy to read. The paper is thin and still opaque. The Reader’s Companion, being a combination between a concordance and a dictionary, is much more useful than just a concordance. The goatskin is soft and the sewn binding adds to the durability. The Cambridge 2nd edition KJV Pitt Minion is an excellent Bible to read and carry. Highly recommended.
Baker Publishing provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review. My opinion is my own.