R L Allan Oxford Clarendon Wide Margin KJV in Black Highland Goatskin
R L Allan’s latest King James edition is the nice wide margin that was formerly published by Oxford. The font, layout, and margin are the same, but this wide margin has been given Allan’s exquisite binding treatment, making it the most durable and flexible wide margin available in KJV.
Here are the basic features:
- Highland Goatskin
- Epistle Dedicatory and Allan Royal License
- Center column References
- Chapter summaries
- 3 Dark Blue Ribbon Markers
- Leather Lined
- Smyth sewn
- Semi yapp
- Gilt line inside
- Red under gold page edges (art-gilt)
- 8/9 point Bold Clarendon type
- Italics for inserted text
- Same pagination as regular size Brevier Clarendon editions
- 8.5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
- 1.5 inch margin
- 1536 pages
- 15 (16 pages) full color Oxford Bible maps
- 26 page for notes
- 48 pages of lined writing paper
- Coated writable India paper
Binding
The binding on this Allan is superb. It is leather-lined and includes a semi yapp. The highland goatskin is one of the softest and most flexible leathers available for a Bible and this highland goatskin is as nice as any I’ve seen. It includes the leather glued into the leather lining and end-pages, making this a well-built Bible that should last a lifetime. It is a sewn binding that lays flat.
Layout
I love wide margin Bibles. In my opinion, everyone should use a wide margin Bible for study- especially those in teaching/preaching roles. The margins are 1.5 inches on the sides and 1 inch top and bottom.
Paper
The paper is coated India paper, making it excellent paper for writing. It is thick and opaque, and has a slight cream tone which is easy on the eyes. It doesn’t have a shine to it at all, making it excellent for reading and marking. There are 26 blank pages in the back for writing or drawing and 48 pages of lined paper for notes. The art-gilt edges have a copper tone, which I love, but it’s not as dark as the Longprimer.
Text
The font is an 8-point bold Clarendon. The readability of this Bible is better than most due to the boldness of the font and the opacity of the paper.
At the beginning of every chapter there is a summary. I like having chapter summaries because they are useful for searching. They are small and I might not agree with all of them, but they are there.
At the top of each page is a short summary of that column. I like that they are included because they can be helpful when trying to find something quick.
Also at the top of the page is the name of the Book along with the chapter number that begins on that page (or is continued on that page) – with the exception of Psalms, which only has the book name.
This edition does include italics for supplied words (something that is missing in the Longprimer- another Oxford edition).
References
I’m not sure how many references there are, but there are a lot. I like to use Genesis 1:1 to check the number of references. This one has 8 references (not counting that some of them include 3 verses). The references are keyed to the text with letters. I would like to have the verse numbers in the center column to make it easier to find the reference, but that is a small matter.
The center column also includes translation notes with alternate readings. The translation notes are keyed to the text with numbers. They are physically as close to the verse as possible, but, just like the references, you will have to hunt for some of them.
Ribbons
Allan sets the standard for ribbons. This edition has three ribbons in a beautiful dark blue. They are wide and long enough to be useful because they will reach all the way to the corner of the page.
Maps
The Oxford maps are gorgeous. I’m a sucker for full-color maps and these are some of the best looking I’ve seen. These maps do include some ‘traditions’ for some locations. Also, there may be a few locations that are not as accurate because of later archaeological finds, but that is to be expected.
Concordance
This edition does not have a concordance. I would have liked a concordance, but I’m not sure how they could have gotten it in there. A concordance would have completed the study value of this Bible. Considering that I use this Bible at home where I have access to good concordances, and that most concordances in Bibles are not as useful as they should be anyway, the lack of a concordance isn’t a deal-breaker for me. However, a concordance would only improve the value of this Bible. The lack of a concordance could keep me from using this as a carry Bible.
Comparison with the RL Allan Longprimer
Conclusion
The Allan Wide Margin in KJV is an exceptional Bible. I have come to really appreciate quality in a Bible- particularly the binding, paper, and font- and the Allan delivers on every point. The Oxford Clarendon Wide Margin from RL Allan and Sons is sure to be the Bible that is cherished for a lifetime of study.
Click here to buy from Bibles-Direct.com
or here to buy from EvangelicalBible.com
After seeing Randy’s nice review I decided to order one. This is my first luxury bible as my diet has been LCBP and TBS.
It is a very nice bible. Superior binding and almost no ghosting with markers. A nice thick leather cover and the pages are easy to fan through. The print is clear but I would prefer a larger font. Occasionally there is a letter not printed fully in the text.
Compared to LCBP Notetaker and wide margin (#390) it offers a little more but to be honest both LCBP bibles are easier to read. I really do not like the self-pronouncing in the 390. I find the new Notetaker has a great font but it is awkward to use due to size. It is not so easy to move between different parts of the bible. The Allan is superior in this regard and very easy to read in your hands or on a desk.
I don’t dwell on the fact that for the price of the Allan I could get 4 nice LCBP bibles. Nevertheless I’m glad to have it and will get a lot of use from it. If you can live with the smaller, but very readable font, it does not get any better than this.
I guess it all comes down to tradeoffs. John
Words of Christ in red & a good concordance will make me a buyer X2. Italics too. im a beginner but i like nice stuff. and if you want to produce a product try to give the customer everything the need for a good study. I dont want five good bibles Just one really Good one to keep and pass on from gen to gen.
Soldier
Hi guys-
I love to purchase this bible, KJV however the font size is too small for me
Do u have the same one withe goatskin with font size of 12 or 14 and preferably words of Christmas in red
Cheers sev
Hi Guys , I live in sydney Australia
I want to purchase a KJV Bible goatskin wide margin with the largest font size and preferable red letter
do u have one and what wd b the cost…
cheers – sev
Where can I purchase this exact Bible?
The RL Allen Wide Margin Black Highland Goatskin…
please leave a link or something thank you
This one in Australia is the only one I know of:
http://www.csss.org.au/bible-kjv-oxford-wide-margin-highland-goatskin-5wm.html?hc_location=ufi
They ship to US and Canada.
Ive been checking out csss for this bible. Can anyone help? I dont want a fake Allan bible. They messaged me saying they had Allan chang ribbon colors and bind these for them. Can anyone confirm this companies legitimacy?
I received one about a week ago and it seems nice enough. I have had quite a few Allan’s over the years and if this is a fake, they’ve done a good job. I’ve checked the binding and it is indeed sewn, appears to have the same hinge, “the Jongbloed hinge” that you can see in the pics on here and on Bible Design Blog and has the blue edge lining with the Allan stamp in the back and “highland goatskin” in the front.
The art gilt edges look as good as a “real Allan” and their copyright pages etc…have Allan’s license and say “printed in the Netherlands by Jongbloed”
I sent an email yesterday to Allan to verify whether they are indeed authentic but Allan is closed until Wednesday.
They are legit in that I paid and they did send a Bible but as for your real question, I can only say it looks like an Allan and smells like an Allan so I hope it’s an Allan. If I get a definitive answer I’ll post it.
Hope this helps.
I own an original. I just received one from CSS. They are exactly alike except for ribbons and a couple of front pages. I HIGHLY recommend CSS. The shipping takes a loooong time, but for half the money for the same bible, how can I complain? BUY!
I have noticed much more broken letters in the text of the csss version. This may explain the price and availability. It is not a bad thing. Most broken letters are barely broken or noticeable, But I know Allan prides themselves in having bold unbroken text. I would still recommend the csss over the Allan regular due to price. After all…its half the price even with shipping
R L Allan Oxford Clarendon Wide Margin KJV in Black Highland Goatskin is this Bible available for purchase? and if so where??
Hi Jeffry. You can get it from:
EvangelicalBible: http://evangelicalbible.com/product-category/r-l-allan-bibles/allan-kjv/
Bibles Direct: http://www.bibles-direct.co.uk/products/?c=71
Is the font of this one bigger, smaller or identical to LCBP 120 series?
I have been having trouble seeing my 120 Series and reading the text. Do you know of any other wide margins bibles that have a bigger font? I am aware of Hendrickson that has one, but it’s 11 point font and is too big of a bible than what I am willing to use.
The LCBP 390 is a good choice if you’re okay with text-only. It’s a wm version of the Cambridge Large Print Text but with a slightly smaller font (10 point): http://localchurchbiblepublishers.com/?s=390&post_type=product
The only one I can think of that has references is the CBP wm version of the Cambridge Turquoise. It only has 1″ margin on the outside, top, and bottom, but it might be worth considering: https://www.churchbiblepublishers.com/product/midsize-wide-margin-bible/
I’ll get them out to compare. It might take a day or two.