AE Bibles has sent me another rebound Bible to review in exchange for an honest review. This time around, I didn’t have to go through the grilling process of making a decision (if you’re anything like me, you know how difficult making a decision can be). Adrian from AE Bibles chose everything for me and sent it, and I’m a fan of every choice he made. Like my last rebind, he went with Badalassi Carlo calfskin.

Here are the selections he made:

  • Golden Yellow Badalassi Carlo calfskin
  • Generous yapp
  • Perimeter stitching
  • Perimeter/Spine Tooling
  • Raised Spine Hubs
  • Dark brown lambskin liner
  • Brown paper end sheet
  • Gold Interior Gilt Line
  • Geranium Red Art Gilt
  • White head/tail bands
  • 3 premium ribbons in 10mm: Gold, Cafe au lait, and Brown
  • Gift Box
  • Base Package features: raised hubs, spine stamping, waterproof treatment

Table of Contents

  1. Video Review
  2. Cover
  3. Liner
  4. End Sheet
  5. Ribbons
  6. Head / Tail Bands
  7. Art Gilt
  8. Comparisons
  9. Conclusion

Video Review

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Cover

The leather is golden yellow Badalassi Cardo calfskin. This is the same leather that I chose for my Clarion rebind but in a different color. The grain is mostly smooth, but it has ripples that stand out. It includes perimeter stitching and an etched line. It also has a generous yapp. On the front is Holy Bible stamped in gold. The spine has HOLY BIBLE, KJV Sovereign, and Nelson stamped in gold. It has 5 raised spine hubs. On the back is the AE Bibles logo stamped in gold near the bottom.

This is thick leather. The cover isn’t overly stiff, but it does lay flat in the hand. This is my preference. I can hold it open in one hand without it trying to get away from me. I love the look and feel of this leather and this color. This leather is unique in that scratches can be rubbed out. Fortunately, it doesn’t scratch easily, but if it does scratch, I don’t have to worry about it.

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Liner

The liner is edge-lined dark brown lambskin. It includes a decorative gold gilt line just on the inside of the outer edge. The front inside has Badalassi Cardo stamped in gold. The back has Lambskin Liner stamped in gold. The end sheet is brown paper. The edge-lined tab is slightly stiff, but it stays open well in Genesis. The liner does take part of the presentation page, but that’s because the presentation page doubles as the liner in the Sovereign.

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End Sheet

The end sheet is brown paper. It’s thick and has a fabric-like texture. It’s stiff and glued onto the edge-line tab. The color and texture work well with the cover, liner, and other elements.

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Ribbons

It has three premium ribbons: Gold, Cafe au lait, and Brown. They’re 10mm wide and hang 5.5″ outside the Bible. This is more than long enough to pull to the corners to open the Bible. The width feels balanced to the size of this Bible. The colors work perfectly with the cover.

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Head / Tail Bands

The head/tail bands are white. They look elegant and fit the design well. They match those from R.L Allan. The white stands apart from the rest of the materials without looking out of place.

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Art Gilt

The page edges are art-gilt with Geranium Red. When closed, the pages have a copper color with a hint of red. The gold has a touch of a matte finish. When opened, they’re a dark bold red. The color works great with the red highlights inside this Bible.

There are a few pages where the ink spills onto the page, but that’s to be expected with art-gilt that’s done by hand. There actually isn’t much spill-over, and I’ve seen a lot more than this in Bibles from premium publishers.

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Comparisons

Here’s how the new leather compares to the dark brown Badalassi Cardo calfskin Clarion that AE Bibles rebound for me. I’ll also compare it to the Sovereign in black genuine leather and the R.L Longpriner 52 in black Meriva calfskin.

AE Bibles Rebind Calfskin Clarion

The first rebind I got from AE Bibles was my KJV Clarion. I sent the goatskin edition and chose Badalassi Cardo in dark brown. It’s the same leather but in a different color. That one didn’t include the gilt line or the art-gilt edges.

Thomas Nelson Sovereign in Black Genuine Leather

The Thomas Nelson Sovereign in black genuine leather has an edge-lined liner. The lining is heavy-duty vinyl. The edge-lined tab is stiffer which causes it to have a more noticeable hump. The Golden Yellow Badalassi Carlo calfskin lays flatter and stays open closer to the front than the genuine leather. The spine has 4 raised hubs and a lot more stamping. It comes with two ribbons. They’re thick, but not as elegant. For the price, they’re elegant enough.

Longprimer 52 in Black Meriva Clafskin

The Allan Longprimer 52 has an edge-lined Meriva calfskin liner. Mine is black with a blue leather liner. The grain smooth and consistent. It does have a little bit of texture, but it doesn’t have any ripples like Badalassi Cardo. It’s thinner and more flexible. The ribbons are slightly thinner. The Allan does not include raised spine hubs. The liner has a gold gilt-line. The end sheets are coated paper.

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Conclusion

AE Bibles has impressed me again. I loved everything about my first rebind and this one is just as elegant and well-made. The Golden Yellow Badalassi Carlo calfskin is both touch and elegant. It stays open and flat in my hands. It’s easy to carry and read from. It does add to the size a weight a little, but not much and not in a bad way. It feels rugged, so I don’t have to baby it. Everything about this rebind, from the materials to the craftsmanship, screams quality. It is expensive and can take a while, but you do get what you pay for. If you’re interested in purchasing a rebound Bible or getting your Bible rebound, take a look at the AE Bibles.

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AE Bibles provided this rebound Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not asked to provide a positive review.