The Cambridge Clarion is one of my favorite series of Bibles. Until now, the premium cover has only been available in black goatskin with a synthetic liner. Cambridge has now produced the ESV and KJV in a buttery-soft calfskin with a full yapp and a leather liner. They’ve also produced the ESV in a green goatskin with a leather liner. All three have upgraded ribbons. The 1769 KJV has 28GSM Indopaque paper, while the 2016 ESVs have 32GSM Primabible paper. I will review the covers of all three editions, printed in the Netherlands by Jongbloed.
For the full review of KJV content, see my previous KJV Clarion review.
For the full review of ESV content, see my previous ESV Clarion review.
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Cambridge
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KJV Green Calfskin
This is ISBN 9781009725170.
The cover is green Buffalo calfskin with a full yapp. The green is dark, muted green with a hint of yellow, but I wouldn’t call it olive. It’s extremely soft and flexible. The leather is thick, but not too thick. The full yapp touches on all sides and includes perimeter stitching with a thread to match the cover’s color. An etched line traces around the textblock. The grain is deep, with a lot of color variation. This is the kind of grain and color variation that stands out to me, and is easily one of my favorite covers. This cover looks and feels elegant. The spine includes 5 raised hubs and gold printing.
The edge-lined liner is black leather. The liner is also soft to the touch and has a visible grain. The corner work looks fantastic. I would like to see a gilt line around the inside to add to the elegance. The edge-lined tab isn’t too stiff, so the Bible stays open in Genesis without closing. It does need to break in a little, though, before it will lie flat in the first few chapters of Genesis.
The three ribbons are Berisfords, and they are double-sided satin. Mine has a variation in size. Two are 5/16″ wide, and one is 1/4″ wide. The width fits the overall size of the Clarion. Each has a different shade of muted green that looks great with the cover. They’re straight-cut and just long enough to pull to the corner to open the Bible. The head/tail bands are yellow and green.
ESV Burgundy Calfskin
This is ISBN 9781009725095.
The cover is burgundy Buffalo calfskin and matches the KJV except for the colors. It’s soft and flexible with a thick leather and a full yapp that touches on all sides. Perimeter stitching includes a burgundy thread to match the cover, and an etched line traces around the textblock. It also has a deep grain with a lot of dark color variation. The spine has 5 raised hubs and gold printing. This is my personal favorite of the three covers. It looks and feels the same as the green for the KJV, but I prefer this color.
The edge-lined liner is black leather with excellent corner work. Like the KJV’s cover, it isn’t too stiff and doesn’t close when using it. After it breaks in with use, it should stay fully open at the beginning of Genesis.
Unlike my KJV, all three of the double-sided Berisfords ribbons are 1/4″ wide, which is a good size for the Clarion in my opinion. Each has a different shade of red/burgundy/wine that looks great with the burgundy cover. They’re also straight cut and long enough to pull to the corner to open the Bible. The head/tail bands are yellow and red.
ESV Green Goatskin
This is ISBN 9781009726900.
Aside from the liner, the green goatskin leather looks and feels like the other goatskin Clarion editions. It’s a more solid green than the calfskin on the KJV, so it’s closer to olive, but it’s still darker than olive. Like the other goatskin Clarions, this one does not have a yapp. The grain is pebbly, and it’s the same thickness as the calfskin. It’s soft and flexible, but not as soft and flexible as the calfskin editions. It includes perimeter stitching with a green thread that matches the cover. The spine has 5 non-raised hubs and gold printing.
The edge-lined liner is the same black leather as the calfskin editions, which is soft to the touch and has a visible grain. I’m not sure why, but the edge-lined tab seems a little stiffer than the calfskin editions. It will stay open in Genesis, but it tries to close a little more. It’s still usable, but I think it will need a little more use before it breaks in.
This one also has three double-sided satin Berisfords ribbons. Each is a different shade of green, and they’re greener than those on the KJV. All three are 1/4″ wide, straight cut, and just long enough to pull to the corner to open the Bible. The head/tail bands are yellow and green.
Video Review
Conclusion
All three covers are excellent, but I love the buttery soft calfskin. I like the goatskin, but these calfskin covers solidify my love for calfskin done well. They’re buttery soft, and I love the colors and color variation. The green goatskin is a welcome change from the standard black. I like that these Clarion Bibles have three Berisfords ribbons and that they’re not too wide for this small footprint. Although I like 28GSM paper, I would love to see the KJV have 32GSM paper to match the ESVs. As they are, these new Cambridge Clarion covers are excellent and are easy to recommend.
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This book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
Amazon
Cambridge
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Cambridge provided these Bibles in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Randy,
Thank you so much for your Bible reviews. With regard to the two ESVs, how do you know the paper is 32 gsm? Is the green goatskin Clarion text block noticeably thicker than the 28 gsm black goatskin ESV Clarion?
Thank you for your work. God’s blessings!
Jonathan
Hi Johnathan. The ESV is a lot thicker, but I got my information directly from Cambridge.