The layout of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible makes it a joy to read. Some people, however - though loving the design - may prefer the standard KJV text to David Norton’s restoration. So, in a previous post, I compared two personal-size, single-column, paragraph-format, black-letter King James Bibles published in 2011 by Cambridge University Press: the Clarion Reference Bible and the Revised edition of the NCPB.
Here is a comparison of two text-only, single-column, paragraph-format, black-letter King James Bibles: one published by Thomas Nelson and the other by Penguin Classics:
Biblical text
Thomas Nelson: Standard 1769; words that have no equivalent in the original text are printed in italics.
Penguin Classics: 1611, but with modern spelling and punctuation; no words are in italics.
Apocrypha included?
Thomas Nelson: No.
Penguin Classics: Yes.
Also on each page
Thomas Nelson: Marginal notes at the bottom of the page.
Penguin Classics: Nothing else.
In both editions
Epistle Dedicatory.
Also included
Thomas Nelson: Bible in a Year reading plan, 30 days with Jesus, 90 day overview of the Bible, Passages for Christmas and Easter, and a concordance.
Penguin Classics: A 16-page Introduction, 53 pages of Notes on the books of the Bible, and seven pages of maps.
Font size
Slightly larger in the Thomas Nelson than in the Penguin Classics (which is slightly larger than the font used in the 2011 Revised edition).
Page size
Thomas Nelson: 5 1/2 x 8 5/16 inches.
Penguin Classics: 5 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches.
Printed text (not including marginal notes)
Thomas Nelson: 4 3/16 x 7 3/16 inches.
Penguin Classics: 3 7/8 x 7 3/8 inches.
Lines per page
Thomas Nelson: 47 (6.54 lines per vertical inch).
Penguin Classics: 48 (6.51 lines per vertical inch).
There is slightly more space between the lines in the Penguin Classics than in the Thomas Nelson.
Books begin...
Thomas Nelson: at the top of a page.
Penguin Classics: at the top of a page (with one exception) and usually on a right-hand page (with two exceptions).
Text sample
Thomas Nelson
Penguin Classics (but ignore the marginal notes, which are in all other editions of the NCPB).
Paper opacity
Noticeably better in the Penguin Classics than in the Thomas Nelson. (The paper opacity in the 2011 Revised edition is somewhere in between these two editions.)
Bindings available
Thomas Nelson: Black leather or leather-like.
Penguin Classics: Paperback.
