The Cambridge Pitt Minion in Black Goatskin

When it comes to portable Bibles, I think Cambridge lays claim to making the best editions on the market. I love their single-column Clarion, which I reviewed here, but I wondered what it would be like to go even more portable. I knew I needed to check out their Pitt Minion.

The Pitt Minion is a double column edition with a smaller font than the Clarion making it much thinner and even more portable. I’m reviewing the red letter ESV edition in black goatskin. Cambridge offers the Pitt Minion in multiple translations with different binding options and some in all black letter. That being said, there is probably a Pitt Minion out there for you. Let’s take a look at this unique and highly portable Bible.

Packaging

My Pitt Minion came in a clamshell box that has a matte finish. The front has information about translation, binding type, and indicates that it’s red letter. I’ve seen many premium Bible boxes opting for simpler designs. Cambridge’s is a bit more busy, but I still think it’s nicely designed and looks great. The back gives a lot of information about the Bible and shows a sample from the text.

Outer Materials

I’ll start by saying that I love the goatskin Cambridge uses. For me, their goatskin sets the tone of what goatskin should be like on a premium Bible. It has a thick, sturdy feel with a really nice, deep grain. I have loved the goatskin of every Cambridge Bible I’ve handled.

The Pitt Minion has a tooled perimeter line, which I think make it unique. There are also five tooled bars on the spine imitating hubs. In gold you have the words "HOLY BIBLE", "English Standard Version", and "CAMBRIDGE". The spine is simple and I like it. It’s not overly busy and they didn’t try and cram too much on there.

There are also top and bottom head and tail bands in gold and red. The page edges have a red under gold art gilt. The Bible has two nice red ribbons that are a good length for a Bible of this size. However, they aren’t satin, but I think that seems to work in this edition. Normally, I prefer satin ribbons, but I like these.

Inner Materials

The Pitt Minion uses a paste-down vinyl liner. I like that they used vinyl here because it increases flexibility. My critique is that they decided to go with paste-down. I really think that a premium goatskin edition should be edge-lined.

The Bible is sewn, which helps with durability and a flat lay. My copy does not lay flat at Genesis or Revelation out of the box, but I think it will with some breaking in. There is also a single and simple presentation page.

The paper itself is a nice off-white. It’s described as "quality India Bible paper" and most likely clocks in at a 27 or 28 gsm. I’m actually really impressed by the paper of this Bible.

Font and Text

The font is a 6.75 Lexicon 1. It is small, but not too small to read. I wouldn’t pick it as an every day Bible, but I think it is well suited for times of ministry, Bible studies, and occasions when you won’t be reading for very long. Being so portable, I think this is the best use case.

The text is line matched, which greatly improves the reading experience. The red letter is probably a medium red. I would have preferred it be a bit darker , but it’s very even and doesn’t lighten or darken as you read.

Page Layout

This is a reference Bible so references are in a center column separated by vertical lines on each side. References for the left column are at the top and references for the right column are at the bottom. If there are a lot of references, the references for the right column will continue in the bottom right corner of the page under the translation notes.

In my opinion, for a Bible this small, this is a very busy layout. Cambridge has packed a lot into such a portable package. If it were me, I’d get rid of the references and increase the font size. I personally think this would make the Bible more useful on the go because typically I will look at references at a desk with a bigger Bible.

However, the interesting thing about the Pitt Minion is that it has the exact same layout as Cambridge’s Wide Margin Bible. The Wide Margin, however, has a bigger font. These two Bibles are meant to pair well together. All that being said, Cambridge packs a lot into a small package and the font is still perfectly readable.

Extras

The back contains a pretty robust concordance, a map index, and 15 colored maps. The maps are printed on thicker paper that has a matte finish. I never use maps, but I like the way that they’ve done these quite a bit.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I really like the Pitt Minion. If I need a Bible to take on a hospital visit or to someone’s home, this is the one I’d most likely grab. It’s thinner than the Clarion and can fit in my back pocket. I think it would go to the next level if Cambridge removed the references and increased the font size, but then it would no longer be a reference Bible. This Bible is largely loved by many and it comes in so many translations and bindings that it’s worth your checking out.

You can pick up a copy of the ESV Pitt Minion in black goatskin on Amazon (affiliate)

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this Bible from Cambridge in exchange for a fair and honest review.