The Humble Lamb Lion Edge-line and Paste-off

Humble Lamb is a Bible publisher that may be a new name to your ears (or eyes). But they are more than just a cool name. They make really, really nice Bibles with some cool and unique features. Personally, I love what Humble Lamb is doing and they are certainly a company that more people need to know. Once you handle one of their Bibles, you’ll see what the fuss is about.

I’m reviewing the Lion, which is a KJV Bible. I’ll also be showing you both models—both the edge-lined in Lunar Yellow and the Paste-off in pink. I think these are the funnest and most unique colors they offer. They’re both beautiful Bibles and I’m excited to have the opportunity to show you both. The other interesting thing about these Bibles is the different gilt styles. Both are beautiful and very unique. Humble Lamb is pushing the envelope in some really fun and exciting ways.

Both of these beautiful Bibles come wrapped in the Meritian goatskin, which is buttery soft. The edge-lined feels a bit softer because not having a paste down liner makes it flex in the hand quite a bit more. The Lunar Yellow really pops! It’s a a nice, deep yellow that isn’t too pale. The pink, however, is quite pale, but it actually makes it a really fun color in my opinion.

The spines are quite different on these two Bibles and if I’m being completely honest, I prefer the edge-lined spine. It has four raised ribs and says the “THE WORD OF GOD” in black lettering that is horizontal when laid flat. I remember this spine being something that really caught my attention when I hadn’t heard of Humble Lamb. It’s unique and it really stands out.

The paste-off spine is a bit more traditional. It has six blind stamped bars on the spine and says in black lettering, “THE WORD OF GOD”, “Authorized KJV”, “Meritian Goatskin”, and “Humble Lamb” with the Humble Lamb logo at the bottom. It’s still attractive, but doesn’t catch your attention like the edge-lined.

Both of these Bibles have beautiful art gilt! The Lunar Yellow features a black under gold art gilt, which is quite unique and I’m not sure if I’ve seen another Bible publisher do it, but it really is beautiful. The black contrasts nicely with the Lunar Yellow. You also have the option of getting the fore-edge art gilt, which is what the pink paste-off has. If I’m honest, I didn’t think I’d like the fore-edge as much as I do. It’s really incredible and something you have to see for yourself. The art gilt looks gold when closed and you can see a picture of a gold lion on the vertical section of the page edges. When you open it, the Lion turns black and the picture gets wider. It really is incredible and I love it way more than I thought I would! This is a truly awesome feature of these Bibles.

Each of these Bibles feature black head and tail bands. They also both have three black double-sided satin ribbons.

Inside, we have a major difference in liners. This is one of the main differentiating points of these two Bibles. The pink Bible is a paste-off liner that features a black vinyl liner and end sheets. While the edge-lined is typically the more coveted style (and more expensive), I do know people who prefer the paste-off style because it actually causes the Bible to lay a bit flatter in the hand because the paste-down liner makes the Bible a bit less flexible.

The Lunar Yellow Bible is edge-lined and has some of what we might call higher end features. Humble Lamb impresses me in that they use goatskin for their liner. The Lunar Yellow edition has a black goatskin liner with vinyl end sheets. It also has the Lion logo in the top left corner in gold and the Humble Lamb logo in the bottom left corner in gold. It also features a gold perimeter gilt line.

Edge-lined Bibles are known for their extra strength and durability, but both the edge-lined and paste-off editions are Smyth-sewn, which is an important feature for strength of the Bible as well. I should also mention that the edge-lined edition costs about $100 more so that can be a factor in which edition you choose as well.

The paper in these Bibles is beautiful. It’s white and opaque and feels smooth to the touch. The paper is a 36 gsm and it’s very nice!

These Bibles feature the same layout. It’s a double-column verse-by-verse setting in the Authorized KJV. It’s a very nice 11 point Milo serif type that’s quite easy on the eyes. Blue accents are used throughout the Bible and the first letter at the beginning of each chapter is a block letter in blue, which I quite like.

Humble Lamb has reworked the design of the Lion and a couple of interesting new features should be highlighted. The first is what they call “easy-find cross-references”. These are horizontal across the bottom of the page and they are clear when a new chapter starts. I do think it’s a nice system they’ve developed that is quite easy to navigate.

The other thing they do that I really like is in the New Testament. Humble Lamb puts the words of Christ in blue. In the old Lion, I didn’t even realize they did this because the blue was too dark. The blue is brighter now and it’s much easier to tell. I’ve never been a big fan of red letters because sometimes the red could be too light or uneven in printing, but I must say that I really like the blue letters!

Humble Lamb also includes in this Bible 66 illustrations by Gustave Dore. Some people may really love this, but this is one of those features that I could live without. In the back you’ll find a beefy concordance as well as 14 maps.

I’m really impressed by the Lion! Humble Lamb is making beautiful Bibles and I love their willingness to try new things and push the boundaries in Bible publishing. I highly recommend you check them out. These Bibles are beautifully designed and encase God’s Word in a work of art!

Click here to pick up your copy of the Lion!

Disclaimer: I received copies of these Bibles from Humble Lamb in exchange for a fair and honest review.