The Arion Press Bible is the first large folio presentation of the contemporary translation and current scholarship of the New Revised Standard Version. It is intended for liturgical use at church pulpits, lecterns, and altars, as well as for the collections of individuals and libraries. It was designed by Arion Press publisher Andrew Hoyem and set in type, printed, illuminated, and bound entirely in-house by a team of traditionally trained craftspersons at the Press's historic facility in San Francisco. In the tradition of grand printed Bibles, it is a monument to the scriptures, to fine typography, and to bookmaking.

The text is printed by letterpress on English mouldmade paper. Designed for ease of reading from a lectern, the text is set in Romulus, a type of graceful lines and clarity of character recognition.

Each book of the Bible begins with a large red initial letter. This alphabet of roman capitals was created for the Arion Press by the noted type designer Sumner Stone, formerly director of digital design for Adobe.

Hand-illuminated abstract patterns, created by calligrapher Thomas Ingmire, embellish the initials of special copies of the Arion Bible, using genuine gold and watercolors.

An unusual adaptation of computer technology aided the production of the Arion Bible. Working with computer-based text prepared by the National Council of Churches, Arion Press used the newest Macintosh computer to lay out the Bible pages and a vintage Mac to drive the Monotype casting machine.

Format 18 by 13 inches, 1,.356 pages; composed on a Macintosh computer and cast by Monotype in Romulus type, in 16 point for the main text and 11 point for subsidiary material and explanatory notes, with larger sizes (24, 36, 72 point) for display, handset from foundry type; initial letters designed by Sumner Stone for photopolymer plates; printed by letterpress in two colors of ink, black for text, red for initial letters, on Somerset, a mouldmade paper of 100% cotton fiber; offered in four versions:

A.	Unbound, folded sheets gathered in sections (for those who wish to commission a unique binding), in black linen box.
B.	Handbound in full black linen with handsewn headbands, in black linen box.
C.	Handbound in full leather with handsewn headbands, in black linen box.
D.	Illuminated initial letters added as an optional feature.

Weight, with box, approximately 50 pounds.
Edition of 400, of which 150 have illuminated initial letters.

Available at the following prices

A.	Unbound, in cloth-covered box: $7,250
B.	Bound in full cloth, in cloth-covered box: $7,750
C.	Bound in full goatskin (black spine, purple sides, red bead between), in cloth-covered box: $8,500
D.	Illuminated initial letters: add $2,500

The Bible is bound as two-volumes for ease of handling and advantages for display.

A deposit of 50% is required to place reservation. The balance, plus applicable sales tax and shipping charge, is due when the copy has been bound and is ready for delivery.

Click here to learn about ordering the Arion Bible.

Click here for the full prospectus.

You'll find more details about the Arion Bible in the following articles:

• "The Good Book" by Sarah Dolinar, Pomona College Magazine, Summer 2000.
• "Making a New Bible the Old Way" by David Holmstrom, The Christian Science Monitor, November 10, 1999.
• "The Good Book in Good Hands" by Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, December 27, 1998.