Bibliotheca’s volumes look, feel, and most importantly, read like books rather than like a giant compendium … Every element has been carefully considered to make reading a pleasurable experience.

Bibliotheca’s pages are laid out as simple, clean paragraphs ― just like a novel … not trying to invent something new, but to revert back to “older, purer” forms of biblical literature.

This is designed to make the typographical layout roomier and more psychologically approachable … a Bible that wants to be read like a short story collection — even if its page-to-text proportions are based on the dimensions of the Ark of the Covenant (and they are!).

This groundbreaking edition made history on multiple fronts … By omitting everything but the text, Bibliotheca hearkens back to the simplicity of ancient manuscripts like the Isaiah Scroll. Its spare aesthetic and refined typography make it a work of austere beauty, fostering immersive reading without distraction.

OUR STORY (IN BRIEF)

Wishing to provide readers with a spacious, design-conscious alternative to the typically dense and, for some, deterring format of the Bible, book designer Adam Lewis Greene launched Bibliotheca on Kickstarter in 2014.

Adam hoped to raise $37,000 to fund a small, one-time print run of 500 copies, the minimum needed for Adam’s bindery of choice in Germany to take on the job.

But by word of mouth alone — with no advertising or sought-after media coverage — the project quickly caught fire and captured the attention of thousands of readers around the world. The $37,000 funding goal was met in just one day, and it didn’t stop there. Bibliotheca went on to make publishing history when the 30-day campaign closed at an astonishing $1.44 million raised with nearly 15,000 backers.

Bibliotheca is the 21st century’s most media-covered and written-about physical edition of the Bible. While that may owe partly to its unusual focus on design and craftsmanship, we believe the primary reason the concept resonated with so many is that, after centuries of the displacing prevalence of dense, one-volume Bibles designed more for utility than delight, readers were ready to experience the literature of the Bible in a more beautiful, immersive, and enjoyable way.

The original viral Kickstarter campaign video

Bibliotheca remains an intentionally small and independent project, and we continue to rely on word of mouth and the support of readers like you to keep it alive and available.

There’s much more to the story of Bibliotheca, and we hope the articles and interviews we’ve gathered below will help tell it.

We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. Just send us a message through our contact page and we’ll get back to you soon.

INFORMATIVE LINKS

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

“such beauty and excellence”

A great idea with good design is always worth the investment … After two years of waiting for this to come into fruition, every detail was done with such beauty and excellence.

Diane Choi | Social post

“transformed my Bible reading”

I love my copy of Bibliotheca! It transformed my Bible reading. And that after at least thirty years of reading the Bible every day. I wish I would have had this when I started. Love it. Plan to read it again in 2021.

Jeff Roper | Social post

“timeless and intentional and truly unparalleled”

Thank you for creating something that is so timeless and intentional and truly unparalleled. It’s one of my favorite all-time purchased book products, and every time someone tells me what “version” they have I will continue to tell them about this original masterpiece. Cheers!

Jen P. | Social post

“florid literary translation … beautiful custom typeface … incredible gift”

Designed specifically to be read as literature — as art — the library consists of five volumes, presented in single-column format without chapter-and-verse notations or chapter headings, in a florid literary translation and a beautiful custom typeface.

The volumes have clearly been meticulously crafted with incredible attention to detail and respect for the material (and materials) they embody.

And it feels like reading the Silmarillion, which is honestly about as good as it gets. An incredible gift.

Luke Sewell | Social post

“the ideal reader’s Bible”

When the Bibliotheca fundraiser was announced almost six years ago, I was an early backer.

I waited impatiently for my copy to arrive, and once it did, I began to read with it, a little bit every day.

Six years later, here I am, still using this set nearly every day for lectio divina. I love everything about it: the translation (American Literary Version, based off of the ASV), the font, the layout of the page, the lack of clutter, the binding, everything. It’s the ideal reader’s Bible and beats the competition by cubits and fathoms!

It seems that, due to Bibliotheca’s success, just about every Bible publisher now has joined the race to present the optimal reading experience of the inspired Word. I haven’t seen all of the others up close, but based on my research, I would still prefer Bibliotheca’s, in spite of the higher price.

Dr. Peter A. Kwasniewski | Amazon review ★★★★★

“I LOVE it! … really does make a difference”

I LOVE it! I’ve been reading a little every day … and the lack of subtitles and chapters and numbers really does make a difference. I never realized how distracting they were until they weren’t there anymore.

Taryn | Goodreads review

“a beautifully designed additives-free Bible … enable[s] deep, immersive reading”

[T]he fact is, even without knowing in advance what they wanted or demanding it from publishers, people fell in love with reader’s editions once they had a chance to experience them. This is a bit of a lesson for us, to not idolize the market. We need to be able to think independently, to do things that are simply good in themselves — good for the Bible and good for Bible readers. I think a breakthrough came for the publishers when the Bibliotheca Kickstarter campaign became such a phenomenon in 2014. Book designer Adam Lewis Greene raised $1.5 million in thirty days for a beautifully designed additives-free Bible. This got everyone’s attention in the Bible industry, and helped them rethink some of their assumptions about what people were looking for.

My dream is that these reader’s editions will become a permanent part of the Bible publishing landscape. We’ve had chapter-and-verse study editions for close to 500 years now. It’s time to return to these elegant formats that really do enable deep, immersive reading of the text.

Glenn Paauw, Author of Saving the Bible from Ourselves | from an interview with Bible Buying Guide

“exquisitely poetic new translation”

Every detail in this edition is covered in reverence and care … everything has been thoroughly considered and masterfully made. This began as a design project, and it is certainly magnificent in that regard alone. But the greatest feat here is the exquisitely poetic new translation.

Matt Steel | from his newsletter Love Letters

“makes for fantastic reading”

The translation, a modified ASV, makes for fantastic reading that preserves both the literary quality and the feeling of age that the Scriptures have.

I was honestly surprised what a difference all the numbers, footnotes, cross-references and such makes for comfortable reading … This is the first time that reading the entire Bible in a year felt achievable to me.

Parker | Goodreads review

“beautifully made … work of art”

This discovery was a godsend. The translation is beautifully done — a translation that lends itself to the poetical nature of scripture. The books themselves are beautifully made. There is no cramming of words onto pages, and the typeset is easy to read. It’s all the best things. I’m loving reading my Bible in this new way.

Bibles with chapter and verse numbers have their place, and I won’t stop using them, but this new way of experiencing scripture is one I highly recommend. I’m so thankful for all the hard work that went into creating this work of art.

Sarah | Goodreads review

“amazing and brilliant”

Bibliotheca is such an amazing and brilliant release that even some of the most popular publishers (i.e. Crossway and Zondervan) have hopped on the “multi-volume reader’s bible” train. While I can’t compare the physical quality of their releases with Bibliotheca, I can compare the translations themselves and Bibliotheca stands head and shoulders above the rest.

The hidden gem of Bibliotheca and why I’d recommend it over other multi-volume Bibles is the translation used. It’s a custom translation they call the American Literary Version and is a thorough update of the 1901 American Standard Version. It’s updated with the help of biblical scholars and updates the archaic words (thee, thou, ye, etc). However, it keeps the elegant sentence structure so even though it’s in modern English it’s a joy to read.

O. Ortiz | Amazon review ★★★★★

“Excellent company. Excellent product.”

I have a set from the first run and it’s been the greatest investment. I read every day from my set. I love the literary nature of the biblical story and this will help draw you into the wonder of the narrative! Can’t recommend enough. Also, I had one minor issue with the head and tail bands, which they sent me a new set and Adam personally wrote to me expressing his apologies and personally reviewed my replacement set before shipping. Excellent company. Excellent Product.

Chris M. | Social post

“beautiful down to the last detail”

The Bible is many things to many people, but at its most simple it’s a collection of stories. Bibliotheca boils The Bible down to its literary essence, and the result is a beautiful and approachable version of a complex work which continues to shape what people believe and how they go about their lives all over the world.

I’ve been watching this project closely for the last couple of years and continue to be amazed by the amount of effort that has gone into every aspect of it. I got to handle the end result last weekend and it is beautiful down to the last detail. Custom typefaces, bespoke materials, and the very best printing and binding available.

Chris Lauritzen | Social post

“unprecedented”

The success of Bibliotheca’s original Kickstarter campaign catapulted multi-volume reader’s editions into the popular imagination. Many imitators have followed, but none are as pure an expression of the idea of the printed Bible as art object … Inside, the text is handled with an unprecedented degree of typographical care rarely seen outside the realm of fine press printing. 

J. Mark Bertrand | Review at First Things

“truly original … a work of art”

In a world where almost everything is soullessly mass-produced, including the Bible, it’s extremely refreshing to have an alternative.

And what an alternative! The formation of the Bibliotheca channels some of the first productions of the bible that were carefully crafted pieces of art. This version is ethically sourced from European manufacturers that have historically focused on exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

Finally, here is a true reader’s Bible in every sense of the word, a luxury edition that every bibliophile’s collection has been wanting!
. . .
There are a lot of versions of Bibles out there. Many were created to serve a particular slant, or to focus simply on “just getting the Word out there.” But here is the first Bible I’ve ever seen to detach from any alliance, allowing the reader to enjoy it in a purely artistic sense, treating it as the significant work of literature it is.

In this way Bibliotheca stands out as truly original, and I love that I’m supporting a passion project, a small business, and a work of art.

Tim | Amazon review ★★★★★

“it has reinvigorated my love of scripture”

It just feels so purposeful … not only is it a beautiful Bible, but it is changing my understanding of how and why I read it. I find myself getting lost in the story much more often with Bibliotheca. I never pick it up passively because it’s not a passive Bible.
…
It is the beauty of the words themselves incarnate in the physical presence of the book. In short, it has reinvigorated my love of scripture.

Jonathan Minnema | Review at Fathom Magazine

“raised the bar”

The Bibliotheca Kickstarter project not only took the Bible publishing world by storm, it set a standard and sent a message and raised the bar and floated all boats and lots of other metaphors — plus some clichés. It was awesome. It was awesome…

Mark Ward, Editor of Bible Study Magazine | YouTube

“I am truly thankful for this project”

I read quite a bit. And as much as I hate to say it, I’ve never found myself able to sit and read the Bible like I did any other book. I could not figure out why until I came across an ad for Bibliotheca. After about two days of research, I ordered it. We cannot underestimate the value of the presentation of a book. If a novel was formatted like most Bibles, I probably wouldn’t enjoy reading it either. I am truly thankful for this project.
…
Our minds have been trained to see the value of a book through the presentation of that book, through the quality of its pages, binding, and cover. The Bible deserves the best possible presentation.

Billy E. Elkins | Amazon review ★★★★★

“refreshing … unparalleled”

What began as a light revision of the ASV (i.e. updating thee and thou) turned into a more in-depth revision as the funding for Bibliotheca increased. The resulting translation is more literal than the ASV, while still maintaining a relatively high degree of readability for those who are well-versed in the Scriptures and who don’t mind looking up an occasional word in the dictionary.

While many modern translations such as the NASB, NKJV, and ESV claim a high degree of literalness, they are not as literal as one might expect. Often these translations make changes to the text to increase the readability for modern readers. However, while the translation becomes more readable, the literal meaning of the actual Greek or Hebrew source is obscured. The ALV more consistently provides a truly literal rendering of the Greek and Hebrew source text.
. . .
Consider, for example, 2 Peter 2:4. The NASB reads, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell…” The Greek word translated as cast into hell is ταρταρόω, which is a verb that means ‘consign to Tartarus’. In Greek thought, Tartarus is a place of punishment and torment located below Hades. Tartarus is different from the word γέεννα, which is usually translated as ‘hell’. The ESV and NKJV follow the NASB in translating ταρταρόω with the word ‘hell’ instead of ‘Tartarus’. The ALV is more literal in translating the underlying Greek of 2 Peter 2:4. It reads, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus…” In addition to rendering ταρταρόω more literally, the ALV also translates γέεννα as ‘Gehenna’ rather than ‘hell’, which preserves the imagery of the Valley of Hinnom, the city dump of Jerusalem where trash was burned. [Read the full review.]
. . .
The ALV is the most literal modern translation of the Bible available today. And despite its literal renderings, it has a relatively high degree of readability. It is certainly much easier to read than Young’s Literal Translation, from which it draws some of its translation choices.
. . .
I highly recommend the American Literary Version to anyone who has a relatively high level of biblical literacy and who wants to know what the underlying Greek and Hebrew text actually says.
. . .
Regarding the format, I find that reading the Bible without chapter and verse divisions, footnotes, or section headings is incredibly refreshing. The beautiful layout of the American Literary Version in the Bibliotheca Bible is unparalleled by any other Bible I know of. I can’t put it down!

Adam Boyd | Amazon review ★★★★★

“wonderfully vibrant … a great piece”

Beautiful translation and excellent publishing craft bring the Holy Scriptures to readers in a wonderfully vibrant new edition that offers a new rhythm to the text from which readers can gain fresh insight. This is a great piece of work.

C. J. Stunkard | Goodreads review

“such a joy to read”

Committing to reading large chunks of the Bible every day in this format was easier than I thought once I got into the habit. Highly recommended. Bibliotheca is such a joy to read. The way it feels, how easy it is on your eyes, the way it removes distractions, great way to read ancient literature.

Kevin | Goodreads review

“a very readable translation”

The Bibliotheca set is a well-built, well-thought-out Bible that provides an immersive reading experience. The books themselves feel wonderful and the paper is much thicker and more opaque than any one-volume Bible can provide. I have also been enjoying the American Literary Version — their revision of the 1901 ASV. It is a very readable translation, but maintains a poetic dignity and majesty. I also enjoy that they have rendered the Tetragrammaton as YHWH (as opposed to Jehovah in the original ASV). I have no complaints about this set, and I suspect it will provide me with a great reading experience for many years to come.

Ben N. | Amazon review ★★★★★

“immaculate typeface”

Wow. No verses, no chapters, immaculate typeface, paper made from literal rock composite in Austria, bound in Germany. I feel like I’m reading sacred writ for the first time ever.

Lawson Bowick | Social post

“this is the gift”

I just unpacked my Bibliotheca box. I really appreciate the quality of the five hardcovers that comprise this Bible-Library … I ordered it direct from Writ Press and it was accompanied with a signed thank you note. If you know someone who loves bespoke designs and has a penchant for sacred texts: this is the gift. I love it.

Scott K. | Amazon review ★★★★★

“instantly fell in love … exceptional”

I backed this a few years back on Kickstarter and instantly fell in love with the concept. I fell even more in love with the quality, attention to detail, and the publishing is exceptional. I love my copies.

Trevor Rand | Social post

“modern design meets timeless elegance”

Absolutely beautiful. Modern design meets timeless elegance. The typeface designed specifically for this project is a joy to read and adds to the overall elegant vibe of the set. From the tree-less paper (I don’t know how they do that, don’t ask me) to the margins and dimensions of the books themselves, the entire set makes it clear that Greene and team put some serious thought into the physical form and design of Bibliotheca.
. . .
Greene and team did not only put effort into the physical form of Bibliotheca. The translation of the text itself is unique to the volume, dubbed as the American Literary Version (ALV). The ALV is a revision of the ASV, removing the archaic “thees” and “thous” and touching up the text where deemed necessary. The result is a combination of words matching the physical form containing them: an elegance that makes you want to pick up a volume and read anytime you have a chance.

Some heavy-hitters in the Bible scholar world (like David A. deSilva) were involved in the revision that is more modern yet no less accurate than the ASV. Some of the choices adding to the literary style and feel of the translation include “good tidings” in place of the usual “gospel” and “YHWH” in place of “LORD.” The text restores some of the timeless literary flare lost with most modern translations while still reaching a modern audience.

Forest Antemesaris | Review at 1st Century Faith Today

“Simply superb reading experience from all angles”

Finished Isaiah yesterday! Best read-through of that book I have ever had — and it's one of my favorite books of the Bible. Simply superb reading experience from all angles: text layout (poetry is magnificent in single-column with perfect column-width/line-length and perfect margin space around the text — couldn't be better!); size of the book (Volume I is kind of big for me to hold for long periods, but Volume II is slimmer and much easier to manage); paper (continues to be supreme — best ever in any Bible or book that I have encountered); and the updated ASV reads so beautifully in Isaiah. I found it good in the historical books and in what I've read of the NT so far, but in Isaiah it just sings to me. There are some old-fashioned terms like “besom” and “contumely” but I love words, old and new, so the old words add to the charm for me. The updated ASV communicates the message clearly to me and is easy for me to read. I'm very happy with Bibliotheca Isaiah! Started reading Jeremiah this morning.

Mandy M. | Social post

“with Bibliotheca the experience is like other books; I get immersed in the story”

Personally, I'm really enjoying this reading experience. I'm consistently reading two or three times more each day than I need to to complete this in a year, but unlike a regular Bible where I'm looking for a visual queue signaling I can stop, in Bibliotheca I'm only reading and only stop if interrupted. When I read any other book, I can get so deep into the experience that I lose track of pages and the story plays out visually in my mind as my eyes perceive the words as scenes as things happen on the page. I've never had that happen when reading the Bible, something I've done daily for 5+ years now. But with Bibliotheca the experience is like other books; I get immersed in the story.

It helps that the paper and print quality are awesome. I mean, truly, awesome stuff. Can you imagine writing on paper this great? That would be as sweet as reading from it. The cover is high quality as a cloth-covered hardcover. I didn't think I would ever say that about a Bible not wrapped in leather. I've said it before: Bibliotheca is practically Benedictine in its superlative understated excellence.

Jason E. | Social post

“this is really what great design is”

I got mine a couple of days ago. It looks incredible and feels so solid in your hand. It really shifts the perspective of the Bible, and then made me realize what true ‘design’ is. Design is a problem solving process. The creator saw a problem of the conventional Bible – how the narrative, the most important part of the Bible, was lost and faded when we started arbitrarily dissecting it into different verses. It’s almost like laying the story of God out on a cold lab table after a biopsy. While it may help study and categorize the Bible, it really loses the breath of the words as they were originally written. He wanted to change it, and what an incredible job he has done. Not only does it look great and well built, Bibliotheca re-establishes a reader’s relationship with the scripture.

Beyond visual execution, I think this is really what great design is.

Reddit User

“lacks nothing”

It lacks nothing. There is no bitter sweetness when I look to it. I never say, “Oh, I love this, the only thing I don’t like is...”

Justin |  Social post

“I can now say I have read the Bible!”

It took me a little over two years, but I can now say I have read the Bible! … The @bibliothecaco project is amazing! Being able to turn the pages without conventional distractions is major, and the way the books were organized allowed for uninterrupted space for reading and independent studying!

Corey Burton |  Goodreads review

“Workmanship incomparable. Superb!”

Practical beauty. I’ve recommended this to friends with no hesitation. Workmanship incomparable. Superb!

Jacob Albua |  Social post

“like reading these texts for the very first time, everything made new”

One reads the Bibliotheca the way one reads The Odyssey or a book of poems or The Lord of the Rings, taking each of the texts in the library as a whole thing, not as a compendium of quotable, usable, isolated segments. It looks more like a library to be explored and read than a user’s manual to be indexed and sifted.
. . .
But bibles are usually designed, unintentionally or otherwise, to prevent immersion. To prevent exploring the world inside the book, prevent knocking on the walls and finding what jumps out. We get trained to treat that particular library as a dictionary and not as a shelf-full of beautiful, old, imaginative books.
. . .
It is one of the two most beautiful editions I have ever seen (the other is the Pennyroyal Caxton and its more affordable facsimiles), and reading it is like reading these texts for the very first time, everything made new. Like a fresh breeze through the window. I’m thankful for it, delighted by it, and it has lifted my mood in a very dark month. Adam Lewis Greene, the book designer who created the Bibliotheca, has given the world a good gift.

Stant Litore |  Excerpt from blog review

“great reading experience”

Great reading experience. Really enjoy reading single column without chapter and verse numbers. Translation is just unusual enough to catch your attention, but not enough to be a distraction.

C. J. Bowen | Goodreads review

“exceptionally pleased”

This Bible set is quite simply beautiful. Reading it is a joy. I am an avid reader, I read thousands of pages per year. I have read the Bible cover to cover more than once. With the Bibliotheca Bible set, I have been able to immerse myself in the text in a way I have never experienced before. The Bibliotheca Bible set removes all the barriers between the reader and the text so the reader can be truly immersed. It makes for an amazing reading experience. I am exceptionally pleased with my purchase. I have been a customer with Amazon for almost two decades, and I have only written a handful of customer reviews in all that time. The Bibliotheca Bible set is of such a high quality that I felt compelled to write this brief review. It is simply amazing — and beautiful. I love it!

Bryce | Amazon review ★★★★★

“beautiful, readable experience”

These five volumes are engaging; they allow the reader to immerse themselves into the stories without jumping around verse by verse . . . [T]he actual translation is brilliant; the translation committee did a fabulous job in bringing out the Greek and Hebrew in this translation, rendering a beautiful, readable experience, while not ignoring the sometimes strange but often bizarre structures in the stories (sentences in the scriptures that modern translations attempt to make sense out of).

KC. D. | Amazon review ★★★★★

“supreme treatment given to every single detail”

Bibliotheca, the masterwork of graphic designer Adam Lewis Greene…shares the meticulous labor of ancient scribes and joins it up with the beauty, system, and constraints of modern book design and production … Adam has executed this project with supreme treatment given to every single detail. From the physical materials used to form the book itself, to the typography, adornment, and presentation — nothing has escaped Greene’s masterful attention.
…
I can’t recommend Bibliotheca highly enough. It truly is a work of art.
…
Bibliotheca’s vision is bold and striking and invites modern readers to experience this ancient text the way it was created (without verses, chapters, or other textual adornments).

Jonathan Simcoe | Review at Medium: Product Adventures

“a labor of love, obsessively beautiful, lavishly minimalist … such breathtaking simplicity”

My expectations were not met. They were surpassed. Bibliotheca turned out even better than I expected. And Adam’s interest in typography proved to be much more than a hipster affection (as more than one cultural commentator had opined): the level of care taken in every aspect of the page design and typesetting was breathtaking to observe … Bibliotheca’s triumph is a victory of details.
…
To understand the spirit of Bibliotheca’s design, you have to recognize first and foremost the kind of reader-friendly book it is. This is not a mass market paperback. Not a thriller off the bestseller list. Bibliotheca is designed like an art book. (Not surprisingly, it is also printed by a firm in Germany that prints art books.) Where one kind of design strives for populist accessibility, another aims for the kind of minimalist purity that exalts its content — or rather, signals that its content is meant to be exalted. The designer doesn’t presume to make it beautiful; rather, the designer recognizes its inherent beauty and designs accordingly. That’s what Bibliotheca does. 

Bibliotheca’s revision to the American Standard Version was so extensive that, as I predicted, it has now been copyrighted as the American Literary Version … There is something thrilling about reading familiar passages in a new translation. You feel as if you are gaining fresh insight. The same thing happens reading a familiar translation in a new format. The Authorized Version in a single column, paragraphed edition reads like a wholly different work than it does in an old-fashioned reference setting. (Really, it does.) By presenting an unfamiliar translation in an unfamiliar format, Bibliotheca delivers an experience that is especially revelatory. 
…
The fact that Bibliotheca used the ASV (now ALV) was always a matter of indifference to me … But for Adam Lewis Greene the translation was an essential part of the puzzle. Bibliotheca needed to be a certain kind of translation, just as the design and typography needed to follow a particular logic. After six months with Bibliotheca, I see the point. Both the design and the translation frame the ancient in a way similar to how a museum might, balancing accessibility with awe.
…
I was an early backer of the project on Kickstarter. Now that it has arrived, do I think the cost and wait was worth it? Absolutely. Bibliotheca is a labor of love, obsessively beautiful, lavishly minimalist, every detail pondered yet rendered with such breathtaking simplicity that something very difficult has been made to look easy. To me it’s a piece of publishing history, too. The event that may just have turned the tide in favor of reader-friendly editions of the Bible.

J. Mark Bertrand | Review at Lectio