REPRODUCTION BIBLES
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. The Text of the Bible .

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Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France

. Reproduction Bible Translations .
These are the translations of the Bible that we are currently using:
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  • The  Great Byble of 1539, the First Authorized Edition of the Bible in English for the Church of England
  • The  1752 Challoner Revision of the Douai-Rheims of 1582/1609/1610  produced for English speaking Catholics in exile in Douai and Rheims, France
  • The 1768 Blayney Revision of the King James Version of 1611 produced in Oxford, England
  • The  Challoner Revision of the Douai-Rheims in Plain English (planned)
  • The Blayney Revision of the King James in Plain English (in progress)

Our medieval Reproduction Bibles are developed using the Challoner revision of the Douai-Rheims translation, which resulted when English Catholics fled England during the reign of  Queen Elizabeth I. The Douai-Rheims translation of the New Testament portion of the Bible into English first took place at the English College in the cathedral city of Reims, France in 1582. The Old Testament portion of the Bible was translated into English in the cathedral city of Douai, France in 1609. The deuterocanonical books were also translated in Douai, France in 1610. This translation was later revised between 1749 and 1752 by Bishop Richard Challoner.

There is no other translation into English other than the Douai-Rheims that preserves the sense of the Latin Vulgate that was familiar with Latin speaking Christians in Western Europe from the time before Constantine up until Vatican II.

​For our English Reformation Bibles, we are working with the pre Elizabethan 1539 translation used in the First Authorized Edition.  The reading is direct and refreshing.

Our Plain English renditions of the Challoner Revision of the Douai-Rheims and the Blayney Revision of the King James Version are for the  purpose of reading these classic translations into modern English, modern grammatical conventions, and modern word usage.
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Round Church in Cambridge, England.
. Our Research .
Development of our Reproduction Bibles is based on extensive and in depth research of the finest medieval and early reformation period Bibles produced in Western Europe. We have invested a considerable amount of time collecting and organizing our material with care so that we can as faithfully as possible produce a Reproduction Bible that evokes the exceptional qualities from the originals. 

We have also paid careful attention to our vendors, who produce true to period papers and parchment for our printing. We do not want to print color onto art paper that puts of a chemical smell as some of the speciality publishers do. And, we do not want to use low cost papers to compromise the desired end result, which is authenticity and a high end product.
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. Our Projects .
Our Carolingian Gospel Books in English is a large format Bible using the King James Version in Plain English with 31 lines per page. Contains prologues, book outlines, and the four gospels. This Viking Era bible circa 800 A.D. is true to look, feel, and size. Celtic, Anglo Saxon, and Frankish artistic and calligraphic elements come together. Illuminated by hand in gold and silver. (Status is Available in 2022).

Our Romanesque Bible in English is from the Crusader Era, and will be in four volumes. The Romanesque Bible in English includes all of Jerome’s prologues as well as chapter outlines that proceed each book of the Bible. This is a Crusader Era Bible from the apex of the Romanesque Period when the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem controlled the middle east, and is set in approximately 1170 A.D. during the period of Richard the Lionhearted. (Status is still under consideration and in concept and review stages).

The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ is a letter sized Gothic Apocalypse set in early Fourteenth Century England.  The text uses the King James Version in Plain English. The stand alone book started in what is now Spain due to concerns of the Islamic presence. By the early 1300s, the Apocalypse was a common book for kings, queens, princes, and princesses in England and France contemplating a crusade. ​Illuminated and burnished by hand in gold and platinum. (Now Available with 60 Day +/- for Delivery Upon Order).

The High Gothic Psalter in large format in large format and in black letter Gothic script will seek to reproduce the Psalms of David and more.  ​The text uses the King James Version in Plain English. Our period is the early- to mid-1300s. Illuminated and burnished by hand in gold and platinum. (Status is in the pipeline of proposed projects).

Our Gutenberg Bible in English in two volumes is based on the Douai-Rheims translation. Our letter sized 36 line edition is based on the Bamberg Bible produced in 1460. Only 14 are known to exist, and were produced after production of the larger 42 line Bible stopped. Our rendition of this Bible is a tribute to the Gutenberg Bible held by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.  We plan to also produce
the much larger sized 42 line Bible in an illuminated edition. Our Gutenberg Bible in English includes all of Jerome’s prologues, as well as the arguments and prefaces by others, and the books third and fourth Esdras. (Status for the 36 line is final round of color review).

The Great Byble, the First Authorized Edition for the Church of England, is in the pipeline. Our text is the 1539 edition of the Great Byble as first printed in Paris and London. What makes our edition from the 1539 first edition and those that followed different is that we will be including the prologues and numerous woodcut illustrations from the period. This early English Reformation Period Bible will be a tour de force of artistic capability from the early period of book design and printing technology. (Status is in the pipeline of proposed projects).

A Crusader Era Bible Tribute to Louis IX set in black letter gothic script. Richly illustrated true to period. Research has been completed. (Status is in the pipeline of proposed projects).

​The Tribute to the English Reformation Bible will be the Blayney Revision of the King James Version set in the format of the Bishop's Bible. Richly illustrated. Bringing together the most compelling elements from the period to produce a unique Bible. (Status is in the pipeline of proposed projects).
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Kelso Abbey, borderlands between England and Scotland

. True to History .
​​Our Reproduction Bibles are based on the medieval and early reformation period Bibles. As a result, the deuterocanonical texts (as referred to by Catholics), or the apocrypha (as referred to by Protestants), are all part of a continuous whole. These books and prayers were recorded and preserved in the Septuagint in the third century B.C. and provide the linkage between the period of Malachai, the last prophet in the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament. 

Our purpose is to be true to the periods that our Reproduction Bibles seek to represent. In the medieval Bible the ordering of the books and even some of the titles are different than in contemporary Bibles. We have sought to be true to history and reproduce our Bibles as they were used in the past. 
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. Special Requests .
We are open to developing a Reproduction Bible, under contract, using a licensed translation owned by another publisher that will expect a fee for usage.
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Contact us at info@reproductionbibles.com
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  • Welcome
    • About Us
    • FAQs
    • Blog
    • Contact
  • Method
    • Overview >
      • Timeline
      • Carolingian
      • Romanesque
      • Gutenberg
      • Reformation
    • Text
    • Interpretation
  • Bibles
  • Posters
  • Cards