This blog is famous for a geeky series on making your own Jonathan Edwards Blank Bible. The goal is to disassemble a Bible, add blank pages for notes and then rebind it all together. It’s relatively cheap, fun and taking the world by storm. So grab a Bible, gather the family and dust off the table saw.
“Such industry! Economy! Edwards would surely approve.” - Jonathan Edwards Center blog, Yale University
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Blank Bible Project #1 (August, 2006)
Our first successful blank Bible was built from an ESV Classic Center-Reference. The final product was an excellent 3-volume set that is now my primary Bible for personal study and reflection. The comments on these posts contain some very helpful input from others.
- Building a Blank Bible (part 1): Intro
- Building a Blank Bible (part 2): The Failure
- Building a Blank Bible (part 3): The Blank Bible
“It is awesome to know that God, through His Spirit, can fill every blank page through humble meditation as the “living and active” Word of God comes alive. Each blank page represents our anticipation that God will open up His Word to reveal more of the width and height and depth and length of God’s love in the Cross!”
“Your website article on constructing an interlinear note-taking bible is an incredible adaptation designed specifically with the busy pastor in mind. Not only would this allow me to retain some semblance of Greek proficiency, but would also allow the great advantage being able to record my thoughts on Scripture while occupied with various pastoral tasks (sitting in the hospital waiting rooms, waiting in the prison/jail visitor lobby, or stealing an extra 15 minutes in the local diner after a pastoral care lunch appointment). It has the potential of being a portable, conveniently-sized, and organized record of years of reflection on the Holy Word.” - Pastor Joshua G. (Indian River, MI)
Even if you don’t add blank pages, spiral binding makes any book easier to read. I spiral bind important books that I want to lay flat on cardio machines at the gym.
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What are you working on?
Enough about us. What creative projects are you working on? Readers have been hacking apart Bibles and books and creating some unique blank projects of their own. Care to share photos of your project? Please email us and let us know what you are working on.
- Stephen followed our instructions perfectly and created a pair of nice Blank ESVs. See his blog for the entire series, The Blank Bible Chronicles for more info (and nice pics to boot).
- Justin built a 4-volume “Blank ESV.” Looks like he used 3:1 spirals as opposed to the common 4:1 spirals. Very nice work! See pics here.
- Marcia built an 11-volume Blank ESV Reformation Study Bible. See pics here.
I’m hesitant to answer this question because it is all downhill from the Blank Bible.
However, I could see this project being beneficial for a discipling relationship. Christians could get together to study something like Desiring God and make it into a “Blank DG” in order to take notes and write thoughts.
How about a “Blank Grudem”? (as a way to study systematic theology)
The “Blank Grudem.” I love it! The problem is that it would be like 6 volumes long. =) Try carrying that to the men’s meeting on Saturday morning. I suppose you could bring one volume at a time.
I posted some pics of my own Blank Bible at my blog. I had to do 4 volumes due to the Office Depot only having 25mm spirals.
Can I order bigger spirals anywhere on the internet and just have them punch the holes?
Or, can anyone get me some bigger spirals and mail them to me?
I love the idea. When I was younger I loved to look at old books in My grand dad’s attic. He had a few blak page Bibles he’d made. They were full of notes. I definitly must make one for myself.
Emmanuel
Comment by Emmanuel | December 16, 2006
Emmanuel, It will be a treasure to pass on without comparison or rival! Where is blank bible now? I would love to see photographs!
I am not sure where they are now. My Grand dad passed away a year ago, and lot of his books were given away. I’ll enquire, there maybe one or two copies still around. If I remember well, he had cut several Bibles, and just put the pages in ring folders. He could then add pages very easily. I’ve often thought of doing it, but never got around to. You’re inspiring me.
After reading I remembered that I had see something like that in French Christian Books catalog a long time ago. I’ve done some research, and at last found it: http://www.info-sectes.org/pages/bpcbs.htmhttp://www.info-sectes.org/pages/bpcbs.htm It is not the best translation though, very literal, fairly old, it is called Darby bible, and used in strict Brethren circles in France. It cost 150 euros for the pocket one, 165 for a bigger one.
Tony,
I just finished three Blank Bibles and I’m posting some pictures now. Glory to God! This was a really fun build, sign me up for the “geeky book-builders” newsletter.
Yes, that’s the same bible we’re trying to replicate here except with modern versions and our own blank pages. The Yale edition is the published notes from Edwards’ bible not an actual blank bible itself. Tony
Hey,
First I just wanted to reiterate what everyone else on this site is saying: Great idea! The Bible turned out fantastically! I have been seeking to buy a Bible like this for some time now, but could not find one to my liking anywhere!
This leads to my question: Is there any possibility that you would create a Bible like this for someone, provided they reimburse you for all expenses and time spent? I am a college student in Chicago (Moody Bible) and don’t have access to a table saw (among other things). If you are interested, shoot me an email! I would love to buy one of these from you! Thanks!
Comment by Matt | February 13, 2007
Hello Matt, sadly with my position in life right now, I am away from my hometown where I was set up to build these bibles. I no longer have the resources to make them very easily. Sorry! -Tony
I need scads of room for notes as well, but I prefer the 3-hole punched versions, especially for taking to studies, etc. A quick search tells me the following versions are available for purchase as a “loose leaf bible”: KJV, NASB, NKJV, NIV, NRSV, ASB (1900). Most of these are available on amazon.com for roughly $40.
The main reasons I prefer this 3-hole punch method are: 1) it accommodates as many notes pages as I want to include (just buy more binders and redistribute the pages if a binder gets too full) and 2) it allows me to take just the portion of the Bible I need to a Bible study, etc, and I also have a small Bible I always carry with me to look up other referenced verses, and 3) it allows me to simply hole punch distributed notes from studies, etc, until I’ve had enough time to incorporate those notes into my own note-taking scheme (and the handouts are almost always in the standard 8.5 x 11 page size).
Until I read your page, though, I didn’t realize this was such a popular notion!
May God continue to bless each of you richly with His Word.
Comment by Angela | March 23, 2007
[...] holds all of my biblical notes from the past year. You can see it and how it was constructed at my blog. Having a bible filled with blank pages is really an expectation of Gods illumination. I listen [...]
[...] particularly liked the idea of building a blank Bible with lots of note sheets between the pages. I take a lot of notes but I’ve usually used either [...]
I love the ideas on this site. I found this site this morning off another Blog, and, since patience is not one of my virtues yet (not enough suffering), I just got back from Kinkos with my spiral bound ESV Psalms. It took me a while to set up in Word, but once it was set up, it was simple. I liked the suggestions of a double column, then instead of configuring my printer to print back and front, I left the back of each page blank as well. Then, I had Kinkos bind it in reverse, in effect putting the words on the farthest left column when it lays flat. This has the effect of 1 1/2 columns of blank paper on my 8 1/4 X 5 1/4, 156 page book. That’s 7 (horizontally) inches of blank paper for a 6 inch tall column. This is a great idea! There isn’t a book in my house safe now! The Psalms cost me less than $9.
Thanks for the forum.
How about a Blank Josephus? This would be a great for being able to look at the historics of his wirting and cross to scripture on the notes pages. Just an Idea.
Bill
Comment by Bill Causey | June 10, 2007
Here’s a more “professional” version of an interleaved ESV Bible. It’s on the bottom right of this page: http://www.gildedleafbindery.com/rebinding.htm
Blue leather spines with raised bands.
The blank bible caught my attention a year ago or so, and I have been considering it ever since. Here is my problem and request for advice.
My favorite bible is a 20 year old NASB with hundreds of notes in the margin. I want my blank bible to retain those notes. The easiest way would be to use the old bible as the source for the blank bible. The problem is the very thin paper.
So my question is, would the paper stand up to the extra stress that the spiral binding would put on them, or would they tend to tear out? The edition is a Ryrie Study Bible from Moody Press. It is about 1 3/4 inches thick, with 2100 pages, including the concordance, etc.
Thanks, and have a blessed weekend and Lord’s Day.
Hello Boyd. No, the thin paper is no problem with spiral binding because there are around 40 spirals to hold it all together and with that many it means relatively little force on each of the punched holes. Ripping would not be a problem. Blessings! Tony
Would you try to interleave with thin blank paper, maybe onion-skin or thesis (rag) paper? Or just use the usual recommended paper that you have used before?
The Lord richly blessed our little church group today - wonderful worship time and great teaching on Eph. 4:5 (or mainly Romans 6:1-10) on Baptism.
And I was so pleased last night to find I could read and mostly understand John Owen’s “Of the Mortification of Sin…”, chapter 1,
out of the Crossway edition edited by Kapic and Taylor - wonderful feast I am having!
[...] The Shepard’s Scrapbook has a fantastic weekend project: Building your own Johnathan Edwards Blank Bible. Sweetness. I gave it a shot last weekend with some success. I purchased a center-reference hard bound ESV and brought it to Staples where I had them cut off the binding, cut a ream of paper in half and punch the binding holes. I only wish I had gone to a copy shop that specializes in this kind of thing because almost all of the cuts were off. Even so, the end result was usable. I found the most difficult part about the process was lining up the holes correctly so the binding ring would thread properly. But all in all it was much easier than anticipated. [...]
[...] definitely know a few people who take a few pages from his book. Apparently, Tony ACTUALLY does the book thing . I’m looking forward to swiping a few pages, [...]
Comment to my comment #26. I think the question buried in that comment was overlooked - I wrote Tony directly (which I hesitate to do - he must be flooded by e-mail. May the Lord bless you with grace to keep it all in balance, Tony).
Here is our e-mail exchange:
One more question, Tony. For the blank paper, I was thinking of using 100% rag thesis paper if it still available. Or maybe there is another thin, strong paper that you could recommend.
Tony’s answer: Boyd, thanks for the email! I’ve only used standard copy paper. I have no experience with the fancy papers. Sorry I cannot be of more help here. It’s worth the extra expense I’m sure. Blessings and let us know how it turns out! Tony
May the peace and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Boyd
Comment by gc3family | September 4, 2007
Boyd, thanks for this comment. Sometimes I guess I just miss an important question and I apologize. … Do keep in mind that using thin paper readily increases the price of the blank bible project. The rising expense in this paper (ie bible paper) is the initial reason publishers have not created blank bibles of their own. Something to keep in mind. Go for it but expect a high cost. Blessings, Boyd! Tony
Just so no one thinks this project is for boys only, I have taken apart the ESV Reformation Study Bible and bound the books with two sheets of paper between every page. I truly love this Bible now, especially since the church I attend now goes through the Bible expositionally. This is already a favourite study aid. Thanks for the idea and the assembly instructions!!! I’ve only got “after” pictures on my blog.
I did something similar with a TNIV Bible. At this point I have only completed the New Testament and I’m excited about how I can make notes, cross-references, etc. all in one place. Thanks for the great idea!
On another note - I’m a recent convert to Calvinism. I was raised in the strict Mennonite-Arminian tradition. Finally at 49, God has begun to show me the amazing truths of grace. WOW!
You have a great website. I have especially enjoyed the Humble Calvinism series.
Hello Steve! Thank you for the warm comments. What I love about Calvinism is the way God’s majesty unfolds in Scripture and then spills over into world history. It’s an honor to see this as God opens our eyes. Blessings, my friend! Tony
This blank bible project is fantastic and thrilling! I am planning to do one also. The ESV Bible has become my favorite translation because it is so accurate, readable, scholarly all at the same time. Thanks for the idea guys!
Comment by John Podgorney | October 11, 2007
Tony,
I’ve provided some freely downloadable inserts for the Blank Bibles. One is a 90-day Bible reading plan. The other is the week of prayers from Valley of Vision and the First London Baptist Confession of Faith (1646). These PDFs can be downloaded, printed, sliced, and are fitted for the Classic Reference Bible or any 8.5″ x 5.5″ Bibles.
Hope you enjoy! http://growingvertical.com/2007/10/blank-bible-inserts.html
[...] discovered what I am now calling The Tony Reinke Method for constructing a blank Bible while reading a link to Tony’s blog provided by Justin Taylor. [...]
[...] if I use a paperback Bible instead of a hardcover?” Well, in his instructions, Tony Reinke says you do not even have to remove the cover from a paperback Bible. Just take the Bible with you [...]
[...] your cut Bible and blanks. Now you are ready to stuff your Bible with blanks. As a reminder, I use The Tony Reinke Method all throughout this project. If you haven’t read his instructions yet, go read them a couple [...]
[...] info here. It is like throwing a starving man a steak. I was also turned on by Tony Reinke “Blank Bible” project. I would love to convert some of my books to a spiral binding. I have some [...]
[...] holes punched for binding and then actually bind the Bible. Once again, as a reminder I am using The Tony Reinke Method for building blank Bibles throughout the process. I implore you to read his instructions through [...]
[...] Tony Reinke (and Jesus as well), in his instructions to building a blank Bible, suggests that you use archival-quality pens to take notes in your blank Bible. Specifically, he recommends you use a Pigma Micron 005 pen. This is an artist’s and archiver’s pen. These types of pens are also used by draftsmen and engineers. [...]
I wanted to let you know that I just made my own Blank Bible and it is about a 90% success. Unfortunately the glue on the Bible I purchased ran deep and I had roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch of margin left to work with for binding. Needless to say some of the words in my new Bible now have holes in them. Oh well, I’m still very excited about it and have posted pics on my blog. In a month I think I’m going to go for the Greek Interlinear as well. You’ve got me hooked!
[...] The time has come. In light of the recent “revival” of interest in the “Jonathan Edwards Blank Bible” (watch the video, read the news, download a PDF of “Galatians” from JE’s Blank Bible), I have deceived to make my own. The Shepherd’s Scrapbook has some great insights in regards to the “how to,” so if you are interested in finding out more information, check out Tony’s Blank Bible Index. [...]
[...] Link to the inspiration for this project at The Shepherds Scrapbook, including detailed pictures and explanations on how to build one for yourself. [...]
After reading about your Blank Bible projects, I came across some loose leaf Bibles published (either with or without binder) by Hendrickson. They offer NASB, KJV, NKJV, NIV and NRSV. The last one is the NOAB 3rd edition study Bible. Seems these might be ideal for turning into spiral bound Blank Bibles.
[...] a blank Bible (of course with the help of some handy dandy people). I got the idea after reading a blog that gave all the information on how to make your own blank Bible. So I started by ordering a [...]
[...] idea for creating my own Blank Bible came from a post I read over at The Shepherd’s Scrapbook. He got the idea from Jonathan Edwards who would past blank sheets of paper in between the pages [...]
[...] idea for creating my own Blank Bible came from a post I read over at The Shepherd’s Scrapbook. He got the idea from Jonathan Edwards who would past blank sheets of paper in between the pages [...]
[...] present: a blank Bible. What’s a blank Bible, you ask (I heard you)? Check it out here: TSS Blank Bible Index. I used one of our “table Bibles” (paperback ESV), took it apart, separated it page by [...]
I was wondering if you could help me out a little. I made my own Reformation Study Bible a while back and decided to give it away to anyone who writes me an essay stating why they should get it and is chosen. To date, I’ve only gotten 4 essays. I don’t quite have the traffic needed on my blog to get the word out and was wondering if you could do a quick post showing the contest is still open to anyone wishing to participate. It was a lot of work making this bible and I really want to see it go to someone who will use it and cherish it.
“If you find me short in things, impute that to my love of brevity. If you find me besides the truth in anything, impute that to my infirmity. But if you find anything here that serves to your furtherance and joy of the faith, impute that to the mercy of God bestowed on you and me. Yours to serve you with what little I have.” John Bunyan (Works, 1:336).
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“In the cross of Christ, as in a splendid theater, the incomparable goodness of God is set before the whole world. The glory of God shines, indeed, in all creatures on high and below, but never more brightly than in the cross, in which there was a wonderful change of things—the condemnation of all men was manifested, sin blotted out, salvation restored to men; in short, the whole world was renewed and all things restored to order.” John Calvin
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Welcome to Miscellanies [formerly The Shepherd's Scrapbook] a blog serving sinners who seek their daily food in the Cross of Christ. Our goal is provide thoughts on Cross-centered living, theology, preaching and pastoral ministry. We review books considered excellent, announce new books that look interesting, and encourage biblical discernment with both. All of this should fuel our pursuit of the Cross. [Meet the winners of our book of the year awards: 2006 winner and the 2007 winners.]
Email: crede.ut.intelligas AT mac.com
Stay on top of the latest posts by subscribing to the RSS feed.
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Current reading …
Robert Louis Wilken, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought
Michael Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (3rd ed.)
F.F. Bruce, The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English
Augustine, Expositions of the Psalms: 73-90, Boulding trans. (vol. III/18 )
Colin Duriez, Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life
Do-it-yourself Blank Bible. Of all the books we promote, none compare with God’s Word. We pursue the Cross as God opens His Word to us. In this anticipation, we encourage you to make your own blank bible like Jonathan Edwards.’ Building a blank bible shows both a commitment to serious, life-long reflection and the anticipation of God’s illuminating Spirit. To date, over 15,000 readers have accessed the Blank Bible Index.
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FREE book! What is God saying to us? How can we know Him? I wrote a little book — Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World — to answer these questions. You can download the book as a PDF and you can read more about the background of the project here.
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Humble Calvinism.Early this year we started a series on Humble Calvinism, a study through John Calvin’s Institutes. Especially noteworthy is Calvin’s experiential sensitivity to the contours of godliness. Join us as we continue learning humble and holistic Calvinism as Calvin intended. See the Humble Calvinism series index here.
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The Puritan Study. The Puritans were Cross-boasters. So how do we use the wealth of Puritan literature in our personal devotions and expositional studies? Our series on building and using a Puritan Study answered this important question. For more see the full Puritan Study series index.
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Who am I? My name is Tony Reinkebut call me “chief of sinners.” For 22-years I hid from God in self-righteous religious ‘faithfulness’ until my stubborn heart was subdued by God’s sovereign grace (Eph. 2). In one moment, after a sermon by Paige Patterson in Lincoln, NE on Luke 18:9-14, I perceived the Gospel as the great exchange, and by God’s grace I released my self-righteousness to cling to the saving righteousness of Jesus Christ. That day I recognized I was a sinner playing the part of the Pharisee. It was the day I was reborn. Now nothing is more precious than knowing Christ — the God-man who died for me and gave me His righteousness in place of my sinfulness (Phil. 3:7-9). Pursuing further up and further into the Cross has become the center of my life and this blog is intended as a place to share this pursuit.
Educationally, I graduated from Bellevue University in Omaha, NE with a degree in Liberal Arts. Theologically, I’m an autodidact under the wise direction of a local church. I’ve been married for 10 years to my best friend, Karalee (a more gifted writer and blogger than myself) and we have three precious kids, a majority of whom are named after dead preachers. Last year I was interviewed by Joshua Sowin about life, books and reading (if you want more info)
God has given me the rare privilege and joy of serving as personal assistant to C.J. Mahaney (if you really want to learn from blogs, navigate away from this sorry one and check out what C.J. is saying on his.)
Misc stuff you don’t need to know but will read because you’re bored and surfing the Internet to kill time anyway: My nicknames include any variation of The Scribe, T-Scribble, Scribs, Big Blog Daddy, Big Honkin Blogdaddy, Big Blog Papi, T-Rex, Blogzilla, and Scribola (take your pick). Curtis Allen calls me by the name Tone Capone. Do I look like an Italian mobster? Here’s my mug.
Email/comments. I’m grateful for your readership and would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment on any post to get in touch. Depending upon time restraints I usually respond to email. You can email me at: crede.ut.intelligas AT mac.com .
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My book wishlist. Hopefully one day these valuable books will be added to my library. All from the The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Yale editions) …
Vol. 10: Sermons and Discourses ( 1720-1723 )
Vol. 14: Sermons and Discourses ( 1723-1729 )
Vol. 19: Sermons and Discourses ( 1734-1738 )
Vol. 25: Sermons and Discourses ( 1743-1758 )
Vol. 17: Sermons and Discourses ( 1730-1733 )
Vol. 22: Sermons and Discourses ( 1739-1742 )
Vol. 13: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 1-500 )
Vol. 18: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 501-832 )
Vol. 20: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 833-1152 )
Vol. 23: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 1153–1360 )
Vol. 15: Notes on Scripture
Vol. 8: Ethical Writings
Vol. 21: Trinity, Grace, and Faith
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Princeton Cemetery. I don’t know how I did it, but in the Spring of 2006 I convinced my wife and kids it would be fun to spend the day at Princeton cemetery. Princeton is famous for its school and less famous for its rich evangelical history. I took several photographs at Princeton Cemetery (where Edwards, Hodge, Warfield and the Alexanders are buried). These photos always remind me to be Cross-centered.
Series index
“What should we cut up next?”
I’m hesitant to answer this question because it is all downhill from the Blank Bible.
However, I could see this project being beneficial for a discipling relationship. Christians could get together to study something like Desiring God and make it into a “Blank DG” in order to take notes and write thoughts.
How about a “Blank Grudem”? (as a way to study systematic theology)
The “Blank Grudem.” I love it! The problem is that it would be like 6 volumes long. =) Try carrying that to the men’s meeting on Saturday morning. I suppose you could bring one volume at a time.
Thanks Justin!!
Tony
I posted some pics of my own Blank Bible at my blog. I had to do 4 volumes due to the Office Depot only having 25mm spirals.
Can I order bigger spirals anywhere on the internet and just have them punch the holes?
Or, can anyone get me some bigger spirals and mail them to me?
Hi,
Can you e-mail or post a picture of how you put the wood together around the bible to remove the binding?
thanks and have a great day!
in Christ,
james
James, that is the one picture I did not get. Sorry.
Tony
I love the idea. When I was younger I loved to look at old books in My grand dad’s attic. He had a few blak page Bibles he’d made. They were full of notes. I definitly must make one for myself.
Emmanuel
Emmanuel, It will be a treasure to pass on without comparison or rival! Where is blank bible now? I would love to see photographs!
Tony
I am not sure where they are now. My Grand dad passed away a year ago, and lot of his books were given away. I’ll enquire, there maybe one or two copies still around. If I remember well, he had cut several Bibles, and just put the pages in ring folders. He could then add pages very easily. I’ve often thought of doing it, but never got around to. You’re inspiring me.
Emmanuel
After reading I remembered that I had see something like that in French Christian Books catalog a long time ago. I’ve done some research, and at last found it: http://www.info-sectes.org/pages/bpcbs.htm http://www.info-sectes.org/pages/bpcbs.htm It is not the best translation though, very literal, fairly old, it is called Darby bible, and used in strict Brethren circles in France. It cost 150 euros for the pocket one, 165 for a bigger one.
Emmanuel
Jeremy just completed a “Blank Lectures to My Students” A very worthy undertaking. See his pictures here.
Tony
ATTENTION ALL BLANK BOOK GEEKS (like myself)
Please send photographs of your project when you are done and post a link from these comments!
Thank you! And watch your fingers,
Tony
Tony,
I just finished three Blank Bibles and I’m posting some pictures now. Glory to God! This was a really fun build, sign me up for the “geeky book-builders” newsletter.
A little late here, and without blank ideas, but I recently saw that Yale has published Edwards’ Blank Bible. Price is a bit high, but would be interesting.
http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300109318
Jason
Yes, that’s the same bible we’re trying to replicate here except with modern versions and our own blank pages. The Yale edition is the published notes from Edwards’ bible not an actual blank bible itself. Tony
Yes, I know. I’d be interested, both theologically and historically, to see Edwards’ comments. But $200 is a bit steep.
I appreciate the work you’ve done on your blank books and sharing the experience. When I have a bit of time, I’m finally going to give it a try.
Jason
Hey,
First I just wanted to reiterate what everyone else on this site is saying: Great idea! The Bible turned out fantastically! I have been seeking to buy a Bible like this for some time now, but could not find one to my liking anywhere!
This leads to my question: Is there any possibility that you would create a Bible like this for someone, provided they reimburse you for all expenses and time spent? I am a college student in Chicago (Moody Bible) and don’t have access to a table saw (among other things). If you are interested, shoot me an email! I would love to buy one of these from you! Thanks!
Hello Matt, sadly with my position in life right now, I am away from my hometown where I was set up to build these bibles. I no longer have the resources to make them very easily. Sorry! -Tony
I need scads of room for notes as well, but I prefer the 3-hole punched versions, especially for taking to studies, etc. A quick search tells me the following versions are available for purchase as a “loose leaf bible”: KJV, NASB, NKJV, NIV, NRSV, ASB (1900). Most of these are available on amazon.com for roughly $40.
The main reasons I prefer this 3-hole punch method are: 1) it accommodates as many notes pages as I want to include (just buy more binders and redistribute the pages if a binder gets too full) and 2) it allows me to take just the portion of the Bible I need to a Bible study, etc, and I also have a small Bible I always carry with me to look up other referenced verses, and 3) it allows me to simply hole punch distributed notes from studies, etc, until I’ve had enough time to incorporate those notes into my own note-taking scheme (and the handouts are almost always in the standard 8.5 x 11 page size).
Until I read your page, though, I didn’t realize this was such a popular notion!
May God continue to bless each of you richly with His Word.
[...] holds all of my biblical notes from the past year. You can see it and how it was constructed at my blog. Having a bible filled with blank pages is really an expectation of Gods illumination. I listen [...]
[...] particularly liked the idea of building a blank Bible with lots of note sheets between the pages. I take a lot of notes but I’ve usually used either [...]
I love the ideas on this site. I found this site this morning off another Blog, and, since patience is not one of my virtues yet (not enough suffering), I just got back from Kinkos with my spiral bound ESV Psalms. It took me a while to set up in Word, but once it was set up, it was simple. I liked the suggestions of a double column, then instead of configuring my printer to print back and front, I left the back of each page blank as well. Then, I had Kinkos bind it in reverse, in effect putting the words on the farthest left column when it lays flat. This has the effect of 1 1/2 columns of blank paper on my 8 1/4 X 5 1/4, 156 page book. That’s 7 (horizontally) inches of blank paper for a 6 inch tall column. This is a great idea! There isn’t a book in my house safe now! The Psalms cost me less than $9.
Thanks for the forum.
You can check out the full process at my blog.
How about a Blank Josephus? This would be a great for being able to look at the historics of his wirting and cross to scripture on the notes pages. Just an Idea.
Bill
Here’s a more “professional” version of an interleaved ESV Bible. It’s on the bottom right of this page: http://www.gildedleafbindery.com/rebinding.htm
Blue leather spines with raised bands.
Tony, and the others.
The blank bible caught my attention a year ago or so, and I have been considering it ever since. Here is my problem and request for advice.
My favorite bible is a 20 year old NASB with hundreds of notes in the margin. I want my blank bible to retain those notes. The easiest way would be to use the old bible as the source for the blank bible. The problem is the very thin paper.
So my question is, would the paper stand up to the extra stress that the spiral binding would put on them, or would they tend to tear out? The edition is a Ryrie Study Bible from Moody Press. It is about 1 3/4 inches thick, with 2100 pages, including the concordance, etc.
Thanks, and have a blessed weekend and Lord’s Day.
Boyd
Hello Boyd. No, the thin paper is no problem with spiral binding because there are around 40 spirals to hold it all together and with that many it means relatively little force on each of the punched holes. Ripping would not be a problem. Blessings! Tony
Thanks, Tony. That’s encouraging to hear.
Would you try to interleave with thin blank paper, maybe onion-skin or thesis (rag) paper? Or just use the usual recommended paper that you have used before?
The Lord richly blessed our little church group today - wonderful worship time and great teaching on Eph. 4:5 (or mainly Romans 6:1-10) on Baptism.
And I was so pleased last night to find I could read and mostly understand John Owen’s “Of the Mortification of Sin…”, chapter 1,
out of the Crossway edition edited by Kapic and Taylor - wonderful feast I am having!
May the Lord bless you all this week.
Boyd
Neat project!
You can actually buy such a Bible, but I have only found it in the KJV.
http://www.pilkingtonandsons.com/interleavedbibles.htm
[...] The Shepard’s Scrapbook has a fantastic weekend project: Building your own Johnathan Edwards Blank Bible. Sweetness. I gave it a shot last weekend with some success. I purchased a center-reference hard bound ESV and brought it to Staples where I had them cut off the binding, cut a ream of paper in half and punch the binding holes. I only wish I had gone to a copy shop that specializes in this kind of thing because almost all of the cuts were off. Even so, the end result was usable. I found the most difficult part about the process was lining up the holes correctly so the binding ring would thread properly. But all in all it was much easier than anticipated. [...]
[...] definitely know a few people who take a few pages from his book. Apparently, Tony ACTUALLY does the book thing . I’m looking forward to swiping a few pages, [...]
have you thought about putting the whole process into a downloadable pdf for ease of access while performing this surgery?
Comment to my comment #26. I think the question buried in that comment was overlooked - I wrote Tony directly (which I hesitate to do - he must be flooded by e-mail. May the Lord bless you with grace to keep it all in balance, Tony).
Here is our e-mail exchange:
One more question, Tony. For the blank paper, I was thinking of using 100% rag thesis paper if it still available. Or maybe there is another thin, strong paper that you could recommend.
Tony’s answer: Boyd, thanks for the email! I’ve only used standard copy paper. I have no experience with the fancy papers. Sorry I cannot be of more help here. It’s worth the extra expense I’m sure. Blessings and let us know how it turns out! Tony
May the peace and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Boyd
Boyd, thanks for this comment. Sometimes I guess I just miss an important question and I apologize. … Do keep in mind that using thin paper readily increases the price of the blank bible project. The rising expense in this paper (ie bible paper) is the initial reason publishers have not created blank bibles of their own. Something to keep in mind. Go for it but expect a high cost. Blessings, Boyd! Tony
Just so no one thinks this project is for boys only, I have taken apart the ESV Reformation Study Bible and bound the books with two sheets of paper between every page. I truly love this Bible now, especially since the church I attend now goes through the Bible expositionally. This is already a favourite study aid. Thanks for the idea and the assembly instructions!!! I’ve only got “after” pictures on my blog.
You go, girl! Thanks for this. And I love the pics on your blog. Nice work! Tony
I did something similar with a TNIV Bible. At this point I have only completed the New Testament and I’m excited about how I can make notes, cross-references, etc. all in one place. Thanks for the great idea!
On another note - I’m a recent convert to Calvinism. I was raised in the strict Mennonite-Arminian tradition. Finally at 49, God has begun to show me the amazing truths of grace. WOW!
You have a great website. I have especially enjoyed the Humble Calvinism series.
Steve
Hello Steve! Thank you for the warm comments. What I love about Calvinism is the way God’s majesty unfolds in Scripture and then spills over into world history. It’s an honor to see this as God opens our eyes. Blessings, my friend! Tony
This blank bible project is fantastic and thrilling! I am planning to do one also. The ESV Bible has become my favorite translation because it is so accurate, readable, scholarly all at the same time. Thanks for the idea guys!
Tony,
I’ve provided some freely downloadable inserts for the Blank Bibles. One is a 90-day Bible reading plan. The other is the week of prayers from Valley of Vision and the First London Baptist Confession of Faith (1646). These PDFs can be downloaded, printed, sliced, and are fitted for the Classic Reference Bible or any 8.5″ x 5.5″ Bibles.
Hope you enjoy!
http://growingvertical.com/2007/10/blank-bible-inserts.html
i’m gonna try to bind it w/ the tools from:
http://www.bindingbooksbeautifully.com
i’ll let you know how it comes out.
[...] What I came across was Tony Reinke’s “blank” Bible. [...]
[...] discovered what I am now calling The Tony Reinke Method for constructing a blank Bible while reading a link to Tony’s blog provided by Justin Taylor. [...]
[...] if I use a paperback Bible instead of a hardcover?” Well, in his instructions, Tony Reinke says you do not even have to remove the cover from a paperback Bible. Just take the Bible with you [...]
[...] your cut Bible and blanks. Now you are ready to stuff your Bible with blanks. As a reminder, I use The Tony Reinke Method all throughout this project. If you haven’t read his instructions yet, go read them a couple [...]
[...] info here. It is like throwing a starving man a steak. I was also turned on by Tony Reinke “Blank Bible” project. I would love to convert some of my books to a spiral binding. I have some [...]
[...] holes punched for binding and then actually bind the Bible. Once again, as a reminder I am using The Tony Reinke Method for building blank Bibles throughout the process. I implore you to read his instructions through [...]
[...] Tony Reinke (and Jesus as well), in his instructions to building a blank Bible, suggests that you use archival-quality pens to take notes in your blank Bible. Specifically, he recommends you use a Pigma Micron 005 pen. This is an artist’s and archiver’s pen. These types of pens are also used by draftsmen and engineers. [...]
[...] Blank Bibes [...]
Hey Tony!
I wanted to let you know that I just made my own Blank Bible and it is about a 90% success. Unfortunately the glue on the Bible I purchased ran deep and I had roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch of margin left to work with for binding. Needless to say some of the words in my new Bible now have holes in them. Oh well, I’m still very excited about it and have posted pics on my blog. In a month I think I’m going to go for the Greek Interlinear as well. You’ve got me hooked!
[...] out the TSS Blank Bible Index. __________________ Andrew Myers Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel Member, [...]
[...] The time has come. In light of the recent “revival” of interest in the “Jonathan Edwards Blank Bible” (watch the video, read the news, download a PDF of “Galatians” from JE’s Blank Bible), I have deceived to make my own. The Shepherd’s Scrapbook has some great insights in regards to the “how to,” so if you are interested in finding out more information, check out Tony’s Blank Bible Index. [...]
Good form.
You are a kindred spirit brother!
I believed I was the only one who would do such to my bible for a good end and thus thought myself a partial looney!
Lord Bless,
Ron
[...] Here’s another one: The successful attempt [...]
What material did you use for the cover and back Tony? I see that it black, but can’t determine what it is….
Thanks!
[...] The Shepherd’s Scrapbook: This is where I first read about this [...]
[...] Link to the inspiration for this project at The Shepherds Scrapbook, including detailed pictures and explanations on how to build one for yourself. [...]
After reading about your Blank Bible projects, I came across some loose leaf Bibles published (either with or without binder) by Hendrickson. They offer NASB, KJV, NKJV, NIV and NRSV. The last one is the NOAB 3rd edition study Bible. Seems these might be ideal for turning into spiral bound Blank Bibles.
They’re listed here, along with all their other Bibles:
http://www.hendrickson.com/cgi-bin/pub/hp_browse?&browse=bibles
Just noticed that you were looking for links to other projects placed in this thread.
Here’s my contribution to the effort:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20698298@N05/sets/72157603844707078
A Reformation Study Bible conversion….
Hi Tony.
Just FYI….
I will be holding an essay contest to win my Reformation Blank Study Bible. You can find the blog post about it here:
http://thefoolishgalatian.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/win-my-reformation-blank-study-bible/
[...] a blank Bible (of course with the help of some handy dandy people). I got the idea after reading a blog that gave all the information on how to make your own blank Bible. So I started by ordering a [...]
[...] idea for creating my own Blank Bible came from a post I read over at The Shepherd’s Scrapbook. He got the idea from Jonathan Edwards who would past blank sheets of paper in between the pages [...]
[...] idea for creating my own Blank Bible came from a post I read over at The Shepherd’s Scrapbook. He got the idea from Jonathan Edwards who would past blank sheets of paper in between the pages [...]
[...] present: a blank Bible. What’s a blank Bible, you ask (I heard you)? Check it out here: TSS Blank Bible Index. I used one of our “table Bibles” (paperback ESV), took it apart, separated it page by [...]
I DID IT!!!!
CHECK IT OUT!
http://the-abiding-life.blogspot.com/
Hey Tony…
I was wondering if you could help me out a little. I made my own Reformation Study Bible a while back and decided to give it away to anyone who writes me an essay stating why they should get it and is chosen. To date, I’ve only gotten 4 essays. I don’t quite have the traffic needed on my blog to get the word out and was wondering if you could do a quick post showing the contest is still open to anyone wishing to participate. It was a lot of work making this bible and I really want to see it go to someone who will use it and cherish it.
Thanks a bunch Tony!
Matthew
Coram Deo
http://thefoolishgalatian.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/win-my-reformation-blank-study-bible/
[...] much like the idea, though I’ve not yet tried it, is the "Blank Bible" that Tony Reinke promotes on his blog, the Shepherd’s [...]
[...] yet tried it) is to build your own Jonathan Edwards-style "Blank Bible" that Tony Reinke promotes on his blog, the Shepherd’s [...]