Heirloom Scriptures $400 Bible With Renaissance Illustrations Intended To Last For Centuries

The presses ran 24 hours a day, six days a week, for two months.

What they produced - The Holy Bible with Illustrations from the Vatican Library - is one of the most beautiful reproductions of Scriptures ever produced on a large scale.

The Bible, from Atlanta-based Turner Publishing, contains reproductions of 263 works of art from 15th-century Renaissance masters among its 1,312 gilt-edged pages. Specially formulated gold ink was applied in hand-silhouetted detail on archival paper made to last for centuries.

And it’s all for a suggested retail price of $395, rising to $425 after Jan. 31.

Some might question spending $400 on a book filled with passages stating God’s concern for the poor and severe warnings against profligate spending by those who are well-off.

But the producers of the Bible say this is one book that families will find worthy of the care and craftsmanship that justify its high price.

“In fact, it’s very cheap for what it is,” said publisher Michael Reagan. “Compared to a television set, it’s not that expensive. This is something for the generations.”

The project came about when the publishing house was exploring ways to showcase material in the Vatican Library. The idea for the Bible took shape as researchers examined the jewels of Renaissance bookmaking in the Vatican repository.

“We were just so taken with that material that it became obvious the first thing we had to do with it was to produce an extraordinary Bible,” Reagan said.

Once executives decided on the project, no corners were cut, officials at Turner said.

In a crowded Bible market, Reagan said, “Where we were going to compete is to try to produce the most beautiful Bible in modern times.”

Instead of the usual four-color printing process, a six-color process was used. Many of the hundreds of priceless illustrations taken from more than 30 volumes in The Vatican Library were reproduced in their original size.

Making art that has been stored for 500 years more widely available also required the latest computer technology. Reagan said the project could not have been done as recently as three years ago without the new technology such as computer silhouetting.

There was an initial printing of 15,000 copies. No exact sales figures were released, but Reagan said Turner is receiving good reports from booksellers who were initially wary of the price tag.

The translation is the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which was developed by a team of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish scholars. A 32-page family records album is included.

“It is truly an effort to do something that will last for generations,” according to Reagan. “In a sense, it is timeless; 200 to 300 years from now, people will look at this and think it is still extraordinary.”