books

Bibliotheca: redesigning the Bible

July 25, 2014

Adam Greene's project ‘Bibliotheca’ will see him divide the Bible into four slim and elegant separate volumes between 450 and 650 pages long, each with a sewn spine. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, July 25, 2014.It may be one of the oldest books in the world, but the Bible hasn't had a makeover for centuries.

Now California-based graphic artist Adam Greene is set to redesign Western literature's most famous manuscript, bringing it firmly into the 21st century.

Greene's project "Bibliotheca" will see him divide the Bible into four slim and elegant separate volumes between 450 and 650 pages long, each with a sewn spine.

Each of the neutrally-coloured hardback, cloth-bound bound volumes features a special new clean typeface designed by Greene and presents the text stripped bare of chapter and verse numbers and annotations.

The overall presentation has been geared towards a more fluid, novel-like reading experience, from optimal font size to line length and margin width.

Greene has also brought the text up to date linguistically, replacing old English words such as “thou” with “you” for an easier reading experience.

"Could it be that the encyclopaedic nature of our contemporary Bibles is what's driving the idea that the biblical literature is dry and boring?" says Greene.

"There should be an alternative, we should be able to experience these texts in their original form as literary works of art."

Currently listed on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, "Bibliotheca" has reached more than ten times its original funding target, with initial batches of the books set to ship in December. – AFP/Relaxnews, July 25, 2014.