What pen,nib size and ink do you use when you make notes in y'alls bibles. I am really interested in the nib size and ink.
Tom
Tom
Bible Note Taking
- Thread starter airmech
- Start date
can't say I've done it... but with how thin most bible pages are i couldn't see using anything but my finest of nibs... and any colour but black just to have it stand out a bit i guess
Bible paper is notorious for bleed though. I find pencil works best, or a superfine, fast drying ballpoint.
http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Drafting-Ballpoint-Superfine-92405BK/dp/B005DDJWGC
http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Drafting-Ballpoint-Superfine-92405BK/dp/B005DDJWGC
I don't tend to write in mine. I used to and realized that pretty soon I'd have writing all over every page sooner or later. Notes for bible reading go in a dedicated journal.
Just for kicks, I took an old Cambridge printing of the bible (it's pretty roughed up already), and made a small mark on the title page. No feathering at all, but the bleed through is almost total. Cambridge paper is very thin but very high quality. Cambridge has some of the best paper I've ever seen a bible printed on except maybe for a bible I have printed by the Lockman Foundation. But therein lies the rub. Bible paper is special paper for printing, not for writing. I'd stick with a ball point for writing in a bible.
Just for kicks, I took an old Cambridge printing of the bible (it's pretty roughed up already), and made a small mark on the title page. No feathering at all, but the bleed through is almost total. Cambridge paper is very thin but very high quality. Cambridge has some of the best paper I've ever seen a bible printed on except maybe for a bible I have printed by the Lockman Foundation. But therein lies the rub. Bible paper is special paper for printing, not for writing. I'd stick with a ball point for writing in a bible.
I carry a pencil for marking up my Bible, and a cheaper FP (Metro or similar) for note-taking.
I keep my paper copies note free, at least on the pages. I have lots of loose paper and note cards stuck inside. For notating the actual text I much prefer my iPad version. I can store lengthy notes verse by verse without running out of room or bleeding through to the other side. The very few times I've marked in a Bible I've used pencil.
+1 on a pencil. Or maybe a needlepoint nib?
As a non-regular-Bible-reader, I'm curious what notes you would take on the actual pages themselves?
Given the density of the text and small margins in most Bibles, how much information could you write down against any particular verse or sentence?
Given the density of the text and small margins in most Bibles, how much information could you write down against any particular verse or sentence?
Cross references, Greek translation of words, practical applications of a particular verse.
Usually people write quick little notes or references. For example, next to Revelation 1:6 in one of my bibles I have written "Exodus 19:6" because part of Revelation 1:6 is a direct reference to Exodus 19:6, and that reference is not included in the included margin references.
Check out bibledesignblog for more info than you ever wanted.
I find that an EF nib with J Herbin ink does well at underlining in my nicer Bibles (Allan and Cambridge). Notes, on the other hand are pretty tough with a FP.
I find that an EF nib with J Herbin ink does well at underlining in my nicer Bibles (Allan and Cambridge). Notes, on the other hand are pretty tough with a FP.
I've used pencil or colored pencils along with highlighters for years, but I've also used super fine rollerballs. Just have to ensure that the ink is dried before turning the pages.
I'm not studying the Bible, but I have made notes for my reading in other books. The thought of writing inside a valued book, or any book, has always made me cringe, apart from putting my name on the fly leaf. I generally go with a notebook if I'm going to make lots of notes (giving page references in the original), or will write on smaller loose pieces of paper and put them between pages in the original, like bookmarks.
If you really do want to write inside your Bible, you might consider pencil, perhaps a fairly fine and hard lead. I have a copy of Milton's Paradise Lost that I picked up very cheaply in a used bookstore. A previous owner made copious notes at one point with a fine pointed pencil, which are still quite legible
I use a needle point Shaffer XXXF with red ink. Or my Sailor XF. Generally use Waterman ink. Bleed through can be a problem.
I always put a date by my note and the note usually refers to how the passage/promise relates to my current circumstances and prayers. It is very encouraging to look back see the notes and reflect upon how God has answered my prayers and what I learned through the process. This is especially powerful when I read the notes I wrote 20+ years ago and reflect on the circumstances and answered prayers.
I always put a date by my note and the note usually refers to how the passage/promise relates to my current circumstances and prayers. It is very encouraging to look back see the notes and reflect upon how God has answered my prayers and what I learned through the process. This is especially powerful when I read the notes I wrote 20+ years ago and reflect on the circumstances and answered prayers.
There are also editions of the Bible (in whatever version you prefer) that have a large margin around the text. The print is the same size, but the pages themselves are larger. I have a Cambridge KJV with 1 inch margins given to me by a friend who didn't know I don't like to write in books.
I have an old NASB (First Gen) that has been underlined and written in with almost every modern writing instrument known. It started life as a hard-bound so the paper is textbook quality. Some of ink bled through, some did not. Of the ink that did (Purple) it does distract from reading on the reverse page.
That being said if I write in a newer Bible it is either pencel or fine or extra-fine ballpoint. I use a FP with a fine-point nib filled with Skrip or Quink for note taking.
That being said if I write in a newer Bible it is either pencel or fine or extra-fine ballpoint. I use a FP with a fine-point nib filled with Skrip or Quink for note taking.
I have the CliffsNotes®.
My grandfather passed away a month ago and my dad told me last night while going through his things they found my great grandmother's old bible. It was falling apart and had notes written all through it. I can't wait to see it and read the things she thought were important enough to write down. I don't usually write in books, but I can see the value of something like this when it's left for future generations to appreciate. I'm also curious to see what kind of ink/pencil/etc she used!
I'm not a bible person, but can't help thinking that a pencil would be the tool for the job. You can erase it if you make a mistake, but it'll never fade on the page, nor bleed through, nor feather.
I'm not a bible person either, but I can't imagine desecrating the pages by putting notes on it.
In the Torah, each page in the scroll is printed by hand and then sewn together, and any stray marks makes that page unusable. If a completed Torah suffers a tear in the page or a spill, it is sent out for repair.
Do what you want with your own holy scriptures, but if it were me, I would keep a separate journal for notes, and never make any marks in the book itself. No underlines, no highlights, nothing. Leave it pristine.
