From Powells.com
As a young man, Barry Moser became interested in biblical studies
and for a few years held a preacher's license in the Methodist church.
He eventually followed a different calling and went on to become one of
the world's foremost illustrators and book designers. But he never forgot
his early love for the Christian scripture. In the early nineties Moser
had an opportunity to combine his two passions and agreed to design and
illustrate a new edition of the King James Bible for the Pennyroyal Caxton
Press. The result was one of the greatest feats of book artistry of the
century, noted not only for the extraordinary beauty of its 236 black-and-white
illustrations, but also for the perfection of its typesetting. Today,
copies of the original 400-copy letterpress edition live in some of the
most prestigious book collections in the world, including the National
Gallery of Art, the Israeli Museum, and the Beinecke Library at Yale University.
This trade edition was later published by Viking Studio, making Moser's
stunning masterpiece available to anyone with a love of scripture, a love
of beautiful books, or both. Farley, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Virtuoso book designer and illustrator Barry Moser, many of whose masterpieces are already museum-housed modern classics, has devoted nearly five years to the greatest book project of all. Moser has hand-crafted, designed, and illustrated a magnificent Bible to be published in a special 400 copy limited edition. Viking Studio is proud to make this work of art and devotion available to a broader public in a trade edition of superb quality.
The Pennyroyal Caxton edition of The Holy Bible is first and foremost intended to be read with text lovingly designed and simply set in black type, subtly accented with red. But its revolutionary impact lies in its illustrations haunting, sometimes dark but always luminous, described by Newsweek as "engravings with the brooding power of magical realism." Modeled on everyday people, they enrich each book (which salutes the original with its name printed in Hebrew or Greek) of both the Old and the New Testament. No connoisseur of great art or fine bookmaking, no religious or spiritual reader will want to be without this edition. It is a rich heirloom gift for holidays, holy days, and every day of the century to come.
A publishing event of true millennial significance. The only Bible of this century illustrated authentically and luminously by a single artist. The only affordable edition of a renowned bookmaker's magnum opus.
Review
"In each generation, one or two fine books leap out from history's bookshelf and demand lasting attention. For our own generation, The Pennyroyal Caxton Bible promises to be this book." Philip N. Cronenewett, Special Collections Librarian, Dartmouth College