Aug 24, 2006 5:31 pm US/Central
St. John's To Press Bible With $115K Price Tag
Collegeville, Minn. (AP) ―
For those with deep faith and perhaps even deeper pockets, a full-size reproduction of The Saint John's Bible is available for pre-order beginning Sept. 1 for $115,000.
Orders placed the after June 30, 2007, will cost another $15,000.
The Saint John's Bible Heritage Edition will contain the same seven volumes as the handmade original as well as an extra volume of commentary. They will take longer to to print than most books because extra attention is being paid to recreating details and the gold illuminations from the original Bible, said Craig Bruner, director of the Heritage Edition.
He added, "they're going to be beautiful."
Only 360 reproductions will be available, and each will be signed by artistic director Donald Jackson. Production of the handwritten Bible is headquartered in Jackson's calligraphy studio in Wales.
The St. John's Bible is the first handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery since the printing press was invented. It's scheduled to be completed by December 2008.
Proceeds will help pay for efforts to preserve ancient Christian texts from around the world and to create a permanent home for the St. John's Bible.
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