The Most Overlooked Page in the Bible!

In this final installment of “The Bible Starter Guide” series we look at the often-overlooked copyright page. This page will help us understand the exact edition of a Bible we have and the biblical text in the edition. It will tell us who holds the copyright, some rules for reproducing the Bible along with the publisher, year and place printed. Each copyright page is a little different in what information it gives, but they have some commonalities. The pictures below are from the CSB, ESV, EHV and the NASB2020. These are all relatively new editions. Now as you look at copyright pages of older Bibles, you will find they give much less information, but some of the information given here is still in those editions depending on how far back one goes.

The copyright page is usually behind the title page. Here are some examples, with the print date and edition name below each. I know print is small but we will have pictures that zoom in on each part of the page as we look at each section below.

As you can see without even being able to read the text, there is a good deal of variety in what is on the copyright pages.

Before we get into the details of the copyright page, the question may come to mind of “What is the copyright for, shouldn’t anyone be able to use the text as they want?” The first copyrighted Bible was the 1901 American Standard Bible. In the late 1800’s when a British committee started to work on a revision of the KJV, the Revised Version (RV), AKA English Revised Version (ERV), they requested an American committee be formed to cooperate in the effort. There were some significate differences of opinion on the final revision. The American committee agreed not to release their own revision for 14 years from the release of the RV in 1885. During the waiting period, a number of American publishers released their own version based on what they thought the American committee desired. It was produced under a number of names such as the “American Version” or the “American Revised Version”. The results were not approved by the committee nor liked by them. Thus in 1901, when it was time to release the American committee’s version, it was given the name the American Standard Version (ASV) and copyrighted. The purpose of the copyright, like today, is to protect the end result. The copyright made it illegal to change the text and claim it as one’s own. It also controls how much can be used by another entity without their permission. The American committee could also control future revisions of the version as long as the copyright was in force, the copyright was renewed in 1929, (copyrights have a time limit of enforcement).

The fact is doing a fresh translation or a revision of an existing translation is an expensive proposition. There are many unscrupulous people who would, in essence, steal the work of others for their own financial gain. Also, we would not be able to be sure what translation we were really holding without the copyright.

Keep in mind almost every owner of a Bible copyright allows for large use of the text for personal study and even for reproduction when used for free distribution. I have even heard of individuals who have requested authorization to reproduce the whole text in a unique format for private use and have been given permission. The point is to protect the copyright owner of their investment in the translation work and the integrity of the work. It is not to limit your personal use of it.

The Copyright:

Both the ESV and the CSB give the copyright to the edition then the copyright for the text. Finally, they give the Text edition year.  The NASB below gives the full accounting of the copyrights it has had since the publication of the NASB Gospel of John in 1960.

Here we see a larger look at the Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV), a new translation just released in 2019. The copyright is at the top, similar to the others. As in many other Bibles, there is a note of the trademarks. After this is the section detailing the permission for use of the text. It lets us know how much can be quoted without written permission. It also details how the quote is to acknowledge the copyright. Notice “when quotations from the EHV text are used in non-salable media . . . a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (EHV) must appear as the end of the quotation.”

Finally, notice the last line, one can request permission to exceed these guidelines and an email address is given. This permission section is very similar to what is found in every modern work. While not in older edition, the requirement still exists, and one should check with the copyright owner to determine if the copyright is still in force and what guidelines are to be used.

ISBN:

Next on most copyright pages is the International Standard Book Number (ISBN). The ISBN can be very helpful in finding more information about the Bible or to find the edition for purchase. Per Wikipedia

“The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.

An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and variation (except reprintings) of a publication. For example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book will each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is ten digits long if assigned before 2007, and thirteen digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007. The method of assigning an ISBN is nation-specific and varies between countries, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country.”

Here is an example from the EHV and the CSB. Notice the EHV list the ISBN by type: print and e-book, while the CSB list them by binding.

The ESV gives the library of Congress number instead of the ISBN. The ESV still has an ISBN. It can usually be found on the back cover or on the wrapping material it came in when purchased.

Publisher Information:

On the copyright page will be information about the publisher. Note the publisher may not be the same entity which owns the copyright. This information is usually near the bottom but not always and is also given on the title page.

For the CSB and the NASB, the information is included in the copyright.

Place Printed:

Usually near the bottom of the page will be information on the place of printing. The CSB, ESV, and NASB were printed in China. The EHV was printed in the USA.

Miscellaneous Information:

Copyright pages will also give additional information which differs depending on the Bible publisher. The CSB gives information about permissions for use of articles in the permission section. Then information is specified about the design and typeset in this case by 2K/DENMARK.

The ESV supplies information that part of the purchase price allows the publisher to support Bible distribution along with information about the availability of free Bibles.

The ESV also give information that the ESV was adapted from the RSV.

The EHV and the NASB Bibles do not give any additional information.

Odd Lines of Numbers:

The number line, also known as the “printer’s key”, is place at the bottom of the copyright page. It is a method of record-keeping which identifies the Bible’s printing run and/or year of printing. While different publishers use different conventions for these number lines, generally speaking, the smallest number in the line indicates a Bible’s printing year or run. When the publisher requests another printing, the printer would remove the lowest number in the run section and the lowest number in the year section so the lowest number would match the year of the run. I agree with you, this is an odd way of doing this, but this is the convention.

For the CSB, the printing number is on the left grouping, thus this is the 1^st printing while the printing year is on the right end “20” as in 2020 (the smallest number in each group). I have yet to determine the purpose to the bottom line, “APFT1166301”, my guess would be it is of internal use by the publisher.

The EHV printing year is on the left side; “19”, 2019. The printing run in on the right, thus this is from the 3^rd printing.

The ESV printing year is on the first row; “17”, 2017. The printing run in on the second row, thus this is from the 3^rd printing. The letters in the lines usually indicates the printing company.

Finally, the NASB does not have a printing date but just the printing number. It is on the right side; thus, this is the 1^st printing.

Final Word

I know, you are thanking God for making it to the end of this series of posts. We have covered quite a bit of territory. I hope we have given you information to help you to understand some of the issues involved to help you begin an intelligent search for the right Bible for you or a special person you have in mind. Don’t let it overwhelm you. With prayer, patience and determination, you can do it. We hope we have helped.

Until the next time we see you here at CultivatingFaith.org, God Bless! #CultivatingFaithOrg