I haven't been posting much lately. Life has been busy. I've also been spending my time putting together a new online bible, which has been a desire of mine for a while. If you'd like to jump right in and read it, click here: KJV Bible (or you can use the menu at the top of the page).
I had originally wanted to make a mobile phone application, but that is currently beyond my programming skill level. However, I decided that a web version would actually be very accessible to phones of any type. I was reasonably confident that I could create a web-based bible that would look great on desktop computers as well as mobile devices.
The main goal of this bible has always been readability. There are many fans of readable bibles, such as Mark Bertrand of bibledesignblog.com , who has reviewed some beautiful single column bibles, such as the ESV Heritage and the Cambridge Clarion *drool*. I personally own and use a single column "Heritage ESV" bible that I love. There is something to be said for making the bible as readable as possible. When it is formatted for reference, split into multiple columns, and has each verse on a separate line, readability suffers. When you add the fact that most people assume the King James bible (or any bible for that matter) is difficult to read, you've possibly introduced a stumbling block in terms of readability, making the bible an unattractive "read"?
If someone picks up a book, and it is clean and readable, aren't they more likely to want to read it? Studies have shown that there are optimal design properties that make reading easier on the eyes and the brain. I've tried to incorporate these design elements into this online version of the bible, which is designed to be as readable as possible. This presentation may not be for everyone; this is for those people who want to read the KJV bible in a clean, uncluttered, reader friendly format. There are currently no verse numbers displayed (those weren't in the original manuscripts anyway). There are no unnecessary line breaks, the font choice is optimized for computer screens, and the layout design elements (line-height, characters-per-line, etc.) are optimized for readability.
Is this a perfect bible? By no means. I'm not the best web designer out there, and there are much better typography experts and designers. But I've tried to take all of the knowledge I've gained over the years to make this as readable as I can. It is as clean and minimal as possible. There are no ads, no gimmicky features, and the site has a very small footprint, all to allow the fastest loading possible and greatest level of compatibility and readability.
Again, I'll say that this is far from perfect. There are some key areas and features that I need to fix and/or implement. I will do my best to make these changes as I have time. For now, I hope this will be a useful online bible that offers a very good reading experience. Perhaps it will even refresh your love for the KJV or inspire you to give the KJV a chance. It is a beautiful translation that is both accurate and elegant.
Stay tuned for updates to the design and features, and I'd love any good constructive feedback. You can find my email on the about page.