How to Tell Imitation Leather Bibles

A leather Bible

Bibles come with a wide variety of covers, from paper and cardboard to leather. Leather-bound Bibles are the top of the line, and if they are high quality they can last for decades or generations. However, not every Bible that looks leather bound is bound with real leather. Imitation leather is getting better all the time, but there are ways to tell the difference.

Instructions

1. Check to see if the Bible has any indication of the material used to bind it. Flip the Bible over and look at the back cover; in the lower right-hand corner of a modern Bible you should find the binding material and the ISBN. Look for the phrases "Bonded Leather," "Genuine Leather" or "Imitation Leather."

   "Bonded Leather" refers to a process by which scraps of leather are glued together over another material. "Imitation Leather" is a synthetic material made to look like leather. "Genuine Leather" is all leather, often pig skin.

2. Use your nose, if the cover isn't stamped with the binding material. Sniff the binding to see if you can detect the smell of leather. Genuine leather will smell like a leather jacket. However, materials like bonded leather may not have a distinct aroma.

3. Hold the Bible for a while and see how it feels in your hand. Genuine leather is supple, soft and breathable. Bonded leather is not so soft nor supple but breathes well in your hand. Imitation leather may be soft, but it doesn't breath as well, so after some time your hand will begin to sweat.

4. Look at the Bible closely. Imitation leather is not as durable as genuine leather; look for places where there might be discoloration or cracking. Genuine leather will show the same material all the way through; if it is scuffed or cracked, you will see the same leather color underneath the surface. Imitation and bonded leather will show a different material underneath the surface.

Tips & Warnings

• The range of genuine leather Bibles is quite large. The lowest quality leather-bound Bible is bonded leather, then genuine or top grain leather, then cowhide, calfskin and finally Morocco leather, according to Zondervan.com. The price differences among the different types of leather can be quite wide, with the highest quality leather Bibles costing in excess of $100.

References

• Zondervan: Types of Leather and Imitation Leather Bindings
• Amazon: Leather Bible