Recently Rev. Paul McCain announced the “birth” of Baby Concordia, the Pocket Edition of the Lutheran Confessions.  Being a hopeless bibliophile, especially on editions of the Book of Concord, I ordered one right away.

Here it is:

My initial reactions are very positive.  It’s roughly the same size as my old pocket edition of Lutheran Worship.  The binding is about an inch thick.  The paper is higher quality than I expected.  I thought it would be that super think bible-type paper.  It isn’t.  It’s a more standard book paper.  I’d say trade paperback quality, maybe a teeny bit thinner.

Basically it is the straight text of the Book of Concord, without any of the introductions or other supplementary materials you find in the larger, hard bound edition.  It also includes the appendices, including the Saxon Visitation Articles and the Catalog of Testimonies.  It is 1036 pages.  Single copies are: $14.99, if you order ten or more copies, they are $10.99 each. Place your orders here, or call 800-325-3040.

Frankly, I think this is awesome.  My only real criticism of it is that I’m afraid that the paperback cover is going to wear out long before the rest of the book.  But that is necessary in order to keep the price down. Fortunately, it is cheap enough so that if you are using it enough to wear out, you can get another one.  I suppose one could explore some kind of dust cover or something else.

Uses that come to my mind right now include anyplace that you don’t want the “big” edition.  Winkels, out of town, etc.  It may be a worthwhile option for getting multiple copies for bible class or something as well.  Men’s groups.  I think the options are nearly endless.

Thank you, Concordia, for another great product.

-LL