A year or two ago, my beloved and I were walking around a local seminary. There was a stack of books and miscellany labeled "free." I must confess I get a rush out of anything free. Anyways in this stack were several copies of the Good News New Testament. A book-like copy of the New Testament from the 1970s replete with these charming little drawings. I stuck the item in the book shelf when I got home, and kind of forgot about it until recently when I began re-reading the Gospel of St. John. I pulled this thing out and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I've often complained to my wife that Bibles tend to look aesthetically stuffy by default. And most illustrated Bibles, save for the Awesome
Barry Moser illustrated Bible, are quite bad with their depictions of Jesus as a bearded lady with immaculately conditioned hair. I began rereading through this Good News New Testament, and was delighted not only in the easy readability, but the beautiful illustrations by Swiss artist Annie Vallotton.
The illustrations are beautifully simple, and give a delightful joy to its accompanying text. Every line drawn has a purpose and there's nothing there that doesn't need to be. They are confidently executed illustrations that are a joy to look at.
For more info on Annie, check out
this BBC article on her.
