Preorders for the new translation of the Liturgy of the Hours in several formats are here, and one edition in particular comes with extra hype! Meet Ascension’s Premium Natural Grain Leather edition, designed to reflect the perpetual prayer of the Church in an extraordinary way.

One of two Premium versions, the Natural Grain Leather variant was prepared by a world-renowned Bible printer, careful workmanship, and stunning materials. Top-of-the-line in Ascension’s new second edition collection, it’s a quality companion for daily prayer but also much more––an exclusive keepsake that generations to come can treasure. Here’s what makes the Premium Natural Grain Leather edition special.

This One Makes A Universal Catholic Prayer Unique To You

“The natural grain reflects the actual hide of the animal from which it came, rather than a leather with a forced texture stamped into it. This means that every copy will be unique.”

This, in the words of our senior product manager Rick Dooley, is what sets the Premium Natural Grain variant apart as one of a kind among our new Liturgy of the Hours editions. The cover is made of black, full-grain, goatskin leather and lined with red calfskin: soft, supple, intricate, and authentic in its feel. This exquisite design makes the Premium Natural Grain Leather collection one to cherish for a lifetime and beyond.

A Work With Liturgical Dignity

“The Liturgy of the Hours is a liturgical book, so it should be bound with the materials, method, and care that reflect that dignity,” Dooley shares. The team at Jongbloed, a Netherlands-based team with decades of experience, approached the project with this in mind.

“The Liturgy of the Hours is very important for many people. It has to be beautiful, it has to be durable, it has to last a long time, and at Jongbloed, we take care of that quality,” Remko Stoelwinder, account manager at Jongbloed, articulates.

Jongbloed was the perfect company to create this splendid premium edition. Much of their printing and book assembly is carried out by hand, with close attention to detail. Their reputation of publishing the best bibles in the world, for top publishers, made it possible for them to fulfill the similar size and specifications needed for the Liturgy of the Hours––especially for a premium edition. The end result? Not just any ordinary breviary, but one beautifully bound, built to last, and embodying the enduring dignity of this ancient Catholic prayer.

A Peek Into The Printing Process

A fascinating printing and binding process brings each copy of the Liturgy of the Hours Premium Natural Grain Leather variant to life. The print journey at Jongbloed begins when all of the book's pages are printed and assembled into text blocks.

First, Ascension’s PDFs are turned into plates, thin flat sheets of metal on which the text is imprinted for ink transfer onto paper. That’s not any ordinary paper, either: a beautiful, lightweight 34 gsm Bolloré Primapage Ivoire paper. Jongbloed is one of few printers who can access and successfully work with such thin and delicate sheets.

One of two presses puts the words on the page before the paper is smoothed and rolled to remove tension. At this point, the text is formatted in signatures––large sheets of paper that feature multiple pages of text––and these are cut to size in layers, stacked, and folded together. The signatures are gathered and sewn into book blocks, which are all the printed pages grouped in order.

Work of Human Hands

“Of course, some parts of the process can be done by machines much faster, but in some parts, the craftsmanship really comes into play. To feel and touch the letter and the leather, have the book block placed into the cover, and have that eye for detail, you have to do it by hand. I don’t believe a machine could do that: not with the love and craftsmanship with which people are doing it here,” Remko Stoelwinder observes.

At this point in the printing, the hum of machines quiets down for a new stage of the process: precise work by hand. The premium volumes are edge-lined, connecting the smyth-sewn interior of the book directly to its cover for a flexible but durable result. The volume’s covers, black goatskin leather that retains its full and natural grain, are attached to the text blocks by a piece of leather and a liner of red calfskin for a sturdier construction than paper or other synthetic material would provide. The cover is embossed with the official Liturgy of the Hours emblem.

A couple of essential trimmings are now added, too. The top, bottom, and fore edges of the pages are gilded with hot foil and a layer of color spray to create beautiful red-over-gold art-gilded edges. And, Ascension’s Liturgy of the Hours would not be complete without ribbons: not two, not five, but eight diagonal double-faced Berisford satin ribbons for the project. This was more than twice as many as they typically place in Bibles, but Jongbloed made it happen.

“We were a bit worried about how it would look … would the spine be too thick? Could we get them all in place? But we did some tests, and the results surprised me,” Stoelwinder remarked.

Beautifully formatted, crafted with care. The Premium Natural Grain Leather Liturgy of the Hours is a true keepsake for Catholic prayer, meant to guide all who use it to a fruitful prayer life and serve as a symbol of faith for generations to come.

A Keepsake of Catholic Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours in Premium Natural Grain Leather