“Wow!”

That was our first reaction unboxing Sophia’s new printing of the Tradivox catechism series, which we already reviewed earlier here.

In that post, we acknowledged that it’s hard to argue with the content of this series: traditional Catholic catechisms, from before the conciliar disaster… what’s not to love? The doctrine is clear, simple, and consistent. Heterodox prelates beware.

But one of our CONS back when Tradivox first ran their book series was the overall look and feel of the hardbacks themselves. They were printing on demand, and the books were not especially remarkable. And come on, if you’re going to restore monuments of Faith, they deserve to look and feel priceless.

Well, hats off to their new publisher. This new printing is gorgeous!

Commercial offset printer – no inkjet nonsense. Solid sewn binding. The paper is a great weight but very supple, maybe even a linen blend. Running headers throughout. Lovely typeset, very crisp and clean.

And again, they just don’t write ’em like that anymore:

They polished up the interior graphics as well – it looks as if they are opting for a “clean frames” motif over the original image frames. A nice fix, although some (like us) may still prefer the antiquated look.

And yes, that image of Hell from the 1500s is still terrifying. One wouldn’t need to be literate to get the lifelong impression that sin is bad:

And that cover. How did they do that?

The Tradivox memo (we signed up) calls it a “rich burgundy Pescara hardback, with the look and feel of 18th-century calfskin binding” and by golly, it gets close. This isn’t your tacky plastic leatherette by a long shot: it’s a warm matte finish with a subtle grain, and the gold foil debossing is a brilliant sheen with low relief. One sees it glinting on the bookshelf from across the room.

Superb.

Friends, this looks like a series for the ages.

Go, Tradivox, go!

Bravo the Restoration!