Nowadays Cambridge Bibles may be bound in hardback or faux leather (bonded or imitation), or in various grades of real leather. The finest Bibles are bound in goatskin, a material traditionally used in bookbinding for many centuries.
Real leather
Real leather is taken from an animal hide. ‘Split’ refers to the underside of the hide; the other side, ‘top-grain’, is superior and more expensive.
Modern technology has provided the binder with an impressive new range of moderately priced materials, which are nevertheless attractive to look at and handle, and wear very well indeed.