NASB Compact Reference Bible, Black w/Snap Flap (Leather Bound)

by Zondervan Publishing (Creator) "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." (more)
Key Phrases: God of Israel, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Updated New American Standard Bible is today's popular, word-for-word, literal translation. This edition is a compact portable size to take with you anywhere.

From the Back Cover
- Center-Column Reference System—with references based on key words, phrases, and concepts. - Portable Size—take it with you anywhere! - Two-Column Text in Paragraph Format—for easy reading and comprehension. - Clear, Readable Type. - Full-Color Maps, Study Helps, Book Introductions, and Concordance. - Words of Christ in Red.

Product Details

• Leather Bound: 1824 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Compact edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310921430
• ISBN-13: 978-0310921431
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,428 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #11 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Bibles > Translations > New American Standard Update
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great Bible in cheesy bonded leather, January 2, 2003

By	J. Martin (Upstate New York USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First the BAD stuff:

I really wish I could give this Bible 5 stars, because it's so great in so many ways, but the bonded leather is disgusting. I don't understand why Zondervan uses it. It's stiff and rubbery and kind of sticky, and it doesn't even look like leather. It has an awful, shiny, plasticky finish, like the Scuff-Kote liquid shoe polish my mother used on my shoes in the 50s. I'd much rather have a well-made cloth binding, or a plain hardback binding, or (best of all) real leather, like the marvelous calfskin and goatskin Cambridge use on their Bibles. (In an ideal world, all Bibles would be bound by Cambridge. But then, in the ideal world we'll be with Jesus and won't need Bibles.)

If bonded leather didn't bother me, I'd have a hard time saying anything bad about this Bible.

The GOOD stuff:

It's the updated NASB, which isn't perfect but pretty close.

It's tiny and light. I like to read in bed, and I can hold it easily in one hand for hours.

The center-column notes and cross-references are comprehensive and EXCELLENT.

The typeface is tiny but very clear and amazingly easy to read.

The introductions (to each book) are brief, very conservative, and fairly useful.

It's nice to have a concordance in a Bible this small, even though it's very limited and never seems to have the reference I'm looking for. But I can almost always find what I'm looking for eventually by using the cross-references.

It has good maps.

Despite the cheesy bonded leather, the binding is very sturdy. Even though it's tiny, it doesn't feel delicate at all. When I'm reading it, I usually fold it open all the way back on itself so I can hold it in one hand, and the binding holds up great to abuse like that. It's easy to carry in a pants pocket. The wraparound snap cover does a good job of protecting the pages when it's in a pocket or a bag, but you can fold it out of the way inside the back cover when it's open.

I'm really very fond of this little Bible, bonded leather and all. I own several Bibles, including some of the lovely Cambridges, but I wouldn't dream of jamming one of them in my pocket (even if it fit). This is the one I find myself actually reading most of the time. I wish it were available in real leather, but I love it anyway and I'd buy it again.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Neat, November 8, 2001

By	Sauropod (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NASB Compact Reference Bible (Leather Bound)

When Marge Simpson (blue-haired matriarch of "The Simpsons" clan) was asked why she had an uncanny obsession with potatoes, she replied, "I just think they're neat." That's how I feel about this little Bible in the New American Standard translation. It's a squarish, thick book that can sort of fit in your pants pocket -- though it will stretch the pocket out a bit. The text is small, but dark and crisp. The gilt-edged paper is thin but not tissuey. There is a ribbon for marking your place. The leather cover is flexible and has a nice texture. (No "snap" closure on mine, though another reviewer mentioned one -- maybe two different editions?) Brief introductions to each book suggest the time and place of authorship, the theme and message, and offer some pious speculation about the authors themselves. (Those of us who are skeptical that Moses wrote the Pentateuch may not find much help here.) Color maps at the back are titled The World of the Patriarchs, Exodus, Land of the Twelve Tribes, Kingdom of David, Jesus' Ministry, Paul's Journeys, and Jerusalem in Jesus' Time.

The book has two columns of text divided by a narrow column of text notes and cross references. Here are Genesis 22 and 23: "The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, /'This is now bone of my bones,/ And flesh of my flesh;/ She shall be called Woman,/ Because she was taken out of Man.'" Text notes indicate that "fashioned" is literally "built," that "She" (twice in Verse 23) is literally "This one," that "Woman" is "Ishshah" in Hebrew, and that "Man" is "Ish" (thus explaining the play on words). Cross references direct you to 1 Cor 11:8,9; Gen 29:14; and Eph 5:28,29. As you can see, the translation is clear and readable without being dumbed down, and where liberties are taken, the literal meaning is supplied in the notes. All this, and it fits in the palm of your hand. As Marge would say, I just think it's neat.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Little Bible, June 24, 2004

By A Customer

The NASB translation is among the best. It is very accurate, and though some have said it is not as readable as other translations--I disagree. The NASB is more formal than many modern translations, but I find it has a wonderful, fluid cadence when reading it.
This compact Bible has dark, readable type. The short introductions to each Bible book is nice, the ribbon marker is handy, and the Bible itself is about the size of a mass market paperback book, which makes it very portable.
This is a wonderful little Bible that I believe you will enjoy having and reading.