Customer Reviews

The Old Scofieldï¿1/2 Study Bible, KJV, Pocket Edition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I give this two stars for the price, and the content is great.

The binding is irregular. The top spine is about 1/4" high. The bottom spine is about 1/8" high. The lower spine covered the gilded line, which makes it look like it was manufactured by a blind person, not to put down the visually impaired. It was poorly made. Where and how was this Bible put together?

All the features of the larger editions, I've compared them with it. Same number of pages, same notes on each page. It's nice because it doesn't have much commentary on simple passages. While I don't agree with all the views that Scofield held, it's my favorite Bible. If you read the other reviews, yes, the Bible has a unique smell. Don't worry, it's just the binding material. I might not have even noticed it if I hadn't read the review. The Bible stays open pretty well in your hand or on a desk even in Revelation (mostly because of all the added "study" helps in the back. One feature I don't like is instead of using the "P" for indicating a new paragraph, there is now an italisized heading to start the paragraph, which I found to be a little distracting. But as I said, this is one of my two favorite Bibles, and I'll be purchasing more for backups when this one is retired (once the price drops a bit, I got mine for $14).

Some reviewers have complained that this particular Bible smells bad. I wouldn't go as far as saying it smells like manure, but it's certainly a strong, perhaps leathery smell. Unless you read with your Bible right under your nose it should be fine. After a couple of months of use the smell became a little softer, but it's still noticeable when reading it closely.

I found that rubbing a finger along the edges of the closed book caused some gilding to rub off like dust, however, it appears to only be excess. Repeating this several times rubbed off the extra gilding without causing it to dull. The gilding quality is quite good, and twelve months on is still in good shape.

The individual pages, while thin, are heavy enough to not flap around while reading, even while under a fan. I have not tried writing on them yet.

The leather binding is very stiff and seems to prevent the book from opening flat on a table. It is so stiff, in fact, that bending it too much in any direction gives me the impression that it could snap or permanently crease, almost as if it were a hard cover. This might appeal to some, but I prefer much more flexible leather, more akin to paperback books. I had thought that with use it would improve, but twelve months later nothing seems to have changed. The leather is also quite shiny and oily.

The font size is very small, but it stands out well on the page. My young eyes have no trouble reading it, but I believe older readers might want a Bible with a bigger font. I am very pleased to find that this Bible has chapter headings, which seems quite rare to find in King James Version Bibles. They are simply italicized and unobtrusive. The words of Jesus, both before and after His Resurrection, are in red and each book of the Bible has a short introduction.

I have heard concerns about the Old Scofield Study Bible and Dispensationalism, but as I am relatively unfamiliar with it, I cannot comment.

Overall I am pleased with this Bible, though the annoying scent and stiff leather binding is unfortunate. Overall, this Bible is good value for money.

This review is for The Old Scofield Study Bible, Pocket Edition, Black Genuine Leather, ISBN 0195271319. Sometimes Amazon will put a review about a bonded leather Bible or a hardcover edition of the same title on the page of a Genuine Leather Bible, which may weigh unfairly on a more expensive and better made leather binding.

This Genuine Leather edition is a well made pocket Bible. The paper is a nice white and the printing, although quite small, is sharp and clear. If you have trouble with small print, you will be happier with one of the regular sized editions of this Bible.

This pocket edition contains all the study helps of the larger editions with the exception of the maps. There is a parchment family record section, a large concordance, subject index, and index of proper names. It includes all the 1917 Scofield notes and study helps.

The binding on the copy I received was well made. The Black Genuine Leather is both strong and flexible. The gold piping around the inside edges is a nice touch. It comes with a gold silk marker and gold page edges. The Bible has a nice leather smell (I love the smell of Bible leather!).

The size of this edition is great for portability. It's a fraction of the size of the Readers Edition. I would recommend that a serious student have a larger copy for study and use this edition to take anywhere. It's perfect for hospital visitation or just keeping in your vehicle as you travel. The price is nice, too. A person could easily spend twice as much on a cheap bonded leather Bible instead of getting a Genuine Leather Bible that will last much longer.

This bible is well made, good binding etc. I wish the printing was in bolder print. I bought this to replace an older Oxford press bible, which has bold, black printing. The print in both bibles is small, the new being smaller than the old. I wish they had kept the older print style, much eaisier to read.