Customer Reviews

ESV Personal Size Reference Bible (Black)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I do like this copy of the ESV. In fact, the more I use it, the more I like it. The pages are decent quality, and the suppleness of the cover is a treat, as this bible stays open and lays well in the hand. The print could be a tad darker--more bleed through? presently it is very little-- for my tastes, but the single column paragraphed setting, with decent font and white space, allows for a pleasant reading; essentially like reading any other book. And our bibles really should be read, right?

The size is perfect, which is why it got five stars (plus the surprise mentioned below). It is a mere 3/8" taller and wider than my NKJV Pitt Minion Reference Burgundy French Morocco NK443XR. It is noticably thicker, however, due to the single column setting, coming in at around an inch and a half (the Pitt Minion is around an inch, but is double column--very readable, with nicer paper and cover... I digress). It fills the hand well, and is perfect for portability. It is a great small bible that is not little.

One note: the references--and this is genius!-- are located at the inside of the page, so the text is always easily read. This is like my ESV, Single Column Reference Bible (Black, Premium Calfskin Leather, Black Letter), and this makes the references so easy to use.

I was just looking at it closer today, and may be pleasantly surprised. I do believe I notice individual sewn signatures, and I also saw stitching inside the crease, so I believe this binding might be sewn! (Or else it is a hybrid sewn/glued, if that makes any sense.)

That, and a nicely designed cover that is liquid-like, makes this bible a keeper. A person who prefers this translation (probably the most reliable and accurate, while remaining VERY readable--it has not gone the way of the gender-neutral tide) would not regret this edition, in any of the covers. I gave my sixth grader my ESV, Personal Size Reference Bible (Genuine Leather, Black) which I bought cause it advertised the sewn binding. I tried to give her this navy/khaki, but she wanted the 'quality' version... I may have ended up the winner (well, we both win, actually--this form factor is superb).

I think the ribbon could have a sibling, however. Who uses only one ribbon?!

First up, Amazon says it's "leather" and it's not. It's IMITATION leather. But it's really nice imitation leather!

Great Bible. Size is ideal. Print quality is about 98%. Some pages are a bit thicker type or lighter, but overall, very good (I'm kinda picky, so some may not notice at all). If you want a sample of the size of the type, you can go to the publisher's website [...]and print a PDF of the very page/Bible you want. Very handy. You'll want a case of some sort, as the cover & pages can be damaged if you just toss it in a bag.

The cross references inside are excellent. They may clutter the page for some folks, but it makes it a much more powerful tool. Generally, the typography is excellently done. The single column format is EXCELLENT and highly recommended no matter which version you get; however, note that some translations do large paragraphs (like the ESV) or shorter (like the NIV) or a new paragraph for every verse (like NASB). Single column is great IMHO. Much more readable. This Bible is a keeper.

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UPDATE about 11 months later... Still love it. Of course, the content is what makes it great, but physically, it's great. I've read through the entire OT once and the NT twice since getting it and it just feels better and better in hand. I carefully broke in the spine/binding (look up how -- it's worth it). No tears or letting loose of any binding or pages. I do keep it in a firm case for transport. Lays amazingly in the hand for a synthetic cover. May sound like heresy, but I like the synth cover... it'll probably never wear out or dry out or mold (I've done all of the above to bonded leather covers in the past). The more I use it, the more I like it. Highly recommended.

The ESV is my preferred translation for general reading, quoting and study. This new edition is in the format I like best: single column paragraphed text with cross-references in the center and translators' notes at the bottom. The single column format can be harder to read if your eye has trouble following longer lines of text, but I find it more aesthetically pleasing than double column pages. This Bible is a very handy size for carrying around. Crossway has improved the quality over previous editions of the ESV that I have seen. The cover and sewn binding of the "genuine" leather edition are of good quality for the price. The opacity of the paper is better than the larger size Single Column Reference Bible so there is less "see through" text from other pages making this edition easier to read. I also prefer the paragraphed text over the single verse format because the paragraphs are easier to notice (although it may be harder to find individual verses) and it fits more text on each page so the overall size of the book can be smaller. This edition retains the short concordance of the more compact editions which is handy. The only improvements I can think of would be to make the typeface a little larger and darker and to add some map pages. I wouldn't mind the book being centimeter or so thicker and cost a few dollars more if it had these improvements, but I can get along fine (for now) without them.

I love everything about this Bible, except the cover. The genuine leather feels like cardboard. The print, the format, the translation, and everything except the cover earns five stars. Why they've chosen to follow the lead of Thomas Nelson and their poor leathers is beyond me. I would gladly have paid four times as much to get one bound well enough to last a lifetime. Mine is out being rebound in goatskin, so I should get a lifetime's use out of this Bible. It works out to still be less expensive than Crossway's premium bindings. Crossway: if you are reading this, please pay more attention to quality of workmanship. People actually send brand-new Crossway Bibles to get nice covers put on them. It is such a shame that your leather is so poor out of the box. It's the Word of God; bind it as such.

I have always been on the look out for a smaller, reference Bible, in leather and have come close a few times, but always felt I could do better. Then I saw this gem! I was leaning toward the TruTone black version, but when I saw this forest/tan version and held it in my hand and paged through it, I knew it was what I had been searching for.

I love the feel of this personal sized version of the ESV. The text is just right, any smaller and it would render it unusable for many eyes. The "book introductions" are quite tiny but they are concise. The references on the sides and the full page text are easy to read and they even have a concordance in the back.

The forest/tan cover is quite manly (even for TruTone). I just love it!

I am an ESV fan so I have no arguments here against the translation. In fact, I rank the ESV as one (if not the top) of the best English translations apart from the Greek New Testament itself. The ESV is very readible and yet it remains an essentially literal translation. My only complaint is not against the translation itself but I do wish that Crossway would publish ESV Bibles with the words not found in the original text in italics as the NASB or the NKJV does. This is helpful when studying from an English Bible.

This edition, however, has some good points and some bad. The positives of this edition of the ESV is thus:

A compact Bible (5x7) but readiable even for old eyes such as mine.

The text does not bleed through as in some early editions of the ESV.

Words of Christ are in black which I do like better than the red letters.

Short introductions to each book of the Bible.

Each book of the Bible begins on its own page. No crossing over.

80,000 cross references on the side and not in the middle.

One column which makes this Bible easy to read.

The negatives are as follows:

Poor binding. The leather quality is not the best. Perhaps Crossway will put this edition out in a premium leather.

Paper could be better such as the "Bible paper" used in Cambridge Bibles.

I personally could do without the book introductions but some people need them and enjoy having them their.

Bigger concordance would be helpful.

Overall I would say that this edition of the ESV still falls short any Bibles put out by Cambridge or Oxford. I fear that Crossway will go the easy route of Nelson or Zondervan Bibles and put out cheap made Bibles that last only about a year when read by true disciples. I have heard that Cambridge is going to publish an ESV at some point in the near future. I hope so.

Looking for a nice single paragraph format Bible; meaning it reads like a normal book without the common dual/split columns? This Bible is a great choice. It has your standard Bible quality with a pleasantly new cool mint color. As with most Bibles it would be nice if the words on the other pages didn't show through but what Bible is like that that doesn't cost 60 plus dollars and weigh a ton?

The Bible is more green than the internet image but it is very pretty. I only mention this in case someone was wanting a bluish Bible rather than the pretty green this specific Bible happens to be. I am very happy with my new Bible.

The quality you get for the price you pay for this bible is amazing. There are some pages where the ink is a little too much and some where it appears very light but all pages are easily readable and the layout of it is fantastic. The fact that the binding is the best you can find for a bible or any book for that matter ensures that it will last more than just a year or two. And of course, the cover itself of the crown of thorns is just plain brilliant.

Along with a good portable size and an excellent literal translation of the Scripture itself, I would say that this is a great choice for anyone.

This Bible is simply beautiful. I couldn't be more impressed wtih the ESV translation, which is word-for-word but reads as smoothly (albeit a little more intelligently) than the thought-for-thought NIV. Lots of translation notes help to clear up more ambiguous passages.

That said, this edition is superb. I love the cover, which is a pale mint green, almost a heather-ish green. The pages are gilded in silver, and even the ribbon is a lovely shade of very pale green. The single-column format is much easier to read, especially poetry. The cover is very soft and flexible (nicer than most bonded leather), and comes with a lifetime guarantee. Beautiful cover! Just the right amount of girliness, without being overly froo-froo. Very important.

I love the size, which is not too small or too large - just right to hold in one hand or two. The type might be a bit small for people with vision problems, but it's no problem at all for me, even in low light.

The cross-reference system is fairly straigtforward and easy to use, and the concordance at the back is useful. No maps, but who really uses them?

All in all, an excellent purchase. I would very, very highly recommend the ESV, and this edition is even prettier than the pictures make it look! A great choice.

I got this particular edition one month ago (TruTone, Forest/Tan, Trail design. Then when I checked it out in a local bookstore (Singapore), I found that this edition is actually thicker than other two editions that I saw. The other two are TruTone, Black and TruTone, Navy/Khaki/Pearl, Horizon design. The difference is I suppose about 5 mm, which I feel is quite significant (thus the 3 stars). I try to find the difference and what I can find from looking at the editions is the location of printing. This edition (Forest/Tan) is printed in China, while the other two are printed in Belgium. I do not know whether that means those bibles are bound in the countries they are printed. Or perhaps is it because the cheaper price compared to some other TruTone editions?