Customer Reviews

HCSB Super Giant Print Reference Bible (Burgundy Genuine Leather)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Impressive Bible in a very sturdy box. It is very large and is weighs 1.5 kg, but it handles very well because it is only an inch and a half thick. Opening this bible in the centre will find Psalms 100% of the time, which means the "reference material" at the back of the bible is extremely minimal.

Fortuitous availabilty of disposable income induced me to buy the Genuine Leather version, which was at the time only marginally more expensive than the Bonded Leather version. Since then, the Bonded Leather versions have come down in price and I am pretty certain that the Bonded Leather versions will look no less impressive. Cheaper versions of the same bible tend to see more use than costlier ones.

The Gold Stamping on the spine is lovely and well proportioned. The front cover had HOLY BIBLE stamped in Gold. This is serious stamping, and you will be able to feel the indentations made by the words HOLY BIBLE. The gold words on the cover do not look like they are going to rub off with use. A lot of bibles today omit front cover stamping, and I was happy that this one had HOLY BIBLE stamped on it, in the classical Times Roman typeface, which is a very impressive typeface. As a personal preference, I put a very high premium on a bible with a stamped front cover.

The pages of the bible are in a typeface resembling Verdana, a typeface designed for easy reading on early pixellated computer screens. Each alphabet looks longer and distinctive. It is hard to confuse a "g" with a "y". Think of the concept of lettering on highway signs, where visibility and clarity takes precedence over formal stylish print. This is not a blown up version of a normal bible: a magnifying glass would have done the trick if you just wanted a blown up version. Binding is superb.

The marginal notes have disappeared, because the empty margin is less than 1 cm wide. There is also no central marginal notes either, the two columns on the page are quite close together. There is precious empty space on the top and bottom of each page: the print has been maxed out to the edges. A lot of distracting subscripts and superscripts have disappeared. A very narrow "crawler" below each page seems superfluous, but mercifully, they have a dictionary-like function, with explicit no nonsense explanations. No note has that irritating "see another section", "refer to another verse somewhere far away in another part of the bible", "cf verse something". I prefer to stay on the same page when reading the bible, reading one consecutive page at a time. The effort of flipping around the bible through subscripts has already done for you by NAVE's TOPICAL bible.

The pages are good quality very white pages, with very little bleed through or ghosting from the reverse page. Like most bibles printed in Korea, the print is slightly lighter than those printed in the USA. The red lettering is competent. For a reason explained in the preface, some black and red letters are darker. These super-red and super-black letters correlate with the more important passages.

This bible is hard to misplace. Holman also has a KJV version in an similar format. This version reads a little "icky" for KJV users. I am of course, referring to the familiar Lord's Prayer, familiar Psalms, common passages like John 3:16, and Exodus 20 and so on. The narrative parts of the Old Testament feels less cluttered, which encourages more reading. The reaction of my family members who see the pages is "Wow, the print is too big". I do not really need the large print (My eyesight is still good enough to do some very fine detailed work), but having a bible without all those "helpful" distracting marginal notes all over the place is quite an experience. Reading a spaced out OT is a different experience from reading from a pocket sized bible. For pretty prosaic passages in the OT, I am not particular which version I am reading from, as long as I can be enticed to read the "boring" bits in the first place. With a modern translation, the OT can read with less referring to footnotes, but we will miss the grandeur of expressions like KJV's "Stay now thine hand".

The maps at the back are really nice. However, they should go with the flow of the theme of the bible, which is large print. The place names in small print on the maps should all be omitted or enlarged. These maps were just lifted off another Holman bible, although slightly magnified by the larger pages of this Super Giant Print Reference bible. Why this bible needs very small print, to cross reference, it is incomprehensible to me. A concordance with one or two references in large print is virtually useless.

I think Publishers of these niche bibles should recognise that buyers would already have more than one bible. This bible's sole purpose is to provide Super Large Print. If people wanted a study bible, a concordance, an atlas, bible dictionary, devotional sections or a commentary, they would get dedicated books, which can be very exhaustive. Mercifully, the little letters directing the reader to the little skeletal "crawler" notes below each page disappear by optical illusion when compared to the huge letters.

There is a ribbon, gold edges, and no thumb index. I find a thumb index fairly superfluous nowadays, when pastors have the good sense to put up the referred verse with new Audio Visual aids, like a 100 plus inch flat screen TV or at least projectors. Thumb indexes are a source of weakness after the bible has been kept for a long time. Tabs flake off. What is the hurry when reading God's word, and for speeding readers, "Where is the fire" (need a clue?). This bible correctly comes without a thumb index: without copious "notes" at the end of the biblical text-block, we can gauge where each chapter is going to be, like Revelation is right at the end, and not somewhere in the middle.

This minimal-frills bible is about 11 inch tall. Now, what we need are no-frills versions that are over 13 inches tall. The original 1611 KJV is 17 inches tall and weighs 32 pounds. It's gothic manuscript print is hard to read. 17 inches has been done before, I am just saying. Otherwise, this bible is about as good a large print version available at present.

I did much homework before I settled on the HCSB translation. It has not been politically cleansed via gender neutral wording. It translates pronouns as they were originally rendered. It has wording that other translations may have deleted in brackets if those words were not in the manuscripts used in this translation. I like the option of reading them, because in many cases, that's the way we learned them. I was delighted with the print size. The capital letters measure 3/16" actual size. Many "giant print" sizes are not nearly this big. I bought the genuine leather with thumb index. Really very nice quality. This is a big Bible (8" x 11 1/2"), but not really thick (1 1/2"), which I like. It has a concordance, and what they call HCSB Bullet notes (an explanation of freq used terms), and more in the back. I am very happy with this Bible. I can read it without my glasses, so WITH them I should be able to read very comfortably. I am looking forward to starting to read in earnest without discomfort and reader fatigue!

I was looking for a good translation with large print for our grandparents. I accidently bought a HCSB translation because it was on sale and I found it to be very readable. They had a good selection of large/giant/ and SuperGiant print. I believe the font on the SuperGiant is about 18! Some bibles claim large print and are actually 9 pt., some Giant prints are 12. It is worth finding out the actual font at a local store to see the actual size and also how the print is. Then you can buy online with confidence (write down the isbn numbers to make sure it is the exact same bible as what you saw in the local store). If there is good contrast on the paper, the letters are not crammed together, and the print is dark (especially "red letters" as when these are light, it is very hard to see if your eyes are not so good). A note of interest for notetakers. Usually when you have "giant" or bigger print,the pages are somewhat thinner so you usually can see through the pages more and my guess you will need like a .005 fine marker to have a chance of not showing through.
Over all good translation, very readable, good price.

This is a nice Bible, and the Super Giant Print version is very easy on my eyes, since I do wear biofocals. The Bible has a nice concordance, and a lot of relevant information to use when you're studying the Bible. I gave it 4 stars, because I wish that it were a KJV or a NKJV, but it is the CSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible). I have a Holman Super Giant Print in the KJV that is kind of old and worn, and I needed another one. I kind of expected this Bible to be the same version that I already have. But it's still a nice Bible for those who like the NLT (New Living Translation), for the CSB seems to be closer to the NLT. I just happen to be a big fan of the KJV. I like the NKJV, for it seems to be a lot closer to the KJV.

This is a very clear and readable Bible. I find that it is a great tool to decipher more archaic translations. Perfection would be reached if the numbering was all in line like the KJV but beyond that, it is great.

I am not going to go into detail as the other reviews are right on the money. There is something about this bible that is peaceful. I know that sounds funny but I have lots of Bibles and this one is different. Maybe it is the high quality, but I think the layout and the cover have a lot to do with it. Everything is just right. I can't praise it enough.

If you have the money buy the leather one. I got the black, real leather, indexed. Even the indexing is different than the other bibles, it is much better quality and the way it is cut it is not so obvious.

Praise the Lord, for he is Good.

I really liked this Bible, but gave it away as a present to the pastor of my church. He really loved it. My only problem is that I wish I could find a cover that it fits in properly. If anyone knows of one let me know.

This purchase was great. Just what I wanted. Excellent condition. Fast service and delivery. Thanks so much.