Customer Reviews

ESV Thinline Bible, Premium Bonded Leather, Black, Black Text

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like many I have become a fan of the ESV translation. While Crossway has had some binding problems this seems to be a common trend with many Bible publishers today. Glued bindings alone do not seem to hold up over time. Some glued bindings are obviously better than others but I am of the opinion that all bindings should be sewn and glued if possible for a sturdy overall product. The Crossway calfskin editions are simply wonderful! The cordovan calfskin found here on the thinline and also on the cordovan Classic Reference Edition are something to behold. This cordovan calfskin is like no other Bible cover I have seen or held. The owner will be quite pleased with the Bible. Nice 9.5 point type (unless your eyes are aging). I gave this Bible a 4 out of 5 only because like most Crossway Bibles it is also glued bound. I have to admit that the Crossway thinline editions tend to be sturdy when compared to some of their other glued Bibles. The Classic Reference calfskin editions (black and cordovan) along with the Heirloom Deluxe Reference ESV in black calfskin all have sewn bindings which is a plus. The ESV is one of the best translations currently available and the Crossway calfskin editions are some of the finest on the market. This is the way to go if you want to purchase a better quality ESV. Calfskin editions available here on Amazon are ISBN#'s 1581343507, 1581347065, 1581347057, 1581347006, 1581345984. God Bless.

When I opened the package from Amazon I was literally stunned by the outstanding quality of this Bible. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would! The Cordovan Calfskin Leather binding is truly marvelous. The color is somewhere between burgundy and brown. The genuine calfskin leather is thick yet soft and pliable. The inside of the cover is lined with genuine calfskin leather (most Bibles are lined with paper). The edges of the leather cover are actually SEWN for greater strength and longevity (most Bibles are glued). The binding is perfect in every way. I can find no flaws at all - and I am a stickler!

The print is small but extremely clear and readable. Although there are no references, there is a concise concordance and a section of full color maps, as well as a family register. The paper is thin, but high quality with no bleed-through.

The translation is the best to date. More accurate than the NIV, more consistent than the NASB, more readable than the KJV or NKJV. Certainly the most scholarly translation on the market right now. Endorsed by John Piper, R. C. Sproul, and Albert Mohler, Jr.

Even the box for this Bible is classy. Made to last a lifetime, I give this edition the highest endorsement I possibly can. Well worth the investment!

The English Standard Version is the RSV with about 7% changes in it, all in a conservative manner. It is an excellent Bible for reading and study. I find it ironic that the same folks who are clamouring for the ESV and how wonderful it is, would probably have set a torch to the RSV when it first appeared in 1952. The ESV is, of course, in the tradition of the Authorised Version, and one can still hear the echoes of the old KJB. It is my hope that the ESV---or the HCSB---will replace the NIV, and the horrendous TNIV, which has just now appeared as the completed Bible. Be aware that most Crossway leather Bibles, (excepting the Deluxe Reference Bible in Genuine Leather, which is smyth-sewn) are of extremely poor quality---glue bound, and the bindings will very easily split. The British Version(Harper Collins) appears to be of better quality.

I bought this calfskin edition directly from Crossway Books (the publishers of the ESV) however I returned it the same day. This calfskin edition is lacking in so many areas. Let me give you the pros and cons of this edition.

PROS - First, The English Standard Version (ESV) is a great translation. It is an essentially literal translation and reads much better in its flow than the NASB while maintaining a literal translation unlike the NIV. Second, this is a calfskin leather Bible that feels great, smells like leather, and is small enough to easily take into the pulpit or in your briefcase.

CONS - First is that the words bleed through nearly the entire Bible especially in the gospels where the words of Christ are in red. Second, the paper used for the pages is not top quality Bible paper as in the Cambridge editions. Third, no cross references.

I would urge you to wait before buying this Bible until Crossway is able to correct these problems. A Crossway official e-mailed me and said they were a work in progress and that they are hoping to make the ESV a popular and beautiful Bible to buy. I hope so myself. May God be glorified in His Word!

This is a beautiful Bible! This edition has no commentary, no center column references. It is simply the text of the Bible. What a concept! I admit I own many different Bible translations and study Bibles. But there are times when I just want to plumb the depths of the Word and and have it awaken my own understanding. Commentary, notes, and references can get in the way of this.

The ESV translation is wonderful. It is literal without being clunky and poetic without sacrificing formal equivalence for euphony. The graceful language encourages memorization.

And the piece de resistance is it's wonderful leather, binding and printing. This Bible melts in your hands! Simply to hold it and feel the sumptuous leather is more than worth the price of admission. The typography is clear, crisp and easy to read. The size is made for a set of hands. A perfect fit. Feels like I'm driving a beautifully responsive sports car.

Using this Bible will make your devotional reading a lovely experience.

This bible is really well done and something to behold. The binding's color is rusty brown, soft as glove leather and flawless in detail. This edition is paragraph format, double column, red letter, NO cross references, with a concordance and maps in the back. It is a thinline bible, so by definition its onion paper is very thin. The paper edges are gold. Its approximately 8.5" x 6" x 1".

The only improvment I could suggest to the publisher is to use pure white paper rather than off white to improve the contrast of the small print. But really, this is a gorgeous book fit to present the Word in its majesty, and will make reading it a joy for a lifetime. If you are looking for a general reading bible, this edition is hard to beat.

I've spent quite a bit of time with the ESV by now, and it is indeed one of the finest versions available, competing with the NASB for accuracy.

There are indeed plenty of passages where the ESV provides a superior rendition than the NASB. But there are still plenty where the NASB is still superior to the ESV. Either way, Christions should look at either of these two translations I believe.

I'll give one example of the NASB's superiority, John 7:31, ESV "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?", NASB, "When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?".

In the ESV, it appears to be an open-ended question. Will he do more signs?? The NASB brings out the truer sense of the Greek construction, that surely he WON'T perform more signs. I guess this is part of the ESV's greater readability, but for this verse I'll take the NASB's accuracy. However there certainly are passages as well where the ESV wins out, so either of these two excellent translations should be bought and read.

For those who have relied upon the Revised Standard Version and have shuddered at the results of the New Revised Standard Version, this new version should be greatly appreciated. It reads very similarly to the RSV, but smoother and without the archaic pronouns and verbs in the language addressed to God. For those who desire a more conservative translation, for example Isaiah 7:14 - the "maiden" versus the "virgin" argument, the ESV serves as a more conservative version. I find it more dignified than the NIV, retaining that quality from the RSV.
I have read virtually every English translation that has been published, and this has become my favorite - one that satisfies every quality that I desire in a Bible.

I do not at all understand the previous reviewer who gave this Bible a low mark. This is one of the finest bibles I have seen anywhere, and I have owned quite a few bibles! The cover is of the highest quality, soft, pliable leather, with stitching around the edges. The bible has a great feel to it. (If you are looking for a rigid, hard cover, this is not the choice for you.) The print is excellent and there is no bleed-through on the pages. This is a top-quality bible, well worth the price.

I was given the English Standard Version Bible for Christmas 2003 and have been reading it daily throughout this year. I admire it for achieving two important goals in Bible translation which are not often successfully accomplished. First of all, the ESV, since its English wording is derived from the RSV, retains as much of the King James wording in a modern style as is possible. Since that is the style that many of us have memorized and learned since childhood and it is a style that lends itself to memorization, that is a good thing.

Secondly, the translating committee has striven for as accurate a translation as possible. They have not opted for "dynamic equivalency", but have attempted to stay as literal as they felt English usage would allow. Now, since I am not a Hebrew or Greek scholar, I cannot attest to their success, but in some verses where I had been told that other translations did not achieve such accuracy, the ESV appears to have done so. And they did it in a way that makes it superior to the NASB, in my opinion. The NASB, in attempting its literalness, unfortunately also achieved an awkwardness of English style that the ESV has marvelously overcome. Thus this Bible is good for reading style and for accuracy of understanding. It is likely to replace my NIV as my standard usage Bible for the future.