31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Size, Shape, and Readability (Better than Most Study Bibles), April 20, 2007
This is a review of the physical characteristics of this product. While I'm reflecting their value in my choice of five stars, I won't go in to detail concerning the study notes and tools, as better reviews can be found elsewhere (for example, see reviews for the non-personal-size
Zondervan TNIV Study Bible). And while I'm a big fan of the TNIV translation, it had nothing to do with my five star rating, as I simply wanted that to reflect the quality of this book itself.
I was a bit confused when I read that the book came with a jacket. Was the design shown on the Amazon page how the jacket would look with the book beneath featuring a plainer look? I now know that the Bible looks exactly as the Amazon product picture looks, while the removable dust jacket is the same but with promotional information printed all over it. Overall, this is a very attractive hard cover design.
I love the size and shape of this "Personal Size" edition of the TNIV Study Bible. It fits well in your hand for reading and carrying. It also seems to be only slightly shorter, while significantly narrower than other study bibles, which aside from being more attractive, also makes it easier to read in bed!
It's smaller than all of the other study Bibles my wife and I currently own, but I still find it to be just as (if not more) readable. In fact, the new serif font used is more readable at its smaller size than the larger sized serif text used in my
Ryrie NASB Study Bible. The text is also less visible from the other sides of the pages (less "bleed through") than other bibles I own with similarly thin pages, adding greatly to it's already good readability.
Had I known that the Pesonal Size of the TNIV Study Bible would be so small (for a study bible) and yet so readable too, I would have bought it much sooner. I highly recommend it.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great translation and study bible, December 4, 2007
I have recently read up on the "TNIV debate" and have decided that the TNIV is a perfecty good translation that has been sadly maligned. It is even better than the NIV in terms of readability. This study bible is essentially the NIV study bible adapted for the TNIV. It has excellent notes, maps and references. The layout is attractive although the print is a bit small. The paper is somewhat thin but the hardcover binding seems pretty solid. I recommend both the translation and the study notes.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Translation, Poor Presentation, February 15, 2010
As far as the translation goes, I really like the TNIV. It is an updated version of the NIV. But Zondervan's personal edition's print is too small. For print this small, they could have chosen a better font. Part of my problem might be that the pages are so thin, that you can see the flip side through the paper. Either way, it's hard to read. And I prefer the study notes found in the Nelson Study Bible. If you compare the two, the Nelson just gives you more and better information, especially on hard or controversial passages. It's not that the Zondervan's notes are *bad*, it's just that the Nelson's are better. If the Nelson came in NIV or TNIV, it would be perfect! But it doesn't, so I find myself doing this: I read the TNIV on my Blackberry and use the Nelson's notes for reference, while this Bible sits on the shelf collecting dust. If you are going to buy this Bible anyway, do yourself a favor and buy the larger version. If I could break down my rating, I'd do it this way: Translation: 5 out of 5 stars. Study Notes: 3 out of 5 stars. Print/pages: 1 out of 5 stars.
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