ESV Classic Reference Bible, TruTone, Brown/Cordovan, Portfolio Design
Product Description
Family history pages to record marriages, births, and deaths- Footnotes record alternate translations, original language explanations, and other clarifying information- Free Bible resources CD-ROM ava… More >>
ESV Classic Reference Bible, TruTone, Brown/Cordovan, Portfolio Design
About the binding & cover
The cover of this Classic Reference edition has a nice leathery feel, unlike most artificial leathers. This cover is made from Trutone, an artificial leather which is soft and flexible. Trutone is a high quality artificial leather which should prove to be close in durability to bonded leather. Artificial leather book covers such as this haven’t been on the market long enough to know for sure. The European hand-stitching adds to the beauty and durability of this Bible. Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches
What’s inside?
The center-column cross-reference in this edition includes over 80,000 cross-references. This is very useful when studying God’s Word. The text size of this edition is 9.5 point type, which is very readable, and would be good for devotional reading, or study. The format of this edition is double-column paragraph format, with subject headings. The ESV Classic Reference edition is a red letter edition. The paper is thin, and has a semi-transparent quality. I do not recommend using highlighters in this Bible. If you like to highlight passages I recommend crayola color pencils they work best on thin paper. The pages are edged with gold , which matches the cover & gold tone ribbon marker very well.
In the Front
1. Presentation Page
2. Family Records: Marriages, Births, Deaths
3. Table of Contents
4. Books of the Bible in Canonical Order
5. Books of the Bible in Alphabetical Order
6. Preface
7. Explanation of Features
In the Back
1. Table of Weights and Measures
2. Concordance with over 14,500 entries
3. 8 Detailed Maps
Included with this Bible is a Free ESV Bible Resource software, You can order a free CD of the program or download the program online. The program comes with two Bible translations the English Standard Version & the King James Version. The program has lots of features, and is expandable.
About this Translation
The best site I found concerning the ESV is http://www.esv.org/. I am very impressed with the amount of information found on this site.
To the best of my knowledge there isn’t a Catholic Edition of the ESV.
My Personal Opinion
Personally I feel that the ESV Classic Reference edition is great for devotional reading & study.
This Bible is great for devotional reading because
1. The ESV is easy to read & understand.
2. With the word Concordance you can pick a topic, and read about it in your Bible. (with out using Google)
3. This Bible is large enough to be easily read, but light enough to carry with you to Bible study classes or church.
This Bible is great for study because.
1. TheCross reference system.
2. The word concordance.
3. The ESV is an essentially literal translation
Over all I am very impressed with the quality ,and style of this Bible. Maybe one day Crossway will print this edition with the Catholic or Orthodox Canon. Being a Catholic I would love to see how the ESV would translate the book of Judith or the story of Susanna in the 13th Chapter of Daniel (which one of my favorite Bible stories). The Classic Reference Edition would make a great gift for anyone who enjoys reading God’s word. The style of this cover would make a very good gift for Father’s Day.
Rating: 5 / 5
English Standard Version (ESV, a revision of RSV) is a fine translation. And my review here is not about the version, but the quality of the physical Bible itself. Overall, it is good, but not great.
1. While it is not leather, it is a fine imitation leather (TruTone). It is soft and flexible. As for its durability, imitation leathers fall in somewhere between genuine leather and hardcover. But it also depends on the user.
2. It is NOT Smyth Sewn binding (stitched). Pages are glued to the spine. This is one of the weakness of the Bible. Comparable Ultrathin Reference Bible-NASB is Smyth Sewn.
3. While the font is readable, the darkness of the font is not evenly printed. For example, the print in page 1202 (Philemon) is darker than the print in page 1203 (Hebrews). And there are more pages with this minor problem. Now, it is possible that only my copy has this anomaly, but I doubt it.
Overall it is a good Bible but the quality could be better.
Rating: 4 / 5
The ESV has established itself as a faithful translation of Holy Scripture. Originally published in the Classic Reference edition with abundant, helpful cross-references and an extensive concordance, this edition is a welcomed addition the present line-up of bindings. The print is dark and clear, the binding attractive, and the size convenient. All-in-all, a great buy.
Rating: 5 / 5
I have been reading the ESV for a little over a year. I have been impressed by all aspects of Crossway’s publication: the cover design, the solid translation, the typeface. The ESV is a great new translastion in the formal tradition much like the NASB but without the wooden feel of the language.
This particular edition is perfect! The outside cover is gorgeous, the construction is solid, the reference notes are easy to follow, and the whole thing is slim and trim. All of that pales to the fact that you are reading God’s word though. Pick up a copy of this Bible and fall in love all over again!!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
Very, very nice attractive cover here. Beautiful colouring, and smooth to the touch. Binding glue-bound, but tight. Doesn’t feel shoddy. I’m glad that Crossway is putting some of their nicely coloured covers into the larger sized Bibles. This has 9pt., print, which is on the small side, methinks. Book intros, centre-column references, nice concordance. I should complain?
Rating: 4 / 5