A Review of the Thomas Nelson NKJV Study Bible, Personal Size, Paperback.

This Bible is the same in content as the NKJV Study Bible that I reviewed here.
The differences are a smaller font, and format size. It measures approximately 8.5″ by 5.5″ by 2″ The font is 7 pt. for the main text and 6 pt. for the notes.  This is a red letter edition.  It is arranged in a double column, paragraph format, with cross references in the center column.  Notes are at the bottom, with different full color features dispersed throughout the Bible.  There are very small margins.  Note taking will not be done in the margins.  The paper is sufficiently thick.  Ghosting is minimal.  The paper is pretty white and contrasts well against the uniformly printed text.

This is a paperback instead of a hardback. I found the font to be a bit too small for my liking and it runs into the gutter of the page. Trying to open this thick of a glued Bible enough to read the text in the gutter is a tedious chore. I don’t think Thomas Nelson considered this when they chose to use a glued binding. It should have been obvious that this would have required a sewn binding or pages with extra width to provide for the pages bending around each other. If the pages are sewn into signatures and then bound together, the spine will arch. This allows for less of a gutter, as the book will open more fully.  The did use a hybrid glued binding which employs signatures glued into the spine.  It is more flexible than a typical glued or “perfect binding.”  Even with the hybrid binding process, this Bible is not as practical as it could have been in a truly sewn binding.  I guess for $20 they figure who will care…  I do, and so do thousands of other potential customers.  Perhaps the people who only crack their Bible at Church won’t mind, because it won’t wear out being used once a week, but if you are going to use it, I suggest getting NKJV from Holman or one of the ones with a synthetic fake leather cover and sewn binding.  Sure they cost more, but they will be more usable and last longer.

This Bible is ok.  It could have been much better.  The notes and aids were somewhat helpful for a general knowledge.  I would recommend the Holman NKJV Study Bible for better notes.  My personal favorite is the MacArthur Study Bible.  If you can afford the ESV in Calfskin, that is the best made one you can currently get.  My advice, don’t waste your time and money on this unless you need a mediocre, smallish, study Bible, to hand out or give away, but there are so many other better choices out there in the same price range that I would get them instead.

ISBN-13: 9780718081980