The Trinitarian Bible Society’s, “Windsor Text Bible” in Black Calfskin, is the New Quintessential Compact Text Bible for King James Fans.

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

I have done some reviews on TBS Bibles in the past. They have all been very well built, and beautifully printed workhorses. I wouldn’t call them luxury Bibles like R.L. Allans, or Schuylers. Nor do they carry the extravagant expense of those Bibles. Some people feel convicted to not spend that amount of money on a Bible. They would rather put the money to better use. Of course these devout and practical people wouldn’t waste money on a shoddily manufactured product of suspect quality and durability either. Now, why throw away money on something that will fall apart? Why print the word of God on the cheapest materials, in the lowest of fashion? So, being the devout and practical people they are, they opt for a TBS Bible.

I was curious about the history of this edition. The quality, legibility, portability, and price inspired me to ask questions. So I e-mailed my contact with TBS with my questions about this edition. She forwarded them to another person who had the answers. This is a direct quote from her reply, “The Windsor was first published in September 2007. It was designed to be a replacement for the Emerald Bible: the print image of the Emerald was becoming rather problematic – a common problem with reprinting older Bibles. But rather than simply reproducing the Emerald, we wanted to have a clear, sharp, more modern font, one that would last through years to come. The Windsor is now often used by churches as a pew Bible (as was the Emerald).” I was very pleased to receive this information to include in my review.

As some of you who collect Bibles know, there are several Bibles that are printed from an old typeset. The old typesets were done before modern digital printing, back when typesetting was done manually. The methods used didn’t produce the quality we are able to get today with digital font and modern precision printing. Here is an example of both.

From steadfast practicality TBS produced a modern typeset of the 1611 AV KJV, printed it on high quality paper, bound it in a fine sewn binding, covered it in durable calfskin, and priced it for the common man.

The size and construction of this edition makes it tactilely comfortable to hold. I found that I wanted to carry this Bible around with me. I wasn’t afraid of scratching, tearing, dropping, spindling, or mutilating it. It begs to tag along with you, and it can handle it without being babied.

The Windsor arrived gratis for the purpose of review. It was very well packaged, and protected for shipping. It was in a cardboard box with packing peanuts, and cushioning.

I appreciate this attention to detail, in the packaging of the Bible, to ensure that it arrives undamaged. Many publishers, even higher end ones, don’t give this kind of protection to God’s word. The Bible comes in a slipcase as retail packaging. Retain it for storing your Bible, if you order one of these.

The calfskin is a bit shiny, and hard. It is more so, than the Cambridge calfsplit leather, but not near as hard, or shiny as a pigskin leather cover.

The spine is hot stamped in gold with, “Holy Bible” at the top and the TBS logo at the bottom.

There are decorative head and tail bands and gold gilt page edges.

Upon opening the Bible, you’ll notice that the inner cover is lined with a black vinyl material. The corners are done quite well.

The text block binding is smyth sewn and is case bound. There is a presentation page, and a publication page which shows that this Bible was printed and bound by Jongbloed in the Netherlands. Jongbloed is one of, if not the best print houses in the world when it comes to Bibles. You also have, Translators to the Reader, and The Epistle Dedicatory.

This TBS Bible should be the archetype for all compact text Bibles. It is easy to read. The font is 9.6 pt. in size. There are not any cross references to take up space. The font is printed clearly, and in sharp contrast, on opaque Bible paper. Ample line spacing adds to the legibility as well. This is a black text edition. The text is in a double column, verse format. There is little room in the margins for notes. However, there is some room at the bottom of each page for limited note taking. Chapter numbers are printed larger, and bold. Page numbers are on the bottom corners. There are two black, ribbon markers for keeping your places in the Old and New Testament during your daily reading. In my opinion a minimum of two ribbons is a necessity for all Bibles. At the end there is a, List of pronunciation of words and proper names, Bible word list and a Daily Bible reading plan. With all the quality, features, and price of this Bible you can’t go wrong. The Windsor Text Bible from TBS will set the standard for years to come.

25U/BK

ISBN 9781862283367

Bible Reviews

A Tome of Tomes, The Lockman NASB New Illustrated Bible of Jerusalem.

February 20, 2015February 26, 2015 Bob Snyder2 Comments

tome of tomes, get it? Well, I thought it was funny.

The Bible has been called the, “Book of books.” This Bible gives you the impression that it is a, “Tome of Tomes.” It is large and substantial. The size of this thing is not in vain. The paper is terrific, the print is great, and the binding is sewn. Not to mention all of the 436 interesting photographs. (Yes, they are from real photographs, not pictures snapped by a teenager with their phone, while on vacation.) The photographs are from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. They give you the feel that you are looking at an Israel before modern tourism. Of course there was tourism in Israel back then. These are just lacking modern accoutrements. The pictures help you to connect the places that you are reading about, to their actual locations. The photographs enrich the readers experience. I don’t know of any other Bible out there like this one. It isn’t really a family Bible. It isn’t one that I would take to Church, or carry around, due to the size, but it definitely scratches an itch for those of us who want to see the sites. It fills a niche that leaves it with little competition. There are archeological Bibles with pictures, but there is a distinct difference in their purpose, design, and layout.

It is also appealing because of the cover. I realize it is not genuine, tooled leather. It is a synthetic cover, but it does a good job of masquerading as an ancient tome that you discovered in an old library, far from home. That makes it kind of fun to have and put on display. I put it on the coffee table for a while and now it is on the mantle. Here is what the description on Lockman Foundation’s page says about it,

From Sacralion Publishing House, Includes 436 pictures of Holy Places taken between the middle 19th – early 20th centuries. These images are spread throughout the whole biblical text and correspond exactly to the specific verses in the Holy Bible.

Features include, Concordance, Maps, Full Column Cross References and notes, Verse Format, Black Letter, Two Column Text, Photograph Index, Two Marker Ribbons, Old Testament Genealogy Tables, and Illustrations.

Lockman Foundation credits Sacralion Publishing House with the NASB New Illustrated Bible of Jerusalem. If you are interested in them you can check out their pages here and here.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the NASB translation of the Bible, I can assure you it is one of, if not the most accurate translations out there. Lockman Foundation is dedicated to being loyal to God in their translation work. You won’t find any gender inclusive agenda with them. Some people say it is a bit more difficult to read, but I have never experienced that. I have found it an accurate translation that conveys the majesty of God’s word in a modern English translation.

So without further eloquence I will now show you the pictures.

The Bible arrived packaged in two boxes. One was inside the other cushioned with paper. I imagine this was due to the size and weight of this Bible. It arrived undamaged and in good condition.

It was shrink wrapped and labeled.

The spine is hot stamped with, “Holy Bible” at the top, “The New Illustrated Bible of Jerusalem” next, and then, “Updated New American Standard” and finally at the bottom, “Sacralion Publishing House.” The front cover is stamped with, “Holy Bible.” As well as being gilded it is ornately decorated like the cover.

As I mentioned earlier the synthetic cover is stamped to look like tooled leather. It does add to the aesthetic value of the Bible as well as the tactile experience. Of course this leads one to wonder what this Bible would look like with a tooled leather cover.

The first few pages are an, “Introduction to the New Illustrated Bible of Jerusalem.”

Then we have, “A note to readers.”

The, “List of Photographic Illustrations” in the front of the Bible is very helpful in being able to match a photograph to scripture and its real location, as well as the page number it is on.

The Bible is wonderfully formatted. It is a joy to read. The double column, verse format has a center column reference. The center column is black text on a grey background. The font is printed sharply and well inked against the cream colored paper. The paper is very opaque. There is virtually no ghosting making this one of the least distracting Bibles to read.

There are two ribbon markers that are quite different from what I am accustomed to. They aren’t flat. They are round. The ends are frayed, and it looks like they are supposed to be this way. I have a Greek New Testament that has the same style ribbon marker. It was bound in Germany. Since both came new out of the packaging like this and I have seen others like this, I assumed this is the style. One is a white and the other is blue.

The photographs are black and white. They are placed with relevant scriptures to help the reader connect to what they are reading. Here is an example of some of the photographs you’ll see in this Bible.

The binding on this large Bible is sewn. That is in my opinion a must for a large book of any kind. It enables a book of this size to fully open. At the end of the Bible is a Concordance, The Old Testament Genealogical Tables, and 11 maps. I think that this is a compelling enough edition that every home library should have one of these.

If you want to order one of these you can find them here Lockman.org and here Amazon.com and here Christianbook.com

ISBN: 0984234306
ISBN-13: 9780984234301

A Review of Todd Friel’s Book, “Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You”

January 15, 2015 Bob Snyder1 Comment

The title of this book is pretty indicative of the subject matter. The author succeeds at explaining who Jesus was and is. He teaches that Christ is the focus of the Bible in its entirety. He demonstrates how Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies, shadows and types. All of this is done with simple terms when possible. When it is not possible Mr. Friel explains the nomenclature for the laymen.

I have to make a small disclaimer here. I am a big fan of, “Wretched Radio.” It is a radio show and podcast. Todd Friel is the host/on-air personality. I have learned a lot, a lot, a lot, from the show over the years. My review will be from the perspective of a Reformed Baptist and a fan of the show. So don’t expect much in the way of negativity. I honestly agree with all of what is said in the book. I find it to be Biblically sound and interesting to read. It is a, “must read” for everybody. If you’ve just been born again or if you’ve been 50 years into the sanctification process this book will edify you.

In the first chapter the author deals with world views, specifically post-modernism. This was a great place to start as a philosophy class on epistemology would not be beneficial for the target audience. This is a short chapter that sets the tone for the rest of the book. You get a look at the serious subject matter and a look at some of Todd’s humor that makes him such an interesting fellow to listen to. It is obvious that he has a level of mastery of the subject matter without coming off as an aloof overlord.

The following chapters flesh out some basics of Christian theology in simple terms. Then he gets down to the bulk of the work, which is highlighting Christ from the beginning of the Bible to the end. Vary rarely in Christian books of around 200 pages do we get such a complete and profound picture of Jesus. Most of the books I’ve reviewed in the recent past have been theological fluff, Christian cotton candy, hardly worth reading at all. You know how you feel after eating junk for a month? Yep! That’s how most “Christian books” leave me feeling after reading them. They were time killers with not nutritional value. I probably would have got more out of them if I’d eaten them. Well, that is not so of this work. I would rank it up there with, “The Holiness of God” by R. C. Sproul, or maybe, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan.

The main way that the author highlights Christ throughout the entire Bible is by expounding on the prophecies, shadows, and types, that Jesus fulfills. This can be a bit tricky. I’ve seen some pretty bad attempts that only make the Bible look disjunct. When done correctly, as in this case, the Bible comes alive. The harmony of scripture sings to the heart and mind of the believer who sees the richness and majesty of the true faith established once and for all by God. Being able to see the ark Noah built and understand that it is a look forward to Jesus. Seeing the rock that sprang forth lifesaving water in the desert for the Israelites, and how Jesus is the better fount. Seeing the Sabbath, from our perspective, looking back to recognize rest in Christ’s work. These and many more examples fill the pages of this book. The gospel is fleshed out fully and explicitly. You won’t find a list of, “do’s” to check off, and you won’t find some silly, formulaic, “pray this prayer.” You will understand who Jesus is, what you are, what He has done, and how you should respond. If you have loved ones who aren’t saved, get them this book. If you have friends or family who are young in their faith, get them this book. If you have become a crusty old codger, get yourself this book. It will blow the carbon out of the old exhaust and get you fired up again.

You can buy this book from the wretched store.

You can pick up a copy at Christianbook.com

You can purchase it from the publisher Newleaf

or you can get it on Amazon in different formats including audio.

Bible Reviews

An outstanding reference Bible and a great value! Review of the Trinitarian Bible Society, Westminster Reference Bible, Authorized KJV, 90U/BK in Black Premium Calfskin Leather.

November 3, 2014March 4, 2017 Bob Snyder24 Comments

Just a little disclaimer first, I am not a KJV only guy. I love the KJV and I do read the KJV, but I also use the NASB as my primary translation. In addition I use the ESV, NKJV, HCSB, and Geneva. This should be good news to people looking for an honest, unbiased, review. The bad news is that I received this Bible gratis from TBS. Some of you might believe that will make me biased, but if you look at my blog you can see that there are a few publishers represented by reviews of their products, all of which were gratis. I am under no obligation to give a positive review to any of the books or Bibles I review.

That being said, this is an AMAZING reference Bible! I was very surprised to see the quality of this Bible considering the price they ask for it. You can purchase one from TBS directly for $80.00 and they use the proceeds to provide Bibles and resources to Christians around the world. Or you can buy it from evangelicalbible.com for a little less.

TBS took great care in packaging this Bible for shipping. When it arrived at my house it was in a clamshell type cardboard box filled with packing peanuts. The Bible was placed on top of a foam pad inside the box.

Its retail packaging is a blue clamshell box with product information on it. Save the box for storage.

I was so glad to see they took good care to ensure the Bible arrived undamaged. I have received numerous Bibles that have had bent corners, wrinkled covers, and scratches on them due to insufficient packaging.

When I opened the box I could smell the calfskin leather. It was soft to touch and has a fairly smooth texture. It isn’t heavily textured. The cover is lined with typical vinyl looking material that is glued down. It is a case bound book.

The first and last pages are glued up higher to ensure the text block is securely fitted to the cover.

The printing and binding were done by Jongbloed in the Netherlands. They are well known for producing luxury Bibles like R.L. Allan, Schuyler, and Cambridge.

The spine has, “Holy Bible” at the head, “Westminster Reference Bible” in the middle, and the TBS logo at the foot. These are written in gold lettering. The page edges are gold gilt as well.

The binding is smyth-sewn and very flexible. Fresh out of the box the Bible lies flat on the table from the first book to the last.

When you hold it by the spine it drapes over your hand. The cover has some rigidity due to the lining. This is only a con if you are looking for a cover that edge lined. I have had both types of covers on Bibles. For a time I thought it was the mark of a good quality Bible to have a lining as flexible as the cover material, but I have come to appreciate some rigidity in the cover. It helps to hold onto the Bible, if there is something to hold onto. Some of the Bibles without it are more difficult to read because they are too flexible. They tend to flop around. This one has a great quality cover and it adds to the utility of the Bible. The fit and finish of the text block to cover is very clean and well done. It is obvious that they are doing this work with honoring God in mind.

The Bible comes with four ribbon markers. There are two red ones in the Old Testament and two black ones in the New Testament. Both sets of ribbons are good quality and about a quarter inch wide. I really appreciate this feature. Often times Bibles only have one ribbon marker if you are lucky. Sometimes you can get them with two, but four is almost unheard of. I end up gluing more in on my own. I love having four. I can use one from the Old Testament for my daily reading plan and the other for following along with the sermon. I do the same with the two in the New Testament.

The first pages are made out of a heavier paper and TBS instead of just leaving them blank has tastefully printed some scripture quotes on each one of them. Instead of being out of place, they were quite a propos and well done. After that we have a presentation page on the same paper, and then the paper changes over to Bible paper for the, Translators to the Reader, Epistle dedicatory, and the, Guide to Using the Westminster Bible, pages.

At the beginning of the books there are verses that are helpful for the reading of each book and the Chapter numbers are larger and bold. The text is in a double column verse format with over 200,000 references printed on the gutter and page edge sides of the page. I love these cross references, the TBS Westminster lives up to the claim of being a reference Bible. They aren’t there to be pretty. They actually are relevant to what you are reading. One of my favorite features, is the archaic words are in the margin with an * by them in the text and in the margin. In the margin you get the modern word or short definition. This makes reading the KJV much simpler.

In the top outside of the page you get the Book and Chapter, the inside has the heading, while the bottom outside has the page numbers. The font is clear and sharp 9.6 point, with consistent ink distribution making it quite legible and easy on the eyes. The paper is opaque and a bit thicker than some of the very thin paper used in lesser Bibles. It is a bit off white, but not so much as to diminish the contrast against the text.

At the back of the Bible there is a, Tables of Weights and Measures, List of Words and Proper Names with their Pronunciations, Daily Reading Plan, Maps and an extensive concordance. I was impressed with the size of the concordance. Most Bibles have one, but generally they are little more than a few pages. This one is actually large enough to be useful.

After spending some time using this Bible and reading from it, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a King James Version Reference Bible. I have some Local Bible Publishers Bibles and the TBS is superior in the printing and binding. Compared to the ones made in China and Korea the TBS wins hands down.