A Workhorse of Lockman Foundation is the NASB Large Print Ultrathin Bible in Black Genuine Leather.

March 21, 2015 Bob Snyder5 Comments

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Lockman Foundation, they are responsible for the New American Standard Bible translation. (NASB) They keep the copyright so it doesn’t get changed. They are not in it for the money. They are a non-profit corporation. The money goes back into making Bibles.

The NASB is my favorite translation because of the accuracy. When you look up Greek words and compare them to how the NASB has rendered them in English, I think you will find that it is the most reliable translation out there. I encourage you to read up on the history of the Lockman Foundation. I am encouraged when I see how God used Dewey and Minna Lockman to spread His word.

This typeset is one of the most popular typesets Lockman Has produced. It is a favorite among the NASB fans. There are plenty of good reasons for this. First it is a pretty good sized font coming in at 10 pt. Second, it is arranged in a double column, verse format, with center column references. Third, it is a modern typeset. It is clear and sharply printed. These are the top reasons why it is so popular.

The text block is smyth-sewn. This means that instead of what is called a, “perfect binding” which is, stacking the papers together, cutting the ends, and then gluing them together at the spine. They stack up pamphlets called signatures. These are stacked up and sewn to signature tapes. Then, they are sewn to each other as well. The spine is sometimes glued to reinforce it. A smyth-sewn binding holds together much longer because the pages are sewn together, and sewn to cords or tapes in the spine. Glued bindings often lose pages from the front and back of the book, as the glue loses its flexibility, and hardens. A sewn binding opens better, and it stays open, once it is opened.

This Bible was shipped to me gratis for review. It arrived packaged in a cardboard box with paper packing. It was not damaged during shipping. It comes in a two piece retail box that should be retained for storage. This Bible looks like it will be heavy, but it isn’t. It is pleasant to hold and read. It isn’t too heavy or big, even though you get a nice size font. The cover is genuine leather, not to be confused with more expensive cowhide/calfskin, or less expensive bonded leather. Genuine leather is a good durable choice in Bible covers. This Bible is case bound. The corners are cut and glued well. The vinyl liner matches the cover in color. The front of the Bible has a presentation page as well as family records pages. These are printed on a glossy paper. Sometimes ink will smudge so make sure if you write in pen on these that you allow the ink to dry before you close it. Maybe pat them with a tissue as well. Then, there is a section about the translation. It is pretty informative. You should read it at least once if you never have. The text of this Bible is as I mentioned before, a double column, verse format, with center column references. The NASB has over 95,000 cross references. This makes it an extremely useful reference Bible. This is a black text edition. That means all of the words are printed in black text. Some Bibles are red letter editions. Those have the words of Jesus printed in red. Well, since the entire word of God is God’s word, we should have it all printed in red, or we could just print it all in black. The paper is decent quality. For the price of this Bible you really do get a lot. There is a pretty good sized concordance at the end. In the back are eight, colored maps printed on the same glossy paper as the presentation and family records pages. I would recommend this Bible for anyone looking for a good reference Bible that will get used. It will provide you with a good translation and a utilitarian functionality. Since it isn’t a premium Bible, and it is pretty tough, you don’t have to be afraid of hurting it. You can purchase them here.

ISBN-13: 9781581351316

Bible Reviews

A Review of the NASB Giant Print Reference Bible, in Genuine Leather, Burgundy.

November 27, 2014December 1, 2014 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Hello, 14 point font! This is definitely what the Doctor ordered if your eyes aren’t what they used to be.

The giant print NASB was delivered to my house, as usual from Lockman Foundation’s sales branch, www.americanbiblesales.com it was packed in a cardboard box with paper as packaging material. It was sufficiently safe from harm.

Inside the box was a two piece retail box. I would suggest holding onto it for storage. Once opened, I was presented with a layer of plastic wrapping that had to be defeated before I could get this beauty out to examine it.

Once the plastic was discarded, I was pleasantly greeted by the familiar smell of a nice leather cover. There are numerous Bibles out there that say they have a genuine leather cover, but they look like and feel like bonded leather. They have a fake grain pressed into them and their covers look shiny. Not this big boy, the cover on this has nice texture and tactile feel to it. Honestly, for the small price of this Bible I’d expect a cheaper feeling cover. I thought the burgundy color was just right as well, not brazen, but still different than the venerable black.

The spine of the Bible has the words, “Holy Bible” at the top. Immediately below is, “New American Standard Bible Updated Edition.” At the bottom is, “Foundation Publications” and the NASB logo. Above them are the words, “Giant Print.” There are decorative lines separating the words.

The cover has a lined pressed into it around its perimeter for decorative purposes. It adds a nice touch to finish it off.

The inside cover is lined with a vinyl liner that is color matched to the cover. It is glued down over the corners and edges of the cover.

The text block is firmly attached to the cover. I noticed no problems with fit and finish. It looked pretty good for a Bible printed and bound in China.

The binding for that matter is a sewn binding. It is a tad bit tighter than some of the other ones that Lockman Foundation puts out. This is neither a draw back or a benefit as far as function goes. The Giant Print edition opens flat and is pleasant to use.

The sewn binding will help ensure years of use. The Giant Print Bible maintains typical 6 ½” x 9 ¼” for the width and height, but is a tad bit thicker at 1 ¾” It is a little heavier than your typical reference Bible, but not by much. Even with the slight size difference it is still pretty easy to hold and read.

The page edges are gold gilded.

The paper is a decent quality standard Bible paper 28 gsm. It doesn’t have a problem with text ghosting. I think Lockman must have realized that if you are buying a Bible with humongous font it isn’t because you have good eyesight. The Bible paper, 14 point font, and uniformly printed text, all aid in making this a very legible Bible without making it too cumbersome.

Also you should note that this is a red letter edition.

The text is in a double column verse format with references at the end of each paragraph. There are limited references, for a reference Bible. This one has about 13,000 references. I doubt that anyone considering a 14 point font giant print edition is worried about having a ton of references though.

There is a ribbon marker that matches the color of the cover. It is of average quality as far as ribbon markers go.

In the end there is a 146 page Dictionary/Thesaurus/Concordance. It should come in handy. There is enough there to be useful, but not so much as to unnecessarily add to the bulk.

After that we have a section devoted to book introductions. Each book in the Bible has a nice introduction to aid the reader in their studies.

Also, a section on God’s promises is provided after the book introductions.

“Where to find help when” and “Verses for reflection” appear at the very end before the color maps.

I think the biggest cons here would be the size of the Bible. For the very frail and elderly this would have to rest on a table for them to read it. However, most elderly people won’t have any trouble holding this Bible to read. The con is a very slight one. We all have to obey physics here. If you want giant text you have to sacrifice something. I don’t think I’ve seen a better job on a giant print edition to date.

The pros here are of course the 14 point font and the wonderful cover at a very reasonable price. Could hardly believe I was holding a $50 Bible. It could have been twice that. A noteworthy thing is that the presentation and records pages in the front seem to be a flat paper as opposed to the glossy paper they have been made out of. I hope that Lockman carries this over to the maps as well. This flat paper doesn’t crack or tear as easy as the glossy paper they have been made of in the past.

If you are in the market for one of these Giant Print Bibles they can be had for around $50. If you are lucky you might find them on sale for less. Here are a couple of links to make it easier.

http://www.americanbiblesales.com/search/isbnlist1.php?ISBN=1581351100&hilite=yes

http://www.amazon.com/Giant-Print-Reference-Burgundy-Genuine-Leather/dp/1581351097/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417034883&sr=1-1&keywords=9781581351095&pebp=1417034894361

http://www.christianbook.com/nas-giant-print-reference-leather-burgundy/9781581351095/pd/51097?product_redirect=1&Ntt=%209781581351095%20&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCG

ISBN: 1581351097

Bible Reviews

Review of the Lockman Foundation, Large Print, Ultrathin, Reference Bible, in Black Calfskin Leather.

October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

I’m kind of biased because I love the NASB translation and Lockman Foundation… but, I know there is always a, “but” after the review starts the way this one did. The, “but” in this case is the hit and miss nature of some of the Chinese manufacture processes. This would have been a great Bible if fit and finish quality of the work were better. This is $100.00 Bible and should reflect that in the finished quality. Their was a section in the back where the overly thick card paper edge was glued improperly so that the white paper edge was visible and exposed.

also on the front of the Bible the card paper was splitting on the bottom corner. I don’t know if it was not glued well, bent during shipping from China, or the card paper that was used was just to thick and rigid for this application.

The Head and foot areas of the Bible could do with more precise attention to quality.

The notches could be smaller.

The ribbon markers could be a thicker, higher grade of ribbon. Lockman needs to move away from using the higher clay content shiny paper for the presentation pages and maps and move to a flat paper. The glossy ones are too prone to falling out. The presentation page should have been a couple of pages in so that you could actually write on it. It is glued to the card paper that attaches to the binding and cover.

I think if Lockman Foundation left the manufacture of their Bibles that cost less than $50.00 in China it would be alright, but with their middle and top end products they really need to bring it back home. They sent me a copy of the hardcover Charles Stanley text Bible that is made here in America and it was excellent. I loved the paper and the binding. If this Bible got the same treatment it would be worth the $100.00 price tag, but as it is I would have to pass. They did send this Bible to me for free to be reviewed on my blog. With all the cons, I don’t want you to get the idea that this Bible does nothing right. It has a sewn binding, and a calfskin cover. It includes two ribbon markers and it is pretty thin considering that it is a real reference Bible. You get all the benefits of a full reference Bible with a pretty thin profile. The Side Column Reference Bible I did a review on previously had more attention paid to fit and finish. It was better so I overlooked some of the smaller cons like the opaqueness, excessively notched near the head and foot, and ribbon quality. The opaqueness isn’t near as bad as other Bibles I’ve seen. I just mention it because it isn’t as good as some in the same price range. It seems like a more flexible card paper was used to connect the cover and text block on the side column reference which I love. This one con seems to cause others or make them more noticeable. It is difficult to design the perfect Bible because, well it is subjective. We like what we like though, so you can either make a ton of variations and try to please a lot of people, or you can make a few, really well made Bibles and hopefully sell a bunch of them to a smaller crowd. The bottom line is that you still get a great translation, in a sewn binding that is very flexible and lays flat, with genuine calfskin cover. If you order one and it is good it will be very good. If not, it has a lifetime warranty. Just mail it back for a replacement. I’m sure Lockman Foundation will stand behind their product. I would just suggest they make these here in America or lower the price. Features, Ultrathin, large print 10 point font, making it easy on the eyes, double column verse format with center column references, Black letter edition, 8 pages of full color maps, Concordance, 2 Ribbon markers, gilt page edges, Presentation page, Family record pages, Gilded edges, Smyth Sewn, Printed on high-opacity paper to limit bleed-through, Lifetime guarantee, Black Calfskin leather.

Bible Reviews

Review of the Holman, New King James Version, (NKJV) Large Print, Personal Size, Reference Bible, in Brown Genuine Cowhide, Indexed, Red Letter Edition.

October 21, 2014 Bob Snyder9 Comments

Not too many Bibles from large publishers like Holman surprise me. This one is the exception. I am accustomed to receiving Bibles from big publishers that are for lack of a better term, “disposable.” Many of them seem to make Bibles that you can use for a couple of years and then have to throw it away when it begins to fall apart. This Bible truly surprised me. It came in the mail packed in a white plastic bag-elope. I was immediately expecting some substandard, mass produced, mail abused, Bible. I opened the bag and didn’t notice any damage to the box… bonus! I was glad that the corners weren’t mashed. I opened the box (keep the box for storage) and was presented with black construction paper.

I seriously hoped that wasn’t the cover. Upon closer inspection I determined that the black construction paper was there to protect the supple and soft genuine cowhide cover. It smelled like a new leather jacket and the texture was very pleasant.

One of the most important parts of a Bible is the binding. Naturally I checked that next. I was pleased to see that it had a sewn binding. This makes a Bible last longer and lay flat when you want to read it.

Have you ever had to struggle against an intrusive and rude cover made of bonded leather, always trying to close on you? Have you ever had a fake leather cover get stained, scuffed, or torn? Well I have, and that is why I love genuine leather and goatskin covers with sewn bindings so much. This Bible’s chocolate brown colored leather cover is lined with a vinyl sheet matching the cover’s color. The lining is glued down. This is pretty typical. I was hoping to see it lined with a higher quality material sewn to the cover, but for the price of this Bible and the features it has I can’t complain.

This Bible can be purchased for about $48.00 on a couple of different web sites. Christianbook.com has it here and Amazon.com here. I was a bit surprised to see that this Bible was made in China.

I was surprised because they seemed to have put it together pretty well. There is a slight problem with the binding at the bottom, but that could be one of the drawbacks of having it banged around during shipping from China to the States. It didn’t look like a manufacturing problem as much as shipping damage. The pages are gilded and indexed.

The indexes caught my eye as they are rectangular with rounded shoulders. The usual ones are crescent shaped. The New Testament ones were red and the Old Testament ones were black. The spine is gilded with the, NKJV in a circle at the top, and, “Holy Bible” in the middle, with Holman’s logo at the bottom. The spine has decorative hubs.

When you open this Bible up you first have the normal presentation and records pages as well as the publishers information. Then there is some info on the NKJV translation and a page with the plan of salvation. I was expecting cheaper paper that was more translucent, smaller font, and more ghosting. (text from the page behind showing through) I was very pleasantly surprised again. The paper was pretty opaque for a less expensive Bible. Well, even for some more expensive Bibles it was pretty opaque.

The font looks to be twelve point and is clear and legible. The Bible is a double column, paragraph format with some foot notes and references at the bottom of the page. This was a smart move. Doing it this way enabled them to print some large font while keeping the size down. This was going to become my daily reader until my dear wife picked it up. I think to quote her she said, “Oooh this is so soft and nice… Can I have it?” What can you do? This Bible has one ribbon marker matching the color of the cover.

It opens nicely and is very easy to read. I love the accuracy of the NKJV. This Bible has some colored maps at the end. I highly recommend this Bible for those looking for a daily reader without a bunch of distractions. It is comfortable to hold and easy on the eyes with the opaque paper and large font. All of this with the low price makes it an excellent value and asset.