Tag: lockman

A Pleasant Reacquaintance with an Old Friend, the Lockman NASB Side Column Reference Bible in Black Genuine Leather.
Bible Reviews

A Pleasant Reacquaintance with an Old Friend, the Lockman NASB Side Column Reference Bible in Black Genuine Leather.

Bob Snyder5 Comments

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This Bible arrived undamaged and in good condition. It was shipped in a cardboard box, cushioned with paper packaging.

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The Bible was in a sturdy 2 piece retail box that should be retrained for storage.

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I love the fact that this is covered in genuine leather instead of bonded leather or faux leather of some kind. For under $40 this is a big plus.

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It would be worth the purchase price just for getting an NASB in a genuine leather cover, but wait, there’s more. It has a flexible sewn binding.

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I’m getting ahead of myself. The genuine leather is better than expected for the low purchase price. The front cover has no markings. The spine has, “Holy Bible” at the head, “New American Standard Bible 1995 Edition” in the middle, “Side-Column Reference” under that and, “NASB Foundation Publications” at the bottom.

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On the back cover the isbn is printed along with the cover type and model number.

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The corners are mechanically folded. The inside cover is lined with black vinyl to match the outside cover. This is a case bound book.

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There is a presentation page and a family records page in the front of this Bible.

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I hope some people still use these. They seem antiquated to some, but I do write in them. It helps me remember important occasions. There’s no other book we should be in more than the Bible. If we are picking it up everyday we can look at those dates.

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After these pages you come to the copyright and publisher information page.

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It tells us that this Bible is made in China.

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The next pages are the translation information and the Table of Contents.

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This is one of my all time favorite layouts for a Bible. It is a single column of text, in verse format, with cross references in a side column in the margin of the page. There are over 95,000 cross-references to enrich your reading and study.

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Layout is a very personal and subjective preference. That is why there are so many. I am not a fan of the single column layout when done in paragraph format. Many of the newer Bibles from publishers are being set up this way. People claim they are easier to sit and read. This might be so for some people, but for me it doesn’t work. I get distracted easily and need still and quiet to sit and read. Even movements on a television that has been muted will distract me. When I get distracted, it is difficult to come back to where I left off. With a verse format Bible I find it easier to resume reading.
The font is printed in 10 pt. size so it is large enough to read with the Bible resting on my lap. This black letter edition is printed with modern digital font that have clean and clear edges.

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The paper could be a bit more opaque.

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I find that with artificial lighting pointed at the page the ghosting is worse, than when I am reading with natural or ambient lighting. This is not something I measured, it is just my personal opinion. There are healthy 1” wide margins to jot down your thoughts in.

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There is one black ribbon marker, black and gold decorative head and tail bands, and gold gilt page edges.

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In the back is an 82 page concordance. It is pretty helpful compared to many concise concordances you’ll find in the back of Bibles. There are also 9 pages of book introductions and 8 maps.

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This Bible measures 9.75″ x 7.00″ x 1.50″ Even though it isn’t small it is not cumbersome.
My overall impression is that this Bible is one of my favorite layouts and I find myself using it pretty often. the single column layout helps me read with fluidity while the verse format helps me keep on track. I can also look up verses quickly. The only flaw is the somewhat less than opaque paper. The purchase price makes this Bible a great value and the quality binding makes this a long time friend. I would suggest this Bible to anyone looking for a full sized reference Bible with a genuine leather cover in a single column layout. One of my all time favorites from Lockman Foundation.
Make sure to check out the rest of the pictures on my flickr page.
ISBN-13: 9781581351590

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

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

Bob Snyder5 Comments

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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

Do you want a large print compact NASB? Review of the Lockman Foundation Large Print Compact Text Edition in Burgundy Leathertex.
Bible Reviews

Do you want a large print compact NASB? Review of the Lockman Foundation Large Print Compact Text Edition in Burgundy Leathertex.

Bob Snyder3 Comments

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Review of the Lockman Foundation Large Print Compact Text Edition in Burgundy Leathertex.

As usual Lockman did a fine job of packing and shipping the Bible to me.

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This edition is not expensive.  If you have high expectations you will be disappointed.  This Bible sells for about $20.00 it is produced in China.

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I’m not making excuses here, but there are some things you need to consider when criticizing a Bible.  I know some people have complained about the print and the paper on this edition.  They aren’t wrong.  The paper could be a bit more opaque or the print could be a bolder type face.  It would be much easier on the eyes if that were the case.

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What would the consequences of that be?  Well, if the font were a bolder type face and stayed 9 point, it would take up more space on the page necessitating more pages.  This edition is already pretty thick at about 1 3/16” not to mention that they have already taken out the references and made it single column paragraph format.

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There isn’t much in the way of helps either.  There aren’t any maps to remove to make this thinner.  So what about the paper?  Well, same problem if you make a thicker paper that is a higher g.s.m. then the Bible gets thicker.  It’s just the laws of physics in a finite world folks.  I hate to be a bummer.

This Bible tries to fill a niche that definitely is there.  I’ve heard many people complain that they want a nice clean, compact, text edition of the NASB in paragraph format.  The Cambridge Clarion is pretty close, but it costs almost $200 dollars in goatskin.  You could opt for the calf split leather for around $105-$115 but that is still pretty expensive.  So let’s look at what you are getting for $20.00 instead of what you aren’t getting.

This edition has 9 point font, the words of Christ in red arranged in a single column text format with limited footnotes at the bottom of the page.

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It has a sewn binding and is covered in leathertex which is modern synthetic leather.  It has a cross stamped on the front with a channel around the perimeter.

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On the spine is printed, “New American Standard Bible” in large letters from one end to the other.

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The page edges are gilded.  There is one ribbon marker that matches the burgundy color of the cover.  The ribbon is pretty thin and narrow.  The inner liner is vinyl and color matched to the cover.  It is glued down.  There are decorative head and foot bands.  You have a presentation page printed on Bible paper and not card paper.  Then, you have the copyright page, followed by the foreword with translation explanation.  Before the text begins you have a table of contents.  After the text of the Bible you have one page of the, “Parables of Jesus” then, four pages of, “Important Events in Christ’s Life According to the Gospels” three pages of, “God’s Promises” and next, two pages of, “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ” and lastly, one page of, “The Miracles of Jesus.”  The outside cover closed measures 7 5/16” long by 5 1/4” wide by 1 3/16” thick.

This is exactly what it is labeled.  You can’t expect it to be everything you wanted in a Bible.  There are going to be compromises when you make a large print, compact, text edition.  I know this review sounds like an apology.  I really wanted to like this Bible, but the truth is that it is a bit hard on the eyes due to the seemingly skinny font and thin paper.

For the money though, it is an excellent value and the perfect size to carry with you.  The font is much larger than a 6 point font and you really haven’t gained that much in size over a traditional compact edition.  I would recommend this Bible for people with good eyes that aren’t going to do long reading sessions.  It would be good for break room reading or whenever you have a few minutes.

ISBN: 1581351569

ISBN-13: 9781581351569

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

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

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The page edges are gold gilded.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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

Review of the Lockman Foundation, NASB, Topical, Reference Bible, Hardcover, Red Letter Edition.
Bible Reviews

Review of the Lockman Foundation, NASB, Topical, Reference Bible, Hardcover, Red Letter Edition.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

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This edition is just the right size to carry around. The hardcover reduces the cost and also improves the durability in my opinion compared to some synthetic covers. The hardcover also helps if you want to sit in a chair and read instead of at a table. The hardcover keeps the pages from flopping around while you are reading.

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The sewn binding ensures that this Bible opens beyond flat when held and lays flat on a table or desk right out of the box. You won’t be fighting against the cover of this Bible while reading it, matter of fact, it helps you.

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The nine point font makes this easy on the eyes. It is clearly printed against a white paper giving you good contrast. This edition does have the words of Christ in Red. The red might not be as bright as some other publishers use, but this seems less intrusive to my eyes. The binding is sewn as I mentioned earlier. Between the binding and the spine being rounded this Bible opens up very well.

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I wouldn’t let the fact that this Bible was made in China stop you from buying it.

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It is a little jewel. 255 pages of topics at the front of this Bible in alphabetical order make it easy to look up most of the things a person might want to look up.

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After the 255 pages of topics you have a full Old and New Testament Bible.

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It is in double column format with center column references. The text is in paragraph format. After the Bible we have 210 pages of dictionary/concordance/thesaurus and after that, Genealogy of Jesus, God’s Promises, Miracles of Jesus, Prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, Parables of Jesus, Titles of Jesus, Introductions to the books of the Bible, a year Bible reading plan, and maps at the end. The maps are printed on a glossy paper like the presentation, and records pages at the beginning of the Bible.

Contains over 20,000 topics and sub-topics cross referenced to over 50,000 verses. Topics were researched and prepared by Biblical scholars, and include contemporary topics relevant to today’s issues.
Also includes a 4,200 entry dictionary—concordance—thesaurus and over 95,000 center-column cross-references to enrich your reading. ISBN-13: 9781581351477

Disclaimer, I received this Bible free from the publisher for review purposes. I am in no way obliged to write a positive review.

Review of the NASB Ultrathin Reference Bible
Bible Reviews

Review of the NASB Ultrathin Reference Bible

Bob Snyder4 Comments

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The Lockman Foundation has been producing some affordable and well made NASB (New American Standard Bible) Bibles for quite some time now.  The NASB has become known for its excellence in staying true to the original languages.  The NASB Ultrathin Reference Bible is no exception.  It is bound in genuine leather and is smyth-sewn.  A sewn binding makes the Bible more durable and helps it to lay flat as opposed to a glued binding.  Pages are folded into groups of pages and stacked, then sewn together.  In a glued binding the pages are just cut and glued in the spine.  These types are always loosing pages.  Sewn bindings are far less apt to fall apart that way.

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The Bible has center column references and is a two column format in approximately an 8 point font.

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This Bible is almost 9 inches long, 6 inches wide, by almost and inch thick.  It is a light bible to carry.

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This Bible is light to carry and the pages are pretty thin because it is an Ultrathin.  Here is a shot of one page held up to the light.

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The page thickness is sufficient and doesn’t lend itself to as much show-through as is prevalent in similarly priced ultrathins.  There is ghosting.

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The font is clearly printed and easy to read.  There is some room in the margins for limited note taking.  This Bible is crammed full of quality and features for the price making it a very good value for the price of around $25.00 depending on where you pick one up.

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This Bible is a red-letter edition.

I mentioned that this Bible is a smyth-sewn binding and you can tell from this picture that right out of the box it lies flat on the table.

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This is a case bound book.  The covers are lined with vinyl paper.

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You can see where the corners are glued here.

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The pages are edge gilt and the spine is hot stamped with gold colored foil as well.

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There are some pages in the front that record family info and the like,

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One thing I noticed and liked about the construction is where the first and last pages are glued into the lining to stop the Bible from falling apart as easily.

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There are also decorative head and foot bands.

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The Bible came in a hard cardboard box.  The Bible was wrapped in clear plastic.

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This Bible also comes with a quite useful concordance which is a surprise for a Bible this thin.

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As well as a concordance there are 8 color maps.

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There is also on ribbon marker to keep your place.  I hope all of the pictures were helpful.  Lockman did a good job of making a “users” Bible.  This thing is a good value and can take all the punishment of being dragged along where ever you happen to go…  within reason, I mean come on, it isn’t water-proof or fire-proof.  If you are in the market for an ultrathin and you don’t want to spend big bucks for a premium Bible this is the way to go.  Again it is genuine leather, and has a sewn binding all for about $25.00!  Come on people, that is pretty good.

Disclaimer, I received this Bible free from the publisher for review purposes and am in no way obligated to give a good review.