The Hendrickson Large Print Bible is a low-end edition that’s great for those times you just want a no-nonsense inexpensive Bible but don’t want to sacrifice print and paper quality. This is a clean edition designed and typeset by Blue Heron Bookcraft and it serves its purpose well. It’s available in hard cover (for use as a pew Bible) and softcover. In this review I’m taking a look at the softcover, ISBN: 9781619700017.

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Materials

This edition is paperback. The sales information says it has a sewn binding, but to me it looks glued in sections. I can’t prove it’s not sewn but I don’t see any threads. Being a paperback it doesn’t want to stay open on its own in Genesis and it doesn’t want to lie flat when it lies open in the middle. It is easy enough to hold open. The overall size is 8 1/2 x 5 3/8 x 1 1/8.

The paper isn’t thin. I’m not sure of the gsm, but I’d guess it to be in the lower to mid 30’s. It has a slight cream color and is highly opaque, making it highly readable. It’s excellent paper for marking and highlighting. I had no issues turning pages.

I like paperback editions because they’re easy to carry without worrying what happens to them. The can be a great choice for pew Bibles, to give away, to carry for ministry, etc.

Typography

The text is presented in double-column paragraph format, but only paragraphs – so no poetic settings. The header shows the book name, chapter number, and verse numbers over the outer margin, and the page number over the center. It doesn’t include footnotes. This is the same layout as the Expressions Journal Bible, but in a larger print.

The font is 10 point. Its dark and sharp. The red is probably the darkest red I’ve seen for a red-letter edition. In certain lighting it’s difficult to tell that it’s not black letter.  It’s more like burgundy than red and is easy to read. There are no pronunciation marks but it does include italics for supplied words. The text is highly readable and consistent throughout.

It has around 40 characters per line with around 8 words per line. The leading is large enough to make reading comfortable. The text never feels crowded or cramped.

The only complaint I have with the text is the lack of inner margin. Since this is a softcover the pages are glued to the spine and the spine stays flat. This makes the text bend into the gutter further than normal. This can make some verses harder to read than I like, but it’s not bad enough to keep me from reading and using it.

Verse numbers are bold so they stand out. I had no problems finding verses quickly. The verse numbers for the start of a paragraph are in a larger print than the verse numbers within paragraphs.

I like that it fixes all of the capital letters that should be small letters. Most KJV’s place the first letter of a verse in capital even if it continues a sentence. This makes it seem like each verse is a stand-alone thought when this couldn’t be further from the truth. One of my favorite examples is Colossians 1:21-22 which breaks a verse in mid-sentence.

Poetic verses are also placed in paragraph. In some cases I’ve found this to be easier to read aloud than stanzas. It isn’t as pretty as stanzas but might be a better solution than trying to force stanzas to fit within double column, which can create choppy text if not done correctly. I would like to see the poetry printed differently though. I like the method Hendrickson uses for their Devotional KJV, Ministry Essentials, and Super Giant Print.

It includes the Epistle Dedicatory but does not include translators footnotes or the Translator’s to the Reader. I understand not wanting to them in every edition. I would like to see an edition that includes the footnotes in the back at least as they shed light on the translator’s thought process and they meant for them to be included.

Special Features

The back includes a few helps in the form of lists. I like this because it doesn’t include theological bias. It just provides Scripture and is helpfl for study and devotions. Helps include:

  • Harmony of the Gospels
  • Miracles of the Old Testament
  • Miracles of the New Testament
  • Parables of the Old Testament
  • Old Testament Prophecies of the Passion
  • Parables of the New Testament

Conclusion

The Hendrickson Large Print Bible is an easy Bible to read for long periods of time with no eye-strain. The font is large and dark, and the paper has the right color and opacity to make this a highly readable edition. It’s a great choice if you need an inexpensive Bible for reading, carry, etc. I like this text-block well enough that I’d like to see it available in higher-quality covers and a sewn binding.

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Photography by hannah C brown

Hendrickson Publishing provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review – only an honest review.