The LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Goatskin Bible is an ultra-premium version of the LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible. This is a hand-sized reference edition that shares the layout with the LSB Giant Print Reference Bible. The goatskin edition is available in several colors. I’m reviewing the navy blue Shamar goatskin edition with thumb index, ISBN: 9781636644134, made in the Netherlands by Royal Jongbloed.
Three Sixteen Publishing provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review.
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This Bible is available at Three Sixteen
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Table of Contents
- Cover and Binding
- Thumb Index
- Paper
- Typography
- References
- Tables
- Maps
- Comparison
- Video Review
- Conclusion
Specs
- Navy Blue Shamar Goatskin
- Thumb-index
- 28 GSM Bible paper
- 2-column paragraph
- 9.5-point font
- Black letter
- 95,000 cross-references
- 14,000 translation footnotes
- Three satin ribbons
- Tables for weights, measurements, and monetary units
- 8 gray-scale Bible maps
- 20 dot-matrix pages for notes
- 5 x 7 x 1.5″
- 1 lb, 6.3 oz
- Printed and bound in the Netherlands
- Current price $220
Cover and Binding
The cover is navy blue goatskin. The grain is pronounced and the blue has a touch of variation to make it stand out. A debossed line traces the text block. This is a full yapp edition. The yapp (overhang) touches on all sides. It includes perimeter stitching. On the spine are 5 raised hubs in a unique pattern and text printed in gold.
The liner is edge-lined cowhide. The edge-lined tab is stiff and tries to close in Genesis. Most other books have an awkward hump until the tab is broken in. A gold line traces around the cover. The overall size is 5 x 7 x 1.5 inches. It weighs 1 lb. 8.5 oz. This edition includes three 10mm ribbons in navy, gold, and light blue. They’re angle-cut and are extra long, making it easy to open the Bible.
Thumb Index
This edition has thumb-indexing. Most tabs have three books. Those with multiple books are considered one book, so a few are more difficult to turn to than others. The tabs are black with gold printing. A few are close to the text but don’t touch the text. The tabs are small but I found them easy to use.
Paper
The paper is 28gsm French milled from France, which is a Royal Jongbloed exclusive. This is some of the most expensive paper available for Bibles. It’s white in color with a slightly creamy tone that’s just noticeable in the gutter. This paper is silky smooth and feels elegant. It’s highly opaque. The only noticeable showthrough is where nothing is printed on the front side of the page. The pages were not stuck together. The pages can be tricky to separate if you grab more than one at a time. I found it easy to grab one page with my thumb to turn the pages.
In the back are 20 Bible pages with dots for notes, bullet journaling, etc. The page edges are art-gilt with blue under gold. the blue and gold look great together.
Typography
The LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Goatskin Bible was typeset by 2K/Denmark. It has a double-column layout in paragraphs with poetry set to stanzas, lists are printed as lists, and personal letters are indented. Supplied words are in italics. Old Testament quotes are in all caps. Cross-references and translation footnotes are printed across the bottom in a single column. Book names and chapter numbers are printed in dark red, and section headings are in large bold italics. Chapter and verse references are bold, making them easy to find. The header includes the book name and chapter number in the outer margin and the page number in the center, printed in dark red. A red line separates the columns from the footer. Books start on the same page that the last book ended.
The typeface is 9.5-point. This is a black-letter edition. The print is dark and highly consistent. It was printed with line matching, meaning that the lines on both sides of the page are printed in the same location to reduce show-through. This works well because it is barely noticeable. It has around 6-8 words per line with a lot of white space in the text, making it easy to read and find verses. The poetic setting is divided into good places and looks clean and balanced. Verse numbers are bold and stand out so they’re easy to find. Footnote keys start with a and 1 for each verse. I found this text great for reading and the large verse numbers make it easy to find verses quickly for preaching and teaching.
References
LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Goatskin Bible includes the 95,000 cross-references from the Lockman NASB and the complete 14,000 set of LSB footnotes. They are placed together in the footer, but the footnotes are in italics which makes them stand out and easy to find. They’re smaller than the text, but they’re not small and are still easy enough to read. These are excellent for study.
Here are a few example references to help you compare:
- Genesis 1:1 – Ps 102:25; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1, 2; Heb 1:10; Ps 89:11; 90:2; Ac 17:24; Rom 1:20; Heb 11:3; Job 38:4; Is 42:5; 45:18; Rev 4:11
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – Mt 22:37; Mk 12:29, 30; Lk 10:27; Dt 4:35, 39; Jn 10:30; 1 Cor 8:4; Eph 4:6
- Isaiah 9:6 – Is 7:14; 11:1, 2; 53:2; Lk 2:11; Jn 3:16; Mt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:25; Is 22:22; Is 28:29; Dt 10:17; Neh 9:32; Is 10:21; Is 63:16; 64:8; Is 26:3, 1254:10; 66:12
- Matthew 28:19 – Mk 16:15; Mt 13:52; Ac 1:8; 14:21; Mt 25:32; Lk 24:47; Ac 2:38; 8:16; Rom 6:3; 1 Cor 1:13, 15; Gal 3:27
- Mark 12:29 – Dt 6:4
- John 1:1 – Gen 1:1; Col 1:17; 1 Jn 1:1; Jn 1:14; Rev 19:13; Jn 17:5; 1 Jn 1:2; Ph 2:6
- John 3:16 – Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4; 2 Thes 2:16; 1 Jn 4:10; Rev 1:5; Rom 8:32; 1 Jn 4:9; Jn 1:18; 3:18; 1 Jn 4:9; Jn 3:36; 6:40; 11:25
- Acts 2:38 – Mk 1:15; Lk 24:47; Ac 3:19; 5:31; 20:21; Mk 16:16; Ac 8:12, 16; 22:16
- Romans 10:9 – Mt 10:32; Lk 12:8; Rom 14:9; 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11; Ac 16:31; Rom 4:24; Ac 2:24
- 1 John 1:1 – Jn 1:1; 1 Jn 2:13, 14; Ac 4:20; 1 Jn 1:3; Jn 19:35; 2 Pet 1:16; 1 Jn 1:2; Jn 1:14; 1 Jn 4:14; Lk 24:39; Jn 20:27; Jn 1:1, 14
Tables
In the back are a couple of tables with Monetary Units, and Weights and Measurements. Both are simple and provide the name with a short description.
Maps
It includes 8 maps. Instead of thick semi-glossy paper printed in color, they’re printed on Bible paper in grayscale. They’re only printed on one side of the page, so there’s no show-through. This makes them easy to read. They’re sharp and look good. Grayscale was a good choice for Bible paper. I think the color would not have looked good on this paper and they would have had more show-through.
They have lots of information and annotations. It doesn’t include an index to maps, but the annotations help. Large land areas have a sandy texture while all other colors are solid. They include cities, empires, distances, routes, battle sites, mountains, settlements, seas, journeys, etc.
- The Biblical World of the Patriarchs
- The Exodus Route and Conquest of Canaan
- The Twelve Tribes of Israel
- The Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
- The Herodian Kingdom in the Time of Christ
- a- Old Testament Jerusalem, b- New Testament Jerusalem
- The Ministry of Jesus
- The Missionary Journeys of Paul
Comparison
LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Goatskin is an upgrade of the LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible but has a few differences. Aside from the goatskin cover with an edge-lined cowhide liner and premium French paper, it also has dotted pages for notes and maps printed in grayscale on Bible paper. The LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible has 2 ribbons, red letter, a brown cowhide cover with a paste-down liner, and was made in Korea. Both have red highlights. Even though the paper isn’t French-milled in the Korean-made edition, it’s very similar to the Jongbloed edition. It has a slightly rougher texture. The color is about the same, and it’s slightly less opaque but that’s hard to tell even with them side-by-side. The main reason for getting the Jongbloed edition is the edge-lined goatskin cover.
Video Review
Conclusion
LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Goatskinis an elegant hand-sized premium Bible. The materials and design elements were made well and it stands up against any other brand I’ve seen made in the Netherlands. If you have the cowhide edition, this one is worth upgrading to if you prefer goatskin and a black-letter text. I do prefer color maps, but these work great for grayscale. The dotted pages are an interesting addition. This is easily the best version of a carry-size LSB I’ve seen.
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This Bible is available at Three Sixteen
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Three Sixteen Publishing provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
The stiffness of the tab of the edge-lined design works well for large Bibles, but for this LSB Portable edition it unfortunately doesn’t work so well. From my experience it will never “break in” enough. The inner gutter margin in this Bible also turned out a bit too small, needs to be at least 1/8″ more, better yet 3/16″. Not sure if they can fix that on future prints, but that would definitely improve it.
My family and I have used the ESV in the past, then switched to the NASB because the church we attended used it. When the LSB came out our church switched to it, and we’ve been using it since. In my opinion, the only other English translation more accurate to it is the ASV of 1901 (which I also use daily). Star Publications just issued another fresh print of the Teacher’s Edition of the ASV, I highly recommend. I wish other publishers would reprint the ASV in a modern font / style.
Thanks Emerson. I agree. It will break in a little, but not enough for the problem to go away. I’ve considered getting that ASV. It looks interesting.
Hi Randy, I emailed the Star Publications people and suggested they send you one of their ASV Teacher’s edition for review. They acknowledged my email but didn’t say if they’d send it or not. They used thinner paper than the last edition they printed several years ago, so there is a bit more show-through, but not awful. It is only offered in faux leather, but it seems to be smyth-sewn. It is not a cheap Bible, but since they basically are the only ones printing the ASV, I think it’s supply x demand.
Thank you!!