Crossway’s ESV Study Bible in Deep Brown Buffalo Leather
The ESV Study Bible is one of the most popular study Bibles on the market. Crossway has released it in many cover options over the years. One of the most recent covers is Deep Brown Buffalo Leather, an elegant water buffalo leather. In this review, I’ll look at the ESV Study Bible in Deep Brown Buffalo Leather to help you decide if it’s the right option for your needs. This is ISBN 9781433575921, made in China.
Crossway provided these Bibles in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
Binding for the ESV Study Bible in Deep Brown Buffalo Leather
The deep brown water buffalo leather looks and feels similar to cowhide. Its grain isn’t overly pronounced but it is there. The dark brown is a solid color, so there’s no variation. It has perimeter stitching. Nothing is printed on the front.
The spine includes gold printing with the words Study Bible, ESV in extra-large type, English Standard Version, and the Crossway logo. Also on the spine are four raised hubs, two on each end leaving the center open for the extra-large ESV letters. The spine does flex when holding it, creating the upside-down v shape when opened.
The liner is paste-down vinyl. It looks like it has reinforced binder’s tape holding the liner to the block. This reduces the stress on the block and will help make it last a little longer than it normally would. It includes several thick end-sheets to give it structure. The text block is sewn, and it will open to the first few end-sheets and stay open with no trouble. The pages are almost completely flat because of the spine.
The spine doesn’t flex as much when lying on the table. It has one dark brown single-side satin ribbon. It’s 3/8″ wide and just long enough to pull to the corner to open the Bible. The overall size is 7 x 9.75 x 2.25″. It weighs 4 lbs, 1 oz.
Paper
The paper is 30gsm Thin Opaque. This is the paper used in other editions of the ESV Study Bible. It is thin, but considering the size of this Bible, I wouldn’t want it thicker. It is opaque enough that show-through doesn’t become too distracting. The paper does have streaks in some areas, but it’s just noticeable where there is no print and it didn’t distract me from reading. It’s off-white in color and has no glare under direct light. It has a rough enough texture to make it easy to grab and turn.
The text is 9-point in black letter, printed in a single-column, paragraph layout. It’s dark and has around 18 words per line. This is more than I prefer, but it does look good and read well. It helps that the cross-references are in the inner margin, bring the text out onto the flat part of the page. Poetry is set to stanzas and looks great with this word count. It isn’t line-matched, but I don’t find this to be an issue when reading.
Content
The content of the ESV Study Bible remains the same as before. This includes:
- Over 20,000 study notes are at the bottom of the page.
- More than 200 charts are placed throughout the notes, book introductions, and articles.
- Over 50 articles are placed in the front, between the testaments, and in the back.
- 240 full-color maps and illustrations are placed within the notes and other content.
- Detailed book introductions for every book of the Bible.
- 80,000+ cross-references in the inner margin.
- A large concordance.
- 15 maps in the back.
I’ve covered this content in previous reviews. You can see more information in the original reviews here:
And you can see some of it in the photos below.
Conclusion on the ESV Study Bible in Deep Brown Buffalo Leather
The ESV Study Bible in Deep Brown Buffalo Leather is a good choice for any fan of the ESV Study Bible. The leather looks and feels elegant and it should last for many years. Of course, it isn’t as elegant as a goatskin edition, but it is an upgrade from genuine leather. It has a paste-down vinyl liner, which is the main downside. Considering how large and heavy the block is, this can put stress on the block and make the cover tear over time. It does look to be reinforced, so it should last longer than the typical past-down version of the ESV Study Bible.
If you’re looking for a premium edition, this Bible isn’t for you. However, if you want something more affordable than a premium edition that’s better than the imitation, bonded, and regular genuine leathers, this one is a great choice.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Crossway provided these Bibles in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
Good Bible for study