The Holman Handcrafted Collection CSB Single-Column Personal Size Reference Bible is one of my favorite Bibles from the Handcrafted line. This edition is well-made. It’s designed for all-around usage, and can easily be the only CSB in any library. This is ISBN: 9798384523611, printed in China.

Lifeway 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.

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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)

Amazon

Christianbook

and many local Bible bookstores

_________________________________________

Table of Contents

  1. Cover and Binding
  2. Paper
  3. Typography
  4. References
  5. Table of Weights and Measures
  6. Where to Turn
  7. Concordance
  8. Maps
  9. Video Review
  10. Conclusion

Cover and Binding

The cover on the Holman Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size Reference Bible is black goatskin. It has a deep pebbly grain that looks and feels elegant. This is a thin enough leather to roll the cover around, but it’s thick enough to be easy to hold open in one hand. Perimeter stitching traces the edges. There is nothing printed on the front or back. The spine has 5 raised hubs and text printed in gold.

The liner is edge-lined leather. A gold line traces around the edge. The edge-lined tab is a touch stiff, but it doesn’t create the hump that I find so annoying. The Bible stays open at the beginning of Genesis, and it feels like it will break in easily. It has three 3/8″ ribbons: black, gold, and red. The overall size is 5.5 x 8.5 x 1.75″, and it weighs 2 lbs, 4.6 oz.

Paper

The paper in the Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size Reference Bible is 33gsm. It’s white in color and smooth to the touch, with a slightly rough texture that makes the pages easy to turn. It isn’t as opaque as I’d like. The show-through is mostly noticeable where there’s nothing printed on the page. The text isn’t affected, so the paper behind the text looks white, making it a good paper for reading. Page edges are art-gilt with red under gold.

Typography

The 2020 CSB Single-Column Personal Size Reference Bible text is presented in a single-column layout, with poetry set to stanzas, lists presented as lists, and personal letters indented. Chapter and verse numbers are in red. References are in the outer margins. Footnotes are placed in the footer in a smaller font and separated from the text with a line. The references for the references and footnotes are red. Section headings are in all caps. The header text is in red, and includes the book name, chapter, and verse in the outer margin, and page numbers in the center. The Old Testament quotes in the New Testament are printed in bold.

The typeface is a black-letter 9-point Bible Serif from 2K Denmark. It’s dark and consistent throughout. It was printed with line matching, so the lines on both sides of the page are printed in the same location to improve readability. It has between 14-16 words per line on average. There is enough whitespace to make it readable, and the poetry looks amazing. It also has a wide enough inner margin that the text isn’t lost in the gutter, which also helps readability.

Wide Margins

The references are placed in the outer margins, starting at the top or where the chapter starts. This leaves some space that I think Holman means to be used as note space, but I don’t consider this a wide-margin edition because it’s just the leftover space and varies from one page to another.

Footnotes

Footnotes are placed in the footer, separated from the text with a red line. OT textual footnotes show differences among manuscripts and ancient versions, including the Vulgate and Septuagint. NT footnotes show the differences in manuscripts, including variations, additions, and omissions. They also show literal renderings, alternate renderings, equivalence, when the word that’s given is actually from the original languages and provided with English letters, where the text is difficult to translate, etc. These provide insights into the translation and seeing other options.

References

The references are the same as those found in other CSB reference editions. They’re places in the outer margins and are marked with red verse numbers, making them easy to find. There are a lot of cross-references, making this an excellent Bible for study and sermon prep. Here are a few examples to help you compare:

  • Genesis 1:1 – Ps 90:2; 102:12; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1-3; Eph 3:21; Neh 9:6; Is 40:12-14; 43:7; Jr 10:12-16; Am 4:13; Rm 1:25; 1 Co 11:9; Col 1:16; Rv 4:11
  • Deuteronomy 6:4 – Zch 14:9; Mk 12:29, 32; Rm 3:30; 1Co 8:6; Eph 4:6; 1Tm 2:5; Jm 2:19
  • Isaiah 9:6 – Is 7:14; 11:1-2; 53:2; Lk 2:11; Jn 3:16; Is 22:22; Mt 28:18; 1Co 15:25; Is 28:29; Dt 10:17; Neh 9:32; Is 10:21; 63:16; 64:8; 26:3, 12; 54:10; 66:12
  • Matthew 28:19 – Mt 10:42; 28:19 (not sure why this is included); Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:47; Ac 2:38; 8:16
  • Mark 12:29 – Col 4:1; Ja 5 (no verse given); Dt 6:4
  • John 1:1 – Gn 1:1; Col 1:18; Jn 1:14; 1Jn 1:1; Rv 19:13; Jn 20:28; Php 2:6
  • John 3:16 – Jn 12:43; 1 Cor 13:1; Gl 2:20; Col 1:13; 3:12; 1 Th 1:4; 2 Th 2:13, 16; 1 Jn 4:7-12; Ja 1(no verse given); 1 Jm 4:9; Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2; Jn 12:25; ; Rm 5:8; 1 Jn 3:16; 4:9-10
  • Acts 2:38 – Lk 24:47; Ac 3:19; 26:20; Ac 8:12; 22:16; Ac 3:16; 15:14
  • 1 John 1:1 – Jn 1:1; 1Jn 2:13-14; Ps 119:25; Jn 1:1, 4; 5:24; Php 2:16

Table of Weights and Measures

There are two pages of the Table of Weights and Measures. It provides weights, length, dry measures, and liquid measures. It includes the biblical unit, language, biblical measure, U.S. equivalent, metric equivalent, and various translations. I like the translations because many measures are often known by more than one name, but it’s not always known when reading.

Where to Turn

Next is a two-page list of Scriptures that shows where to turn when you are in need. This is a list of topics with verses and page numbers. It’s simple, with one verse per need, but it is a good list for personal devotions, counseling, studying, and teaching. It only provides one verse for each need, but it’s a good starting point, and the references in the text can help you find similar verses.

Concordance

The concordance is 102 pages with 3 columns per page. This is a large concordance, and is the same as those used in CSB study Bibles. It includes names with biographical information and shows the part of speech where needed. It’s a great concordance for basic study and sermon prep, and you might not need external tools for most studies. Here are a few example entries with the number of references they have to help you compare:

  • Christ (see also Messiah) – 18
  • Christian – 2
  • Faith – 10
  • Faithful – 6
  • Faithfulness – 2
  • Faithless – 1
  • God – 13
  • Godliness – 1
  • Praise (n) – 4
  • Praise (v) – 5
  • Pray – 8
  • Prayer – 4

Maps

The Holman Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size Reference Bible includes the standard 8 Holman maps on thick non-glossy paper. The maps are printed with muted colors that look elegant. I like these colors. It doesn’t include an index to maps, but they are labeled well, and I found them easy to use. They include distance, topography, cities, mountain peaks, routes, distance, water, Scripture references, borders, roads, locations of events, annotations, and dates.

Maps include:

  1. The Migration of Abraham
  2. The Route of the Exodus
  3. The Tribal Allotments of Israel
  4. The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
  5. Israel in the Time of Jesus
  6. The Ministry of Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee
  7. The Passion Week in Jerusalem
  8. Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Video Review

Conclusion

The Holman Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size Reference Bible is one of my favorite Handcrafted editions, and it could easily be my favorite CSB. I love the size, interior design, and craftsmanship. This is a well-made Bible. If I could change one thing, I’d make the paper a little more opaque, but it’s still highly readable. The back of the box does mention it has wide margins, but most of that space is taken by references, and the amount of space available is inconsistent. As long as you don’t need a giant print, this is an excellent edition for reading, preaching, and carrying.

__________________________________________

This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)

Amazon

Christianbook

and many local Bible bookstores

___________________________________________

 

Lifeway 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.