Holman’s CSB Scripture Notebooks are individual books of the Bible that combine the 2020 edition of the Christian Standard Bible text with a notebook page for every Bible page. This provides space to write notes, prayers, insights, thoughts, Scripture references, artwork, and more. They’re small enough to carry with you while providing a large print that’s great for reading. In this review, I’m taking a look at three volumes: Mark, Acts, and Hebrews.
Holman 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)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
Video Review
Materials
The cover is a thick paper with a rough texture. It’s blue with the text printed on the front and spine in copper. The copper stands out from the blue and matches the color well. The text-block is Smyth sewn to help it lie flat. Scoring lines on the covers help them stay open, but I did have to hold them open to write in them. I’d love to see these available with hardcovers like the hardcover ESV Journals. The overall size is 5 3/4 x 8″. My three volumes range from 1/8″-3/8″ thick. This is an excellent size for carrying individual volumes.
Notes written with a purple 01 Pigma Micron
no show-through from the Pigma Micron
The paper has a cream color and seems to be around 100 gsm. It’s not too dark of a cream, so it has enough contrast with the text to keep it readable. I love the color for reading. Show-through is almost non-existent. They have a few pages in the back for notes. This is excellent paper for all types of pens and markers. In the example above, I’ve made a note with a 01 Pigma Micron. It has no show-through.
Typography and Layout
The CSB text is presented in a single-column paragraph layout. Poetry is set to stanzas, and poetry and letters are indented. The header shows the page number in the outer margin with a vertical dividing line and the book name and chapter number next to it. The page on the left includes the text while the page on the right has 33 college-lines for notes. Section headings are in bold italics. Old Testament quotes are in bold. Very few pages have footnotes, but those that do place them in the footer and separate them from the text with a horizontal line. These are not translator’s footnotes, just manuscript variance notes.
The print is an 11-point Bible Serif. It has around 12 words per line and extra space between the lines. This is a black-letter text. Since it doesn’t print text on both sides of the page, it doesn’t have line-matching, but it does look like the text is printed in the same location on each page. This does improve readability, but the paper is so opaque that I see it as a non-issue unless you’re marking the text and you want any show-through of your markers to be in the same location. The poetic settings are well-designed. They divide the poetic lines in the best places so no lines have a single word.
The text has wide margins, with a 7/8″ outer margin and a 3/4″ inner margin. Only about a 1/2″ is usable in the inner margin. The lines on the note pages take almost the same space as the text, so they have wide margins around the lines. They have more space at the top and bottom.
Comparisons
Here’s how the CSB Scripture Notebooks compare to their ESV and NKJV counterparts. The footprint and shape are identical on all three, making me think they were cut from the same die, which is a good thing because I think this size is perfect for individual journals.
ESV Journals
The ESV Scripture Journals from Crossway is the same size. Its font is slightly smaller and not as dark as the CSB. The paper is the same color. I think the paper is thinner, but it’s extremely hard to tell. Show-through seems to be about the same. The dotted lines are lighter and more difficult to see. The lines are spaced apart the same size as the CSB.
NKJV Journals
The NKJV Bible Journals from Thomas Nelson have whiter paper, a larger print, and adds book introductions. Lines for notes have 1-2 fewer words, and the space between the lines of text is about the same. The paper is more opaque and the lines for notes are spaced further apart.
Conclusion
The CSB Scripture Notebooks are designed and made well. The paper is fantastic for any type of writing and marking tools, the print is excellent for reading, and the note space is great for any type of notes you want to make. They’re great for personal and group study, and they’re ideal for taking notes during a sermon series. I highly recommend them to anyone interested in a CSB for notes and journaling.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Holman 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.