The CSB Single-Column Personal Size Bible from the Holman Handcrafted Collection is a smaller version of the CSB Single-Column Handcrafted Bible. It brings the single-column layout to a personal size, making it an excellent Bible for carrying and reading. It’s available in several covers. I’m reviewing the Marbled Slate calfskin leather, ISBN 9781430094708, printed in China.
Specs
- 2020 CSB
- Single-Column layout
- Marbled Slate calfskin leather
- Leather edge-lined liner
- Sewn binding
- 3 3/8″ ribbons
- 5 3/4 x 9 1/4 x 1 3/4″ overall size
- 2 lbs, 2.5 oz
- 32GSM French paper
- Blue art gilt page edges
- Single-column paragraph layout matches the CSB single-column
- Line matching text
- 10-point Bible Serif typeface
- OT quotes in bold black letter
- Red chapter and verse numbers
- Footnotes
- 39-page concordance
- 8 maps
- Printed in China
- Current price $160
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
- Binding
- Paper
- Typography and Layout
- Footnotes
- Concordance
- Bible Atlas
- Comparisons
- Conclusion
Video Review
Binding
The cover on the Holman Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size Bible is marbled slate calfskin. This is a dark gray with medium gray streaks. The contrast of the streaks is just enough to notice. The grain is smooth. It has perimeter stitching with nothing printed on the front or back. The spine includes 5 extra large hubs and text printed in silver. The cover is flexible, but it’s stiff enough to hold open in one hand.
The liner is edge-lined leather and includes a silver line around the inside edge. The edge-lined tab is stiff and creates a hump. The Bible stays open around the middle of Genesis. It has three 3/8″ ribbons: black, dark gray, and red. The overall size is 5 3/4 x 9 1/4 x 1 3/4″, and it weighs 2 lbs, 2.5 oz.
Paper
The paper in the Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size Bible seems to be around 32gsm. It’s white in color and it’s smooth to the touch. It isn’t as opaque as I’d expected for the Holman Handcrafted series. Fortunately, the show-through is only noticeable where there’s nothing printed on the page. The text isn’t affected, so the paper behind the text looks white. The page edges seem to be cut with a dull cutter. The edges bend and the top of the page doesn’t lie down correctly. It has a few straight edges instead of round edges. I was able to separate and turn the pages with no problem. The page edges are blue art gilt, and they were stuck together just enough that I had to turn every page to unstick them.
There are several pages in the back for notes.
Typography and Layout
The CSB Single-Column Personal Size text is presented in a single-column layout. Poetry is set to stanzas, lists presented as lists, and personal letters indented. Chapter and verse numbers are in red. Footnotes are placed in the footer in a smaller font and separated from the text with a line. The references for the footnotes are red. Section headings are in all caps. The header text is in red and it shows the book name, chapter, and verse in the outer margin, Page numbers are printed in the inner margin. The Old Testament quotes in the New Testament are printed in bold.
The typeface is a black-letter 10 Bible Serif from 2K Denmark. It’s printed with line matching, meaning the lines on both sides of the page are printed in the same location to improve readability. The paper is opaque enough that the text doesn’t look gray because of the print on the other side of the page.
It has between 14-16 words per line on average. This is more words per line than what I find to be ideal, but it’s still readable. This makes poetry look amazing. It has enough space between the lines to make reading comfortable. It has narrow margins all around. This makes the text bend into the gutter a little further than I’d like.
Footnotes
The standard CSB translator’s footnotes in the CSB Single-Column Personal Size Bible are placed in the footer. The font is slightly smaller than the regular Bible text, making it large and easy to read. It also has a lot of white space in the text. They’re separated from the text with a red line. The Old Testament textual footnotes show the differences between the manuscripts and ancient versions such as the Vulgate and Septuagint. The New Testament footnotes show the differences in manuscripts such as additions, variations, and omissions. They also show the literal renderings, alternate renderings, and equivalence, when words are from the original languages and provided with English letters, where it’s difficult to translate the text, etc. These are excellent footnotes. I find them helpful for seeing insights into the translation and other rendering options.
Concordance
The concordance is 39 pages with 3 columns per page. This is a small concordance and it’s printed in a small font. It includes biographical information with lots of good character studies. It’s a good concordance for basic study and sermon prep. For serious study, you’ll need external tools. 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
Bible Atlas
The Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size 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:
- The Migration of Abraham
- The Route of the Exodus
- The Tribal Allotments of Israel
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
- Israel in the Time of Jesus
- The Ministry of Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee
- The Passion Week in Jerusalem
- Paul’s Missionary Journeys
Comparisons
CSB Single-Column Handcrafted Bible
The CSB Single-Column Handcrafted Bible is the larger version of this Bible. It has the same pagination with a slightly larger font, wide outer margins, and thicker and more elegant paper.
Conclusion
The Handcrafted CSB Single-Column Personal Size Bible is an excellent Bible for carrying and reading. It doesn’t have references and the concordance is small, so you’ll need other tools for study and sermon prep. It’s built well, but the paper could be a touch more opaque and, while the text remains readable, it does go a little further into the gutter than I’d like. There is a slight curl to the edge of the pages, but this didn’t cause any issues. Overall, I enjoyed using this Bible and it’s a good choice for a personal size CSB.
_________________________________________________________
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.
Very similar to a Schuyler Personal Size, wouldn’t you say? I’d love to see this in KJV.