Journaling Bibles are among the most popular Bibles on the market but up to this point they’ve all had had small to medium size text. Crossway’s ESV Single Column Journaling Bible is now available in large print. This is a brand new layout and includes the ESV 2016 Permanent Text. It’s available in several covers. The edition I’m reviewing is brown natural leather with flap.
Features
- 2016 Permanent Text
- Brown Natural Leather with flap
- 2” margins
- Single column text
- 9.5 font
- Black letter
- 38 gsm cream paper
- 9.5 x 7 x 2
- 1568 pages
- 1 ribbon
- Reading plan
- ISBN: 9781433553165
Binding
This edition is brown natural leather cowhide with a flap and strap. I love the natural look and feel of the leather. The leather is thick so the corners are not folded over the liner. Instead the thick paper liner is glued to the inside of the leather, leaving a little bit of the leather showing. This makes the cover stiff enough to hold the Bible open in one hand (at least when new).
The leather is soft to the touch and has a beautiful grain. Mine is lighter than the one shown on the cover of the box. I’d like to see more Bibles available in natural leather cowhide. Cowhide is one of my favorite leathers and is probably the most underrated.
The text block is sewn and has no problem laying open in Genesis 1. The spine raises when opened and keeps the pages flatter than most Bibles. The flap is soft and lays out of the way. You can even fold it under the Bible if you want to. Inside the flap is a pen holder that will accommodate most common sizes of pens.
It comes with a long strap of leather that you install yourself. It even includes instructions just in case. Fortunately if you can tie a knot you can install the strap. The strap will circle the Bible a couple of times. For holding the Bible open I find the strap can be awkward. I sometimes don’t know what to do with the strap when the Bible is open. I just leave it lying next to the flap. So far I haven’t had any issues with it getting in the way.
The overall size is 9.5 x 7 x 2. It’s the size of a basic study Bible but it doesn’t feel overly large or heavy. I even read it in the car in the driver’s seat while waiting in a parking lot with no issues.
The spine has the ESV logo, Single Column Journaling Bible, and Crossway dry stamped with a few decorative lines to separate them. It includes a single dark brown ribbon.
Paper
The paper is the same 38gsm cream paper found in most journal editions. It’s great for writing and reading. I had no issues turning the pages.
The opacity is comparable to the current run of journal Bibles, which isn’t as opaque as the first generation single column ESV journaling Bible. It’s most likely opaque enough for most notes and art journaling but I prefer the more opaque paper from a few years ago.
Typography
The layout follows Crossway’s standard design for single column journaling Bibles – single column text in paragraph format, ruled margins for the outer margin, footnotes under the text, bold section headings throughout the text, book name with chapter number in the outer corner of the header, and page numbers in the footer. The pagination is different from the regular edition.
The font is 9.5 and is consistently dark throughout. It’s highly readable and great for preaching. It has line-matching to help readability. The columns are 3.5” wide and has around 65 characters across, which has around 14 words per line. The text contains verse numbers that are slightly bolder and small italic numbers for footnotes. The text never feels cramped or awkwardly spaced.
The margins are actually 2.5” but the lines are 1.75”. The inner margin is .5”. The pages lay so flat that the text doesn’t bend into the gutter much at all. The lines are also line-matched and they look darker than most journaling Bibles. This is fine for notes but some may find them darker than they would prefer for art journaling.
Space comparison – the regular edition has 15 square inches (1.875 x 8) of total margin per page. The first page covers Genesis 1:1-26a (.588 sqr in per verse). The large print edition has 21.82 square inches (2.375 x 9.1875) of total margin per page. The first page covers Genesis 1:1-23 (.948 sqr in per verse). The large print edition has .36 sqr in more per verse than the regular edition. In English, the large print edition has more writing room per page and fewer verses per page, resulting in more space per verse.
The text itself is the 2016 ESV Permanent Text Edition. This means the text will remain unchanged from this point on. The text in this Bible will be the same ESV text your great grandchildren will read. You can learn more and see the 52 word changes at ESV.org/ptchanges.
Footnotes
The standard ESV footnotes are placed under the text and are keyed to the text with numbers. They shed light on Hebrew and Greek words, give short explanations, provide the meaning of names, show modern equivalents of diseases, alternate renderings, where something was quoted from, and manuscript variants.
Table of Weights and Measures
The table is a single page with biblical weights, measures, and monetary units. The table shows the biblical unit, approximate American and metric equivalents, and a biblical equivalent. It’s a short list and doesn’t give references but it is an easy table to use for quick reference.
Reading Plan
The one year reading plan will get you through the Old Testament once, and Psalms and the New Testament twice. Each day has three readings: one from the OT, one from Psalms, and one from the NT. They’re labeled by date so you know what to read. They isn’t a box to check when something has been read but there is plenty of room to make your own marks.
Comparisons
Here’s a quick look at how the regular edition and large print edition look side by side.
Conclusion
The ESV Single Column Journaling Bible Large Edition is a much-needed edition for those who prefer larger print than the standard journaling Bibles. It also provides more space per page and per verse without making the overall size unwieldy. I’d like to see the paper be more opaque but it is comparable to the current offerings by Crossway and other publishers. This is a great choice for art journaling, preaching, reading, note-taking, and even carry.
Crossway provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review – only an honest review. My opinions are my own.
Randy,
Between this edition, the regular single column Journaling bible and the Crossway wide margin. Which would you feel is the best for daily use such as taking notes during sermons, daily reading, a daily work horse as it were.
Thanks
Hi Nathan. Great question! The construction is about the same for all three. I think all three would work fine. For me it comes down to size vs tools.
The WM has the advantage of having cross references, footnotes, concordance, and maps, but it’s more difficult to write in the inner column. If you want a reference edition this is a great choice. It also has white paper and is proportioned more like the typical Bible. It has a good font size without the Bible feeling too large. This one is great for carry, reading, study, etc.
I find it easier to write in the journal editions because of the single column and writing in the outer margin. The paper has a deep cream, almost yellow, color. They’re great for using a mechanical pencil. For some reason I find it easier to put pencil to paper in the journal editions.
The LP probably has the most space per verse and I find it much easier to read, but it’s also the thickest of the three and could be difficult to handle in Church. I use this one the most, but I don’t carry it anywhere. If you’re ok with carrying something the size of a study Bible this is the one I would choose between the journal editions.
The regular journaling edition is the easiest to handle for me of all three. The text is small though. If I was carrying the Bible around, placing it in my lap for notes, etc., and I didn’t care about font size, this is the one I would choose between the two journal editions.
Hi, this is an extremely useful review complete with images, thank you! I’m struggling to choose between the regular and large-print. I really prefer the less expensive leather bound more compact version for portability though. Would you say that the line-matching (so pleased to see line-matching here) of the regular one, and the opaque paper which does indeed seem more opaque on the original, and crisp font make up for the smallness of the font overall regarding readability? I sometimes think good paper, line-matching, bold type and layout can help a lot where font is small. Would you say the regular is readable?
Again, thank you for a lovely review!
Hi Honor. The paper in the current edition isn’t as opaque as the one I reviewed, but it’s still highly opaque. The paper, print sharpness and darkness, line-matching, and font design, does make the small font more readable. It’s one of the most readable small fonts that I’ve seen.
Do you know if there is a large print single column journal Bible that have wide margins on both sides and bigger spaces between lines? I know if would be large and that’s okay.
Hi JoJo. Unfortunately there isn’t one (at least that I’m aware of). The closest is the Interleaved ESV, but it has a small print.
Did your leather journaling Bible shed? It leaves small “crumbs” all over my clothes and throughout the pages. Trying to decide if swapping out will make any difference. In addition, the spine wrinkles awkwardly when the Bible is open.
Hi Tara. We haven’t had these issues. I recommend exchanging it.
I can’t seem to find this information … is there a Crossway ESV Large Print Journaling Study Bible?
Hi Kathy. Unfortunately the study Bible isn’t available in a journaling edition. That’s an interesting idea though. I’ll bet Crossway would like to hear this idea.
Really super helpful, thank you!