Foundation’s Side Column Reference Bible in NASB is a single-column, wide-margin edition at an amazing price-point. It has the features you’d expect in a Bible for personal study and preaching/teaching.
Pros
- Wide margins
- Large font
Cons
- Paper is thin for writing
Features
- Updated NASB
- Black Leathertex
- Sewn binding
- Presentation page
- Family records
- 10/11-point font
- Black letter
- 1 inch margin
- Side-column references
- Single-column text
- Verse-by-verse format
- Poetry set to verse
- OT quotes in all-caps
- Section headings
- 82 page concordance/dictionary
- 8 Maps
- Gilted edges
- 1 ribbon marker
- 9.75 x 7 x 1.5
- Suggested retail price $36.95
- ISBN: 9781581351583
Click here to buy from Amazon: Foundation Side Column Reference Bible, NASB
Cover and Binding
The cover is an imitation leather called Leathertex. At first I thought it was genuine leather. I still keep feeling of it to see if I can tell the difference, but it still looks and feels like leather to me. This is the closest to leather that I’ve seen in imitation leather. It feels and looks great. Only time will tell how it holds up. The liner looks like vinyl-coated card-stock. The binding is sewn and it has no problem lying flat.
Paper and Print
The paper is my only complaint about this Bible. It is thinner and less opaque than I like- especially for a wide margin Bible. This may be why it isn’t promoted as a wide-margin Bible. Line-matching would improve its readability, but I would rather have more opacity. This is only a minor complaint at this price. It wouldn’t stop me from buying or recommending it at this price. Given the choice I would pay more for a more opaque paper, especially for a Bible that I’m writing notes in. The font is sharp and at 10/11 it is the perfect size for me. The print quality is consistent throughout. The back of the sleeve it came in says it’s a red-letter edition, but it’s actually black-letter.
Layout
The text is presented in single-column, verse format. Paragraphs are indicated with bold verse numbers. Poetry is set to verse (poetic verses are printed to the right of the verse numbers) and OT quotes are in all-caps. Section headings are centered and printed in a smaller italic font. References and notes are placed on the outside margins, next to their verses. There is a one-inch margin on the outside for writing.
One quirk I noticed is some books start on a new page while others do not. There doesn’t seem to be any reason that I can see for this.
References and Notes
I think it has 95,000 cross-references, although the sleeve says it has 13,000 references. I think this is a misprint. The references are the same as the Large Print and Topical editions. They both say 95,000, and after using them I believe it. There are 14 cross-references given for Genesis 1:1. There are also translation notes that give alternate renderings (the same notes from the Large Print and Topical editions). References are keyed to the text with letters and notes are keyed with letters. The references and notes are some of the strengths of this Bible. A star is used to show a verb that in Greek is a historical present tense, but in English is in past tense for modern vocabulary usage.
Concordance/Dictionary
The concordance includes a dictionary and is 82 pages with three columns per page. 82 pages seems small but having three columns per page makes up for it- there are still plenty of entries for good Bible study and sermon prep. There are 37 entries for God (Deity, Eternal One), and 8 entries for God (false deity, idols). The entries include synonyms. This is a great feature for research and study. I wish all concordances were made this way.
Book Introductions
Rather than placing book-introductions in the text, they are placed in the back of the Bible. Each introduction is about a paragraph long and provides an overview of the books’ content, teaching, or major theme. They provide useful insights so I’m glad they’re included. It doesn’t matter to me where they’re placed, since I will probably only read them a few times.
Maps
There are 8 full-color maps printed on heavy card stock. There is no index to maps but they are annotated and labeled well. An index would improve usability.
Conclusion
This is my favorite Bible from Foundation Publishers. With its references and concordance/dictionary it has enough useful tools for study, and its wide margins are great for note-taking and personal devotions. My only complaint is the paper could be more opaque, but at this price-point I have no problem recommending Foundation’s Side Column Reference Bible. It’s a great choice for daily reading and study.
Click here to buy from Amazon: Foundation Side Column Reference Bible, NASB
Foundation Publications provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review. My opinions are my own.