The LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible is a hand-sized reference edition designed with carrying in mind. It shares the layout with the LSB Giant Print Reference Bible, making an excellent combo or stand-alone edition. It’s available in several covers. I’m reviewing the brown cowhide Sola Scriptura edition, ISBN: 9781636643601, made in Korea.
Three Sixteen Publishing provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review.
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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
Specs
- Genuine Cowhide
- 28 GSM Bible paper
- 2-column paragraph
- 9.5-point font
- Red letter
- 95,000 cross-references
- 14,000 translation footnotes
- Two satin ribbons
- Tables for weights, measurements, and monetary units
- 8 full-color Bible maps
- 5 x 7 x 1.5″
- 1 lb, 6.3 oz
- Printed and bound in Korea
- Current price $90
Cover and Binding
The cover is brown cowhide. The grain is pebbly and the color is solid. It includes perimeter stitching. This is a special edition with Sola Scriptura stamped in gold on the front in a gothic-style font. The spine is rounded and the text is stamped in gold.
The liner is brown paste-down vinyl. The block is sewn. It tries to close in Genesis but stays open well in Exodus. It should stay open with no trouble once it’s been broken in with use. It has two 3/8″ double-sided satin ribbons with one gold and one brown. They’re angle-cut and extra long. The overall size is 5 x 7 x 1.5. It weighs 1lb, 6.3 0z. This is an excellent size for everyday usage.
Paper
The paper is 28gsm. This is not the French Indopaque paper that’s found in Bibles printed by Royal Jongbloed. It’s still good paper, but don’t expect premium paper with a silky feel. It’s slightly rough and off-white. This paper has a good amount of opacity and the show-through is minimal. There are some page crinkles throughout the Bible, but they’re not bad. The pages were stuck together, so I had to separate almost 1880 pages.
Typography
The LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible has a double-column layout with a paragraph setting and poetry set to stanzas. Lists are printed in a list format and personal letters are indented. The header includes the book name and chapter number in the outer margin and the page number in the center, printed in dark red. Cross-references and translation footnotes are printed across the bottom in a single column. Chapter and verse references are bold, making them easy to find. A red line separates the columns from the footer. Book names and chapter numbers are printed in dark red, and section headings are in large bold italics. This edition was typeset by 2K/Denmark.
This is a 9.5-point red-letter edition. The print is mostly dark, but it does have a small amount of variation. The text was printed with line matching, so the lines on both sides of the page are printed in the same location on both sides to reduce show-through. Show-through in this edition is barely noticeable. It has around 6-8 words per line and includes lots of white space in the text. The poetry is divided into good places and looks clean and easy to read. Verse numbers are bold and stand out so they’re easy to find. Supplied words are in italics. Old Testament quotes are in all caps. Footnote keys start over with a and 1 for each verse. Books start on the same page that the last book ended. I found this text easy to read.
References
The LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible contains 95,000 cross-references from Lockman and the full set of 14,000 LSB footnotes. The cross-references are those found in the NASB. The cross-references and footnotes are placed together in the footer. They’re smaller than the text, but they’re not small and are still easy enough to read. These are excellent for study.
Here are a few example references to help you compare:
- Genesis 1:1 – Ps 102:25; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1, 2; Heb 1:10; Ps 89:11; 90:2; Ac 17:24; Rom 1:20; Heb 11:3; Job 38:4; Is 42:5; 45:18; Rev 4:11
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – Mt 22:37; Mk 12:29, 30; Lk 10:27; Dt 4:35, 39; Jn 10:30; 1 Cor 8:4; Eph 4:6
- Isaiah 9:6 – Is 7:14; 11:1, 2; 53:2; Lk 2:11; Jn 3:16; Mt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:25; Is 22:22; Is 28:29; Dt 10:17; Neh 9:32; Is 10:21; Is 63:16; 64:8; Is 26:3, 1254:10; 66:12
- Matthew 28:19 – Mk 16:15; Mt 13:52; Ac 1:8; 14:21; Mt 25:32; Lk 24:47; Ac 2:38; 8:16; Rom 6:3; 1 Cor 1:13, 15; Gal 3:27
- Mark 12:29 – Dt 6:4
- John 1:1 – Gen 1:1; Col 1:17; 1 Jn 1:1; Jn 1:14; Rev 19:13; Jn 17:5; 1 Jn 1:2; Ph 2:6
- John 3:16 – Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4; 2 Thes 2:16; 1 Jn 4:10; Rev 1:5; Rom 8:32; 1 Jn 4:9; Jn 1:18; 3:18; 1 Jn 4:9; Jn 3:36; 6:40; 11:25
- Acts 2:38 – Mk 1:15; Lk 24:47; Ac 3:19; 5:31; 20:21; Mk 16:16; Ac 8:12, 16; 22:16
- Romans 10:9 – Mt 10:32; Lk 12:8; Rom 14:9; 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11; Ac 16:31; Rom 4:24; Ac 2:24
- 1 John 1:1 – Jn 1:1; 1 Jn 2:13, 14; Ac 4:20; 1 Jn 1:3; Jn 19:35; 2 Pet 1:16; 1 Jn 1:2; Jn 1:14; 1 Jn 4:14; Lk 24:39; Jn 20:27; Jn 1:1, 14
Tables
In the back are a couple of tables with Monetary Units, and Weights and Measurements. Both are simple and provide the name with a short description.
Maps
In the back are 9 Lockman maps printed on 8 semi-glossy pages. They’re colorful and have lots of information and annotations. It doesn’t include an index to maps, but the annotations help. Large land areas have a sandy texture while all other colors are solid. They include cities, empires, distances, routes, battle sites, mountains, settlements, seas, journeys, etc.
- The Biblical World of the Patriarchs
- The Exodus Route and Conquest of Canaan
- The Twelve Tribes of Israel
- The Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
- The Herodian Kingdom in the Time of Christ
- a- Old Testament Jerusalem, b- New Testament Jerusalem
- The Ministry of Jesus
- The Missionary Journeys of Paul
Comparison
LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible shares the pagination with the LSB Giant Print Reference Bible. The Giant print includes a concordance and it’s a black-letter edition. They work well together as a combo. If you don’t need a large print or a concordance, then the Portable Paragraph is a great option for your only Bible.
Video Review
Conclusion
The LSB Portable Paragraph Reference Red Letter Bible is an excellent portable edition. The text doesn’t feel like a small Bible and it has lots of references and footnotes. It doesn’t have a concordance, but that’s probably the least used tool in a carry Bible anyway. This is easily one of the best hand-sized Bibles in the NASB family. If you’re looking for a portable LSB, this one is worth a look.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Three Sixteen Publishing 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.
This is the Bible they should have started the LSB with. The Giant print version (13-pt font) is WAY too big, as heavy as many Study Bibles. Ideally they had made a 10-point version, but the Portable ref. is close enough. Only drawback is lack of Concordance.
Good points! This would have been a good place to start, and a 10-point would be a great choice.
I sent them a letter when the PPR was first announced and suggested split the difference with an 11pt version.
Giant print is good if you really need the size, but it makes for a massive bible foot print & weight.
The 9.5 pt is fine for reading (same font as the Handy size), but the foot print of the bible seems a little small for preaching/teaching.
An 11 pt font should make the font just perfect in the middle.