The NASB Preacher’s Premier Collection Bible provides the 1995 edition of the New American Standard Bible in a verse-by-verse setting that’s ideal for preaching. It also features a durable goatskin leather cover to ensure it will hold up to lots of use. What makes it unique among preaching Bibles is that it matches the first and last words on each page of the NASB Pew and Worship Bible, so the congregation can follow the preacher on the same page. This is ISBN: 9780310453857, printed in China with materials from around the world.
Zondervan 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 book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
Video Review
Cover and Binding
The cover is black goatskin. It’s soft to the touch and highly flexible. I love the grain. It has perimeter stitching and a touch of a yapp. It’s flexible and can be rolled around like a newspaper, but at the same time, I had no trouble holding it open in one hand. I think being a thin Bible helps make it easier to handle.
It has no printing on the front. The spine has HOLY BIBLE, New American Standard Bible, and the Zondervan logo printed in gold. It also has 5 raised hubs.
The liner is edge-lined with leather and it has a gold gilt-line around the inside perimeter which stands out and gives it an elegant look. The tab is a little stiff for the first signature, which causes and hump in the beginning portion of Genesis. I have used it for several weeks, but I also used other Bibles during that time and I think this will break in with a little more use. It’s Smyth-sewn and has overcast stitching in the front and the back. This makes the pages lay a little awkwardly, but that’s normal. This adds a lot of strength to the binding and it should last for many years of use.
It has 3 satin ribbon markers at 3/8″ each- two black and one red. The ribbons are extra-long and are easy to use. It also has black head/tail bands. The overall size is 9 3/4 x 6 3/4 x 1 1/8″. It weighs 2 lbs, 1.8 oz.
Paper
The paper is 36gsm premium European paper. It is off-white in color and highly opaque. There’s no glare under direct light. It’s smooth to the touch, but it isn’t slippery. I find it easy enough to grab and separate the pages to turn. This paper is excellent for reading and preaching. The edges are red under gold art-gilt.
Typography
The text is presented in a double-column, verse-by-verse format. Poetry is set to stanzas. Lists are, well, lists. The letters in Acts are indented. The header shows the page number, book name, and chapter number. The page number and the book name are separated by a black icon. The footer includes the translation notes in the center and is separated from the text with a line. Section headings, chapter numbers, verse numbers, header text, book titles, and the line in the footers are printed in red.
The typeface is 10-point. It was designed exclusively for the Zondervan NASB line of Bibles by 2K/Denmark. This is the same font design as used in the Single Column Reference edition. The print is dark and consistent throughout. Most lines have around 8 words. It’s line-matched, so the lines on both sides of the page are printed in the same space to improve readability.
Old Testament quotes in the New Testament are printed in all-caps. Supplied words are printed in italics. Footnote keys are upper-case letters. Asterisks show when the words in Greek are historical presents even though the English is in the past tense. Verses that start a new paragraph are slightly bolder than the rest, but they don’t stand out much. Brackets are used for portions of the text that don’t appear in the Critical text.
Like Zondervan’s Single Column Reference NASB, this one has the reduced set of translation notes. They provide insights into alternate renderings, the meaning of words, weights and measures, manuscript notifications, etc.
At first, the text did look like it would need more space between the lines for preaching, but I had no trouble preaching from it once I started preaching. I like the clean text without reference keys getting in the way. The red verse numbers make verses easy to find. The red section headings are great for scanning the page and for helping keep your place when you look away from the page while preaching. The font is the perfect size for me, but if you prefer giant print then you might not like preaching from this one.
Extras
There are several lists of Scriptures in the back that are great for study and sermon prep. Most are just one page, but they do provide some study help and a quick reference. They include:
- Miracles of Jesus
- Parables of Jesus
- Perspectives from the Bible
- Prayers of the Bible
- Promises from the Bible
Comparisons
NASB Pew and Worship Bible
The NASB Pew and Worship Bible is smaller and has a smaller font. The page numbers match. Pairing the NASB Preacher’s Premier Collection Bible with the NASB Pew and Worship Bible was a wise move. This adds a level of convenience that’s hard to get without the preacher using a pew Bible. The content of the pages match, but at the same time, the column widths are different between them. The only thing that matches 100% is the first and last word on each page. The number of lines per page and the width of the columns is different. They still match close enough that the preacher can give the page number and even provide a close proximity of where something is located.
NKJV Preaching Bible
The NKJV Preaching Bible (and the KJV Preaching Bible) from Thomas Nelson has a larger print and different materials. It’s a calfskin edition with 36gsm paper, but not the premium European paper used in the Premier Collection. It has blue highlights instead of red. Cross-references are placed in the footer.
NKJV Large Print Thinline Premier Collection
Thomas Nelson’s NKJV Large Print Thinline Premier Collection Has the same footprint and thickness. Its font is slightly larger. Of course, it’s a paragraph setting and has references. It uses the same materials.
NIV Thinline Premier Collection
The NIV Large Print Thinline Premier Collection from Zondervan is a lot thinner but the font is noticeably larger. It has a paragraph setting and uses the same materials.
NASB Single Column Reference Premier Collection
Zondervan’s NASB Single Column Reference Premier Collection Bible has about the same footprint, but it’s much thicker. It has a larger font, cross-references, and wide margins in the outer column. It has the same materials. When I reviewed it, I was actually convinced that I’d prefer to preach from it, and I would choose it over the Preacher’s Bible if I made notes in my preaching Bible. Overall, though, I did prefer to preach from the Preacher’s Bible because of the narrower columns and the text not getting lost in the gutter. The SCR is also a little more difficult to carry around. It’s a great choice, though, and it really would be difficult to choose between them.
Schuyler Thin NKJV Quentel
The thin Quentel series is made with higher quality materials. Of course, this is reflected in the price. The Quentel has thinner paper and a larger font in paragraph.
Cambridge ESV Topaz
The Topaz is also in a higher price-range and has higher quality materials. The paper is thinner and the text is verse-by-verse.
Conclusion
Zondervan’s NASB Preacher’s Premier Collection Bible is an excellent Bible for preaching. I find it to be easy to read from behind the pulpit. The fact that it matches the Pew and Worship Bible is an added bonus that many preachers and teachers will appreciate. I love the paper and print quality. The goatskin and overcasting ensure this Bible will last for a long time. Some might prefer a larger print or writing space. In that case, the Single Column Reference is another excellent choice.
Like the other Preaching Bibles that I’ve reviewed, this Bible can be used by anyone. What makes this a Preacher’s Bible is the fact that it’s verse-by-verse (for those preachers who prefer this format), has a focus on the text to make it easier to read from the pulpit, and has no other tools in the back. In reality, is a good text edition in v-b-v that’s a great choice for anyone interested in a goatskin thinline NASB with large print.
_________________________________________________________
This book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Zondervan 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.