The single-column journaling Bible format continues its popularity with publishers and readers. And with good reason – it’s a great format for notes, artwork, thoughts, etc. Thomas Nelson has now entered the market with their own single-column journaling edition. I’m reviewing the KJV edition.
Binding
This edition is black hard cover with an elastic band just like the moleskine journals. It feels well-made. I think it would hold up well for daily use and carry. At its price-point it’s one of those Bibles you can use and not worry about what happens to it. It has a sewn binding and has no issues laying open to any page. The overall size is 8 x 6.5 x 1.5. It includes one ribbon.
Paper
The paper is the cream writable paper found in the ESV Journaling Bible. If I were to guess I’d say it’s around 38gsm. It’s excellent for use with markers, highlighters, pencils, pens, gesso, paint, etc. The pages in this edition are not gilted, which gives you the opportunity to do your own decorating.
There are 10 ruled pages in the back marked for notes. These will come in handy since there are no other helps in the back of any kind.
Typography
The text is presented in single column, verse by verse format. There are no pronunciation marks but it does have italics for supplied words. The font is 7.5 point. It’s red-letter, dark, and consistent throughout. The red is darker than most Bibles. Some pages have lines match and some do not. The paper is opaque enough that it doesn’t really matter that much. The columns are 3 5/8” wide and has around 80 characters across. Most lines have around 14-16 words. Verse numbers are not indented. The verses start a few spaces after the numbers, which makes the verses easy to find quickly.
The outer margin is 2” and has 40 lines for notes. The lines are faint enough to draw over but dark enough to help when writing notes. I was concerned about the inner margin. It seems like the text could get lost of the bend into the gutter, but this hasn’t been an issue.
The section headings are bold. I like the section headings. There are lots of them. I like that Nelson places a heading for each day of the creation week. There are 9 for Genesis chapter 1. The header includes the page number, book name, chapter number, and the first or last verse that starts on that page. Books start on a new page, so if there’s any space left at the end of a book you have a little bit of space for notes.
I’ve used it for reading and preaching and it performed well on both accounts. For reading behind the pulpit I didn’t have any issues losing which line to read next. The font was dark enough and the paper was opaque enough to make up for the small print.
If I Could Change One Thing
I’d like to see a KJV with a modern layout. This Bible would be a great choice for that because of its clean text. It would need to be in paragraph format, place poetry in stanzas, and indent letters. With the amount of section headings this Bible has it would look amazing.
Comparisons
Here are a few comparisons with the Holman single-column journal Bible. The Nelson has less show-through, but the Holman is a touch darker, so that plays a role. The paper is a darker cream than the Holman.
The Nelson is on the left.
The Nelson is on the right.
Conclusion
The single column journal format is a great choice for creating your own study Bible, journaling, art-journaling, taking notes, creating your own chain reference Bible, etc. The Nelson Journal Edition holds its own and is a great choice for anyone wanting a single-column journaling Bible in KJV.
Thomas Nelson provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review – only an honest review. My opinions are my own.