Thomas Nelson’s NET Large Print Thinline Bible is a text edition with a reduced set of footnotes that provides a clean and readable design. It uses the Comfort Print typeface designed specifically for the NET by 2K/Denmark. It’s available in several covers. I’ve reviewed several Leathersoft editions. In this review, I’ll take a look at two genuine leather editions- one with thumb-index and one without it. Both were printed in China. This article includes the text from those a previous review of the text block with a focus on the new covers. All photos are from the genuine leather editions.
Black ISBN 9780785253501
Brown ISBN 9780785253532
Thomas Nelson provided these Bibles 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 Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
Video Review
Cover and Binding
Both covers are soft and flexible and have perimeter-stitching. Nothing is printed on the front. The spine includes the title, NET logo, and THOMAS NELSON printed in gold. They’re sewn and stay open at Genesis 1 with no trouble. The overall size is 9.5 x 6.9 x 1.1″ and they weigh 1 lb. 14.3 oz.
Black Genuine Leather
The cover is black genuine leather. It has a pebbly grain. The liner is paste-down paper and doubles as the presentation page. This is the only thick end-sheet. The binding is sewn and has no trouble staying open in Genesis 1. The liner is pastedown with black vinyl. Ribbons are green, blue, and black.
Brown Genuine Leather with Thumb Index
The cover is brown genuine leather. It’s also soft to the touch and includes a pebbly grain. The liner is brown paste-down vinyl. Ribbons are blue, green, and dark brown. Most of the thumb-index tabs have 4 books. I find them easy enough to use, but I think fewer books per tab would be ideal.
Paper
The paper seems to be somewhere around the low to mid 30s in gsm. It’s off-white in color and it’s highly opaque. There is no glare under direct light. The texture is slightly rough, which makes the pages easier to separate and turn. I like this paper for reading. I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be good for highlighting. It has 8 blank pages in the back that can be used for notes.
Typography
The text is set in a double-column paragraph layout. Poetry is set to stanzas, lists are actual lists, and Old Testament quotes are in bold italics. The header shows the book name and chapter numbers in the outer corner and the page numbers just inside of that. Footnotes are placed in the outer margin at the bottom of the page. Section headings are in bold italics and are slightly larger than the text.
The font is the 10.5-point Comfort Print font that was designed for the NET by 2K/Denmark. It’s a black-letter text. It’s dark and highly consistent throughout. Each line has around 7 words. The text is printed with line-matching, so the words line up on the same place on both sides of the page to reduce show-through and improve readability. It has a large inner margin to bring the text out onto the flattest part of the page.
Poetry works well. They’re divided into phrases as much as possible, which improves their readability in my opinion. Letters are not indented or identified in any way. I’d like to see them set apart (at least with a section heading) because it would provide a visual cue. Footnotes are identified with a letter or symbol. Old Testament quotes are in bold italics. References that are alluded to by not quoted are in italics, but not bold.
Footnotes
Footnotes are placed in the bottom outer corner of each page. They’re separated from the text with a line. They’re keyed to the text with letters or symbols. Most just have one, which is always an asterisk. There aren’t a lot of footnotes. Instead, these are an abbreviated set of notes. They show where something is quoted from, provide information about the historical and cultural backgrounds, explanations of wordplays, metaphors, euphemisms, and textual variants that need further explanation.
Reading Plan
In the back is a 365-day reading plan. It provides a daily reading for the morning and evening. The morning takes you through the New Testament and the evening takes you through the Old Testament. It’s a table that shows the month for the title and then the data, morning, and evening reading. The design looks like a spreadsheet. There is a little bit of space that you can use to mark the days you’ve read. It’s not designed for this, but it works great anyway.
Maps
It includes 8 glossy pages with 7 full-color Zondervan maps. They’re bright and colorful. It doesn’t include an index. but they do have a lot of annotations and large labels, which helps to make them easier to use. They include topography, distance, routes, borders, possible locations of lost places, battles, elevation, cities, and locations for the events of Jesus’ ministry.
Maps include:
- World of the Patriarchs
- Exodus and Conquest of Canaan
- Land of the Twelve Tribes
- Kingdom of David and Solomon
- Jesus’ Ministry
- Paul’s Missionary Journeys
- Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus
Conclusion
The NET Bible Large Print Thinline in genuine leather is the best edition of the thinline I’ve seen so far. I love the look and feel of both of the genuine leather covers. They stay open on the first page of Genesis with no trouble. Like the other editions, the paper and typeface are excellent for reading and carrying. If you’re interested in a large print thinline NET, the genuine leather editions are what I recommend the most.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Thomas Nelson provided these Bibles in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.