The Bible is filled with creatures and stories that sound like they come from a fantasy novel. Many times we read right past them- not taking the time to consider what they really are. Sometimes there’s something lost in translation and we don’t realize that the Bible is describing something fantastic. Other times, it’s just difficult to imagine what the Bible is describing. The NIV Incredible Creatures and Creations Holy Bible focusing on these creatures and stories; providing full-color artwork and articles for more than 25 mythical and real-life creatures in the Bible.
This Bible is available in two covers:
- Leathersoft ISBN: 9780310761235
- Hardcover ISBN: 9780310761174
I’m reviewing both.
Zonderkidz 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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Video Review
Cover and Binding
The imitation leather (Leathersoft) has a snakeskin, or maybe dragon skin, pattern. It’s perimeter stitched. It looks and feels exotic. The cover closes using a magnetic closure in dark green and gold text with the Bible’s name in a fantasy-style typeface. It’s brown in color with green and gold highlights. The spine is smooth and has the title and logo stamped in gold with an elegant decoration. The liner is brown paper and it’s paste-down. It’s 8 7/8 x 5 5/8 x 1″ and weighs 1ib, 6.8 oz. It includes a ribbon marker. It will need to break in to stay open in Genesis. It comes in a clamshell box that opens on the left side.
The hardcover has a smooth cover with a splotchy green background and gold graphics. The graphics are gold stamped and the text is printed in white. The graphics include the same animals found on the presentation page and elegant decorations all around to give the cover an old-world design. The spine includes the title and logo printed the same way as the front. The back shows the sale information. It’s 8 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 1″ and weighs 1ib, 8.6 oz. It does not include a ribbon marker. It stays open easier than the Leathersoft. This one doesn’t include a box.
Both are Smyth sewn. This is the standard thin-line size and it’s one of my favorite formats for a Bible.
Paper
The paper seems to be in the low to mid-30s in gsm. It’s white in color and it’s highly opaque. It has a slightly rough texture that makes it easier to grab and turn pages. The pages are not gilted.
Typography
The text is presented in double-column paragraph format. The header has the book name, chapter and verse number, and page number in the outer margin. Footnotes are placed after the last verse of the page. They’re indented and include a verticle gray line so they stand apart. Section headings are in bold.
The font is 8.4 with the words of Christ in red. Both the black and the red are about a medium darkness. The print quality stays consistent throughout the text. The text includes letters to key it to the footnotes.
It has around 44 characters across with around 7-9 words per line. It doesn’t seem to be line-matched, but there isn’t much show through. It’s most noticeable in the poetic settings. Poetry and letters stand out well and they’re highly readable. This is an excellent text for reading- especially for the younger audience that this Bible is aimed for.
Art and Articles
What sets this Bible apart is its Scripture-accurate drawings and descriptions of 25 mythical and real-life creatures that are mentioned in the Bible. They’re printed in full color on thick paper that’s placed between the pages throughout the Bible. Creatures include the Nephilim, seraphim, Leviathan, Behemoth, the wheel within a wheel, a phoenix, a griffin, and lots more.
The artwork is kind of between realistic and cartoonish. It looks hand painted, with the color providing the cartoonish look over the realistic models including both backgrounds and the primary subject. It looks great and I think it would appeal to all audiences.
The descriptions are printed over colored backgrounds with elegant boxes decorating around the page. They include the verses that mention the creature and then give a description including translation issues (such as words changing in meaning or words not existing at the time of translation), historical information, and even discusses why God created the creature or how He has used the creature. Some discuss animals that are similar. Some of this information is repeated between the various descriptions but it does tie them together.
Presentation Page
The presentation page is printed in the same paper and with the same designs as the articles. They’re printed in gold and includes portions of animals in the artwork. The back of the page provides information about this Bible. It provides a list of the creatures and tells how they understand them (as far as literal, figurative, extinct, futuristic, etc.).
Conclusion
NIV Incredible Creatures and Creations Holy Bible is an interesting Bible. I’m a visual learner and I find it difficult to imagine what these creatures could have looked like. The art and descriptions in this Bible are what I needed to comprehend what some of them are. I found the creatures fascinating and I learned a lot in the descriptions. I especially liked the historical and translation information. I learned a lot about these creatures and creations that I didn’t know and probably wouldn’t have learned any other way. I’d love to see this type of information in more Bibles.
The text is great for reading and the Bible itself is nice size for reading and carry. It doesn’t have a concordance, references, or maps, but I’d trade those features for the artwork and articles. I recommend the NIV Incredible Creatures and Creations Holy Bible to anyone that’s interested in learning about incredible creatures and creations in the Bible.
_________________________________________________________
This book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Zonderkidz 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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