Zondervan’s Premier Collection NIV Personal-Size Bible Large-Print is a premium version of the original NIV Personal-Size Bible Large-Print Bible. It adds a goatskin cover with an interesting design and unique gilding with a decorative pattern. It’s ideal for anyone wanting a high-quality large print personal size NIV. This is ISBN 9780310462170, printed in China.
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.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
- Video Review
- Binding
- Paper
- Typography and Layout
- Table of Weights and Measures
- Bible Atlas
- Comparisons
- Conclusion
Video Review
Binding
The cover is dark green goatskin leather. The goatskin is thick and has a soft feel with a semi-pronounced grain. It has perimeter stitching and a small yapp. The front has a decorative gold frame around the perimeter. The spine has HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, and ZONDERVAN printed in gold. It has 4 raised spine hubs. They’re large and look elegant. The spine is slightly rounded. The cover is slightly stiff, making it easy to hold flat in one hand.
The liner is black edge-lined leather. A gold gilt line traces around the perimeter of the liner. The text block is Smyth sewn and it has overcast stitching in the first signature to give it more support. The tab is stiff, so it will need to be broken in for a while before it will stay open at the beginning of Genesis. It has no trouble staying open around chapter 30.
It has 3 3/8″ ribbons: dark green, gold, and black. They’re extra long and are cut at an angle. The overall size is 6 x 9.3 x 1.5″ and it weighs 2 lbs, 4 oz. This size is great for carrying, studying, reading, preaching, and teaching.
Paper
The paper is a premium 36gsm European paper that’s used in all the Premier Collection Bibles. It looks and feels premium with a slightly off-white color. It’s highly opaque and has a smooth texture. I find it easy to separate the pages between my fingers and turn. It does have a slight glare under certain lighting, but it’s barely noticeable. The page edges are gilded with a gold diamond pattern with a graphic that matches the pattern in the frame on the cover. I love this gilded design trend and I hope to see more Bibles with similar gilt patterns. There are 4 pages in the back for notes.
Typography and Layout
The text is presented in a double-column, paragraph layout with poetry in stanzas, lists formatted as lists, and personal letters indented. The header includes the book name, chapter, and verse number, a verticle line, and the page number in the outer margin. The translation footnotes are placed in the footer in the right column after the last verse on each page. All highlights are in dark green.
The font is an 11.5-point Comfort Print typeface. This is a black-letter edition. The font is large and dark, and highly consistent throughout. I find it easy to read. It has around 6-7 words per line on average with lots of space between the words and the lines to make it comfortable to read or underline. The text does go a little further into the bend of the gutter than I’d like, but the inner margin space keeps it from going too far.
It wasn’t printed with line-matching (meaning the words on both sides of the page are not placed in the same location on the page to improve readability). This is most noticeable in the poetic settings. Fortunately, the show-through isn’t that bad. The verse numbers are large and easy to see, but they don’t stand out. It might take an extra second or two to find them when preaching. The larger portions of the text (that are too large to fit in the footnotes) that are identified as not in the earliest manuscripts are labeled and printed with italics.
The poetic setting has deep intentions for the lines that continue the previous stanza. This causes lots of lines to have one word. This makes the poetic settings stand out and not look as pretty as they could be.
The translation footnotes are in a smaller font and are placed under the last verse on the page and have a green vertical bar that lines up with the left edge of the column, separating the notes from the text. They include explanations of the Greek and Hebrew words, references where something is quoted from, measures, etc.
Table of Weights and Measures
After the text is a one-page table of weights and measures. It shows the biblical unit and approximate American and metric equivalents. It includes weights, length, and capacity for both dry and liquid measures. It also includes information about how the calculations were derived. Some of this information is also found in the footnotes.
Bible Atlas
In the back are 7 full-color Zondervan maps printed on 8 thick semi-glossy pages. They’re colorful and include topography, distance, routes, borders, possible locations of lost places, battles, elevation, cities, and locations for the events of Jesus’ ministry. It does not include an index but the maps are annotated well and easy to use.
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
Comparisons
Here’s how the NIV Large-Print Personal-Size Bible compares to the closest editions I have. These are in the Premier Collection, so they’re in a higher price range, but if you’re familiar with them then you’ll get a better idea of the quality and size of the NIV Large-Print Personal-Size.
NIV Personal Size Bible Large Print
NIV Personal Size Bible Large Print
Premier Collection NIV Thinline Bible Large Print
The Premier Collection NIV Thinline Bible Large Print is thinner and has a larger footprint. The font is smaller and has the same darkness. Both are black-letter editions. It has more words per line, which makes the poetic setting look better. The indentations in the poetic setting still go too far into the line for me.
NIV Heritage Passaggio Setting
The NIV Heritage Passaggio Setting is about the same size. The main differences in the text are the smaller font, different colors for the highlights, and the Passaggio setting for prose.
Conclusion
NIV Personal Size Bible Large Print Premier Collection Bible is an excellent large print personal size NIV. The quality of the materials and construction are excellent. The cover and gilt are unique and stand out from the crowd, giving this Bible an elegant look and feel. If you’re interested in a large print personal size NIV, this one is a good choice.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (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.