Thomas Nelson’s new NKJV Compact Maclaren Series is a compact Bible that takes design queues from the regular size NKJV Maclaren. This is not a compact version of the regular-size Maclaren, though. Instead, this is a paragraph text edition designed for travel and everyday carry. It’s available with brown Leathersoft, black Leathersoft, and black genuine leather. In this review, I’ll look at each cover option. All were printed in China.
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.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
Amazon –
Christianbook –
and many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
Video Review
Binding
The NKJV Compact Maclaren Series covers include brown Leathersoft, black Leathersoft, and black genuine leather. It does not include a goatskin edition. I’m looking at all three editions. All three include a presentation page that’s separate from the liner. Their overall size is 4 1/2 x 6 7/8 x 1 3/8″. The Leathersoft editions weigh 1 lb, .2 oz. The genuine leather weighs 1 lb, 1.2 oz.
Black Leathersoft
The black has a texture that looks like a smooth goatskin. It includes perimeter stitching. Nothing is printed on the front. The spine includes 5 raised hubs and gold decorations. The liner is black paste-down paper. Its 2 satin ribbons are black for the OT and a bright blue for the NT.
Brown Leathersoft
The brown Leathersoft is a two-tone cover with a medium shade of brown for the front and a darker shade of brown sewn to it for the spine. It has a smooth grain and some color variation that makes it look elegant. It’s perimeter-stitched with nothing printed on the front. The spine includes 5 raised hubs and gold block decorations. The liner is brown paste-down paper. The 2 satin ribbons are dark brown for the OT and a medium brown for the NT.
Black Genuine Leather
This cover is black genuine leather. It has a pebbly grain with an elegant look and feel. It has perimeter stitching with nothing printed on the front. The spine includes 5 raised his outlined in gold and HOLY BIBLE, KJV, Thomas Nelson printed in gold. The liner is edge-lined with heavy-duty black vinyl and it includes a gilt-line around the inside of the cover. It also has 2 satin ribbons with black for the OT and a bright blue for the NT.
Paper
The Compact Maclaren paper seems to be the same 36gsm paper that’s used in the regular size Maclaren. It’s white in color and it’s extremely opaque. It has a rough texture that makes it easy to grab and turn. This is some of my favorite paper for reading, preaching, and marking.
In the back are 14 lined pages for notes. This is the regular Bible paper.
Typography and Layout
The text in the NKJV Compact Maclaren is presented in a double-column paragraph layout with poetry set to stanzas and letters indented. The header shows the book name and reference in the outer margin and the page number in the center. Footnotes are placed across the footer. Lots of section headings appear throughout the text. The section headings, book names, chapter numbers, and verse numbers are in blue.
The font is 7-point Comfort Print, designed by 2K/Denmark. It’s not as dark as the full-size Maclaren, but it’s dark and consistent throughout. It’s printed with line-matching, so the text is printed in the same location on both sides of the page. The show-through is minimal and the paper is opaque enough that the lines behind the text are white, which keeps the text from looking gray. It has around 8 words per line and it has enough space between the lines to keep it from being too crowded. The blue verse numbers don’t stand out a lot, but they do make it easier to find the verses. The blue section headings are easy to use and there are lots of them.
The footnotes are the reduced set. The chapter and verse numbers they go with are printed in blue. It still includes the main information about the original languages, manuscript variations, and where something is quoted from.
Comparisons
Here’s how the NKJV Compact Maclaren Series compare with the regular size Maclaren and several Bibles that are similar in size.
Thomas Nelson NKJV Maclaren
The regular size NKJV Maclaren is a reference edition in verse-by-verse and a different pagination. It’s much larger and the font is a lot darker. It has a couple more words per line. The paper and blue highlights are the same.
Schuyler Personal Size Quentel
The NKJV Personal Size Quentel is a reference edition. It’s noticeably larger and has a larger font.
Compact Reference
The Thomas Nelson NKJV Compact Reference is a smaller Bible and has end-of-verse references and a larger, darker, font. It’s probably the closest rival to the NKJV Compact Maclaren.
Single Column Compact
The NKJV Compact Single Column is a larger Bible and it’s a reference edition. It’s a completely different design, but this will give you an idea of different options.
NKJV Pitt Minion
The Cambridge Pitt Minion has a similar footprint and it’s a lot thinner. The font is about the same size, but the Maclaren has a little more space between the lines. This makes the Pitt Minion a little more difficult to read. The paper in the Pitt Minion has more show-through.
Conclusion
Thomas Nelson’s NKJV Compact Maclaren Series is an excellent set of Bibles for carrying and reading. The text is small, but it’s also clean and sharp. The small font can be difficult for preaching, but it’s great for everyday carry and taking to church. If you’re interested in a compact text-only NKJV, the Compact Maclaren is a great choice.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
Amazon –
Christianbook –
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.