Thomas Nelson’s NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition is a pocket New Testament made using Royal Jongbloed’s patented Dwarsligger design. In English, that’s the Flipback design. In other words, the spine of the Bible is at the top instead of the side, allowing the book to open by flipping the cover from the bottom to the top. This is the same design used for the Cambridge Transetto. It uses both pages as a single page, which creates a small book that doesn’t sacrifice font size, creating a pocket edition that’s easy to carry and read. This is ISBN:9780785247197, made in the Netherlands by Royal Jongbloed.
Thomas Nelson 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 Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
- Video Review
- Binding
- Paper
- Typography and Layout
- Footnotes
- Comparisons
- Conclusion on the NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition
Video Review
Binding
The cover and binding are a lot different in the NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition than standard Bibles. The cover is a hardcover card with three hard segments that are separated by flexible hinges. It’s attached to the text block on one side. The spine is extra-flexible, allowing the pages to rise so high that it creates an almost flat page. When it’s opened, the cover remains a flat surface, keeping the pages flat and making it easy to hold in one hand.
The pages are flatter in the middle of the block than in the front and back. This is due to the tape around the spine being a little stiff. I’m sure it will break in with use, and it’s very usable the way it is. The block is sewn, so you do see the sections. The pages are flatter when you hold it.
The overall size is 4 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 11/16″ (just under 1/2). It weighs 5 oz. The size and shape when opened make it feel similar to holding a Kindle. In its closed position, it feels like a deck of cards. It fits well into a pocket. It’s easy to hold it in one hand to read.
Paper
The paper is 30gsm. This seems to be the same or similar paper that Thomas Nelson uses in all their lower-cost Bibles. It’s white and has no glare under direct light. It does have some show-through, but that’s mostly hidden by the line-matching. It’s most noticeable at the end of a paragraph or in poetic settings. I did find it a little distracting at first but after a few minutes of reading, I forgot about it. The pages are easy enough to turn, but it does take a while to get used to grabbing the page by the top or bottom corner to turn the pages up or down.
Typography and Layout
The top and bottom pages are treated as a single page. The text is presented in a single column layout with poetry set to stanzas, personal letters indented, and lists printed as lists. Section headings are in bold caps. The header includes the book name, chapter, and verse in the left margin and the page number in the right margin. Footnotes are placed along the bottom of the page.
The typeface is a 9-point Comfort Print designed for the NKJV by 2K/Denmark. It’s a black-letter text that’s dark and it’s mostly consistent throughout. I did see some minor print variation, but for the price point, I’m more than happy with it. It’s printed with line-matching, and the text does line up well with the text on the other side of the page.
Most pages have around 14 words per line. I’d normally think this would be too many words, but the page is completely flat from side to side. This means the text is never bent on one end. The bending is what makes me lose my place in the text, which causes me to want fewer words per line. Having 14 words on a flat page works fine for reading. I never got lost. It was more similar to reading on a tablet (which I do a lot because I prefer straight lines for reading).
Poetry is almost centered. The poetic settings are beautiful with this word count. The poetic lines are divided into the best places, making the poetic lines look and read in the most balanced way p[opssible. This is my favorite way to divide poetic lines. It makes me want Pslams and Proverbs to be included, but unfortunately, they’re not.
Footnotes
The NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition has the reduced set of NKJV footnotes. They show variant readings and identify the manuscripts and other sources. They also include references where something is quoted from, explanations of certain words or phrases, Greek words, alternate renderings, etc. I like these notes a lot and I’m glad to see them included. I also like that they include references to the OT. They’re less useful since this edition doesn’t have the OT books, but I still like having that reference.
Comparisons
Here’s how the NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition compares to a few similar Bibles.
Cambridge Transetto
The Cambridge Transetto is also a Flipback edition printed by Royal Jongbloed. It has the same footprint, but it’s a lot thicker. It has the entire KJV text in a double-column format with no line breaks except for the chapters. The font is noticeably smaller and lighter. It has a ragged right edge and a 2-color design. It has 28gsm paper. Even with the smaller font, it’s highly readable. I’m sure the poetic setting would make it much larger.
NKJV Compact Single Column Reference Bible
The NKJV Compact Single Column Reference Bible is a standard single-column reference Bible, so they’re only slightly similar. It has a smaller font and the overall size is a lot larger, even though it’s a small Bible. It has thicker paper with less show-through. The font isn’t quite as dark, but it’s more than dark enough. It’s my top pick for a low-cost, hand-sized, reference NKJV. Of course, the NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition is much easier to carry and use.
Conclusion on the NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition
Thomas Nelson’s NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition is a joy to carry and read. I love small Bibles, but I still want a fairly large font. This design allows for that. It does take some time to get used to it, but it’s worth it in my opinion. I love reading the single-column setting and the flat page makes it even easier to read. It’s designed and made well. The price is low enough that you can carry it around without worrying about it.
I don’t usually carry just a New Testament, but I like this one so much that can’t leave it at home. I would like to see it with Psalms and Proverbs, though. If you’re interested in a small NKJV New Testament that’s made to fit in your pocket, I recommend giving the Thomas Nelson NKJV New Testament Flipback Edition a try.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Thomas Nelson 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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