Thomas Nelson’s NKJV Single Column Reference Bible is a blue genuine leather edition with graphics on the page edges that create an interesting design. It includes the Comfort Print text designed by 2K/Denmark. This is ISBN: 9780785289074, made in China.
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 many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
- Binding
- Paper
- Typography and Layout
- References
- Concordance
- One Year Reading Plan
- Bible Atlas
- Comparisons
- Conclusion
Binding
This edition is blue genuine leather. The blue is dark. It’s soft to the touch and has an embossed grain you can see and feel. It has no writing on the front, and it does have perimeter stitching. The spine has HOLY BIBLE, the NKJV logo, and the Thomas Nelson logo printed in silver, and two stamped patterns in the empty areas of the spine. It has 5 thick raised spine hubs. The spine is slightly rounded, which I like a lot.
The liner is paste-down vinyl. It’s not as stiff as most vinyl liners I’ve seen. It’s Smyth sewn and stays open on the first page of Genesis with no trouble.
It includes two 3/8″ satin ribbons, dark blue for the OT and dark red for the NT. They’re long enough to pull to the corner to open easily. The overall size is 5 1/2 x 8 3/4 x 1 7/8″. It weighs 2 lbs, 11.1 oz. It’s a little thicker than I’d like, but it’s easy enough to carry and hold.
Paper
The box doesn’t say this has European premium Bible paper, but the paper does seem to be similar to the 36gsm premium European Bible paper used in the Premier Collection and the black genuine leather edition. It’s white in color and looks to be a touch more opaque than the block genuine leather. The texture is just rough enough to make the pages easy to turn. This paper is great for reading for long periods of time.
Page edges are what sets this edition apart from the others. Rather than art-gilding, it has a fancy pattern printed into the gold gilt. I actually prefer this to a solid color. This gilt looks amazing and I consider it to be the standout feature, but the blue genuine leather is great too. Together, they create an elegant design that’s attractive and useful.
Typography and Layout
The content is the same as the black genuine leather and Premier Collection editions. The New King James text is presented in single-column paragraph format. Cross-references are placed in the outer margin as far down the page as possible. The header includes the book name and chapter numbers are printed in red and they’re placed in the outer corner. Under this is a black line followed by the page number in black. The red highlights set this design apart.
The typeface is the Comfort Print designed for the New King James by 2K/Denmark. It’s marked as 10.5. It looks a little small for its size, but it is great for reading. The font is black letter text. It has red highlights throughout the text within the page titles, section headings, drop caps, cross reference and footnote keys, header, and the reference keys in the margins. The red looks amazing. They chose the right shade of red.
It has around 62 characters across, which provides space for around 10-12 words per line. I love this character and word count. This is perfect for my tastes and makes one of the best layouts available. The text is clean and easy to read and the poetry looks elegant. The Old Testament quotes use the newer NKJV style rather than the oblique type. The text is printed with line-matching to improve readability.
References
The cross-references and footnotes are placed in the outer margin. Rather than placing them next to the verses they correspond to, they’re placed as far down the page as possible. Cross-references and footnotes are placed under the pilot numbers and they’re left justified. The pilot chapter and verse numbers are in red. This looks great in the margin, but it’s the opposite of the red letters in the text, so the advantage of the color is almost lost. It still looks great, though. If they do make a layout like this of the KJV I’d like to see the verse numbers in the text be red instead of the cross-reference and footnote keys.
Here are some example references to help you compare:
- Genesis 1:1 – Ps 102:25; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1-3; Heb 1:10; Gen 2:4; Ps 8:3; 89:11; 90:2; Is 44:24; Acts 17:24; Rom 1:20; Heb 1:2; 11:3; Rev 4:11
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – Deut 4:35; Mark 12:29; John 17:3; 1 Cor 8:4, 6
- Isaiah 9:6 – Isa 7:14; Luke 2:11; John 1:45; Luke 2:7; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9; Matt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:25; Rev 12:5; Judg 13:18; Titus 2:13; Eph 2:14
- Matthew 17:20 – Mat 21:21, Mk 11:23, Lk 17:6, 1 Cor 12:9
- Mark 11:23 – Matt 17:20; 21:21; Luke 17:6
- Mark 12:29 – Deut 6:4, 5; Is 44:8; 45:22; 46:9; 1 Cor 8:6
- John 1:1 – Gen 1:1; Col 1:17; 1 John 1:1; John 1:14; Rev 19:13; John 17:5; 1 John 1:2; 5:20
- John 2:19 – Mat 26:61, 27:40, Mk 14:58, 15:29, Lk 24:46, Acts 6:14, 10:40, 1 Cor 15:4
- Acts 2:38 – Luke 24:47
- 1 John 1:1 – John 1:1; 1 John 2:13, 14; Luke 1:2; John 1:14; 2 Pet 1:16; Luke 24:39; John 2:27; John 1:1, 4, 14
The footnotes are the standard NKJV translation footnotes, which are my favorite footnotes. I find them to be useful because they provide manuscript variations and identify the manuscripts.
Concordance
The concordance is 76 pages and it has 2 columns per page. The words in the header are printed in red. It includes a lot of entries. This a good concordance for study. It doesn’t include other common names. It does have Jesus, though.
Here are a few example entries and the number of references they provide to help you compare:
- Christ – 13
- Christian(s) – 2
- Faith – 40
- Faithful – 20
- Faithfulness – 5
- Faithless – 2
- God – 38
- Goddess – 2
- Godhead – 2
- Godliness – 4
- Godly – 3
- Praise – 25
- Praised – 4
- Praises – 2
- Praiseworthy – 1
- Praising – 3
- Pray – 14
- Prayed – 2
- Prayer – 16
- Prayers – 5
One Year Reading Plan
In the back, it has a one-year reading plan with two readings per day. The readings include Morning, which takes you through the New Testament, and Evening, which takes you through the Old Testament. A table shows the month, date, and both readings. The readings follow the standard biblical order.
Bible Atlas
It includes 8 pages with 7 full-color Zondervan maps printed on thick glossy paper. They’re printed in bright earth tones, which are some of my favorite colors for maps. It doesn’t have an index but the maps are annotated well and I find them easy 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
Comparisons
Here’s a look at the NKJV Single Column Reference Bible next to the NKJV Single Column Reference Bible in black genuine leather.
Premier Collection NKJV Single Column Reference Bible
The two Bibles are mostly the same, but the blue genuine leather has several upgrades that make it the Bible I’d choose. The black genuine leather has less opacity than the blue genuine leather edition. Its leather is a touch stiffer and it doesn’t stay open as well as the blue. Also, it doesn’t include raised spine hubs or the fancy pattern on the page edges.
Conclusion
Thomas Nelson’s NKJV Single Column Reference Bible in blue genuine leather is one of the best hand-sized NKJV Bibles I’ve seen. The upgrades over the black genuine leather make it stand out and look and feel even more elegant. The tools and layout are great for reading, carrying, and studying. The construction quality, materials, and design are easy to recommend to any NKJV fan.
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This Bible is available at (includes affiliate links)
and many 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.
Wow, just when I thought I had enough Thomas Nelson NKJVs they spring another one on me! I’ll have to fight off the urge to buy this one, because it looks really nice! Thanks for another great review, Randy.