Cam Hyde

 

You can pick this up on Amazon (affiliate) or at Crossway.

Well, hallelujah! What is up? Welcome to the “Not Another Book or Bible Review” channel. My name is Cam Hyde, and I’m here to bring you unconventional, unorthodox book and Bible reviews. Let me tell you, it’s been a little while since I’ve said that, and I’m happy to say it again!

Today, I’m bringing you a Bible that I think is underrated. It needs more love, and I’m here to make you aware of it. This Bible is what I call “middle-tier,” like semi-premium or budget-premium. That’s what I call it.

Today, I’m reviewing the ESV Large Print Personal Size Bible in Buffalo Leather.

Let’s start with the box. People always want to know what’s on the box or what’s going on with the Bible inside, so let me break it down for you.

You’re going to get a 12-point type size. Yes, 12 points! Write that down. You can see this Bible from another room, another house, or even another space. Since you don’t want this Bible to be the size of a Mack truck, it’s double-column. That way, it doesn’t become unmanageably thick.

You also get the words of Christ in red with this Bible. There’s a concordance and, hear this— a lifetime guarantee. Yes, lifetime guarantee!

Let’s take a look at this Bible. For all the ESV fans out there, this is a beauty. It’s got that Buffalo leather. The grain on the Buffalo leather is hard to beat—it’s unmatched. It feels great in your hand, and you just want to keep holding it and rubbing it because of that texture.

Now, I call this semi-premium because, while the Buffalo leather is nice, there are a few things that make it semi-premium. You’ve got spine hubs (or ribs, depending on what you like to call them), gold stamping, and a single ribbon marker. Just one ribbon, which is why it’s semi-premium.

But here’s the good news: Crossway is upgrading their ribbon game. According to my buddy Tim Wildsmith, they’re improving the ribbons in their heirloom collection this fall. Hopefully, they’ll eventually bring that upgrade to the Buffalo leather editions too.

This Bible has a paste-down vinyl liner, which is another reason it’s semi-premium. The vinyl liner gives it more flexibility, and the vinyl end sheets are another semi-premium feature. You don’t get paper end sheets here.

It’s not edge-lined, so it won’t have the added durability of edge-lining, but I do believe it’s Smyth-sewn. It doesn’t say so on the box, but that’s an important feature for durability and quality.

Speaking of Smyth-sewn, I always want to pronounce it “Smith-sewn” because that sounds better to my ears, but I believe the correct pronunciation is Smyth.

Now, let’s talk about some other features. This Bible has nice gold art gilding on the edges, though there’s no red under gold. Again, that’s why it’s semi-premium.

This Bible is about the size of an heirloom Heritage edition, but you get a much bigger type size. Let me turn to a section with paragraphs to show you.

The 12-point type size is huge—really easy to read. This edition includes footnotes and translation notes at the bottom of the page, but no cross-references. It’s double-column, as I mentioned earlier.

The words of Christ are in red. If you’re an ESV person who likes red-letter editions, you’ll appreciate this since those are relatively rare. I’m more of a black-letter person, but I will say that the red in this Bible is a nice, dark, almost maroon shade. It’s easy to read and not too light, which is great.

There’s a concordance in the back of the Bible, which is always a useful tool. Surprisingly, there are no maps in this Bible. Personally, I consider that a bonus because I don’t like maps in Bibles. If you’re like me, you’ll love this feature.

There are several glossy blank pages in the back, which are great for taking notes. However, glossy paper doesn’t work well with regular pens, so I recommend using a fine-tip Sharpie for the best results.

All that being said, this is the ESV Large Print Personal Size Bible. If you like a large type size, a semi-premium feel, and the option for red-letter text, this is a great choice. Even if you prefer black-letter text, you’ll still enjoy this Bible because it’s well-made and practical.

This Bible is underrated. It doesn’t get talked about enough, probably because there are so many ESV editions out there. But this one is a great size—it’s not too big or heavy to carry.

It’s a fantastic Bible to mark up and live in. If you want one, you can find a link in the description of this video. You can also like and subscribe to help me out, which I’d really appreciate. Share this video with a friend if you enjoyed it!

Go pick yourself up one of these Bibles, live in it, mark it up, and use it. That’s what it’s meant for. And remember, it comes with a lifetime guarantee—you can’t beat that.

Until next time!