The NASB Thinline Bible in Black Leathersoft from Zondervan: a Bible Review

Thanks to Zondervan, the New American Standard Bible has made a strong come back. They have created several new offerings as well as having more in the works. The NASB is a great, literal translation of the Bible and it has been great for a company to pick it up and start offering new Bibles.

I’ve become more appreciative of what one might call beater Bibles. These are Bibles you can tote with you, put them through their paces, and not be too worried if you rough them up a bit. Bible publishers’ imitation leather seems to be getting better and better, which means these Bibles are becoming a real value since they can go farther and take more of a beating.

The Bible I’m reviewing today from Zondervan is their NASB Thinline in what is labeled as Black Leathersoft. Truly, though it is a black and grey. I like the design of this Bible. The top quarter of the binding is grey with the bottom three quarters being black. It has a grey stitch going around the perimeter and the black and grey are joined with five rows of stitches, with the fourth row (if you’re going from top to bottom) being a distinct blue color. On the spine, you’ll find the words, “NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE”, “HOLY BIBLE”, “NASB”, and the Zondervan logo. These are all embossed in black. The page edges have a silver art gilt and the Bible has two single-sided satin ribbon bookmarks—one being grey and the other black.

The Bible has a paste down liner that is grey with lighter grey stripes with a presentation page to match. In the beginning, you have translation notes for the NASB, which seems to be typical in the new ones produced by Zondervan.

The pages themselves are a bright white. They seem relatively thin and there is definite ghosting, especially when it comes to chapter numbers. However, the Bible is less than one inch thick so you have to make sacrifices for that small of a footprint.

The text layout is a double-column, verse-by-verse. I really like the idea that such an inexpensive Bible is laid out in a verse-by-verse format. This means that if you’ve never experienced this type of layout, Zondervan has made it easily accessible. I have found verse-by-verse especially helpful for preaching and teaching and it has quickly become one of my favorite layouts.

The text is 9-point and set in Zondervan’s NASB comfort print, which I really like, but do think it may read smaller than a true 9-point. Words of Christ are in red in this edition. This surprised me because I feel like you don’t typically encounter red letters in the NASB layout, but I suppose each printer can do what they want.

The end of the Bible features some lists that also seem to be standard when it comes to Zondervan NASBs. They are useful, though. You’ll find “Miracles of Jesus”, “Parables of Jesus”, “Perspectives from the Bible”, and “Promises from the Bible”. On the last page you’ll find a note regarding the type.

All in all, I think this is a great offering from Zondervan. It’s affordable, built well, and let’s you experience the verse-by-verse format for not much money. If you are looking for a NASB to carry on the go that you wouldn’t be heartbroken to give away or for it to get roughed up then look no further. This may be the do-it-all Bible you’ve been looking for.

You can pick up the NASB Thinline on Amazon. (affiliate)

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this Bible from Zondervan in exchange for a fair and honest review.