The ESV Reader's Bible, Six-Volume Set: with Chapter and Verse Numbers in Goatskin Over Board
It’s a joy for me to once again be partnering with my friends at Westminster Books to bring you an exclusive review of the ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set: with Chapter and Verse Numbers in Goatskin Over Board with a Walnut Slipcase. This review wouldn’t be possible without the aid of my friends at Westminster Books. I highly recommend you use them for your book and Bible needs.
It’s hard to express the beauty of this Reader’s Set, but let’s try.
Packaging
These days, not a lot of Bibles make say “Wow!” when opening the box, but just the packaging of this edition blew me away. It arrived in a cardboard box with an intricate design and the ESV logo on the outside. I wasn’t prepared for what I would see when I opened the box. Inside, there was a Styrofoam crate that encapsulated the whole box of the ESV Reader’s Set. Rest assured, if you order this set, it will be safe during the shipping—as it should because you’ve spared no expense for this premium Bible.
Taking it out of the foam crate revealed an ESV box that is black with a gold design. Are you starting to get the image of nesting dolls here? Opening that box reveals the actual Reader’s Set in the walnut slipcase. Between the six volumes and the slipcase there’s another piece of foam wrapping the books and protecting them. I love the attention to detail in the packing and this definitely signals that this is a premium set.
Outer Materials
The walnut slipcase itself is beautiful. It’s a deep brown and is smooth to the touch. It will definitely be a statement piece sitting on your shelf. One thing that I appreciate is that it provides just enough wiggle room for the volumes so that you’re not trying to really wedge them in and out of the case. It doesn’t look like it’s missing a book, but it also isn’t a tight squeeze so you can actually frequently use the set.
The volumes themselves are beautiful. The black goatskin is awesome with a very pebbly grain. It feels nice over the board. The spine has five raised ribs with gold foil print. The category of the books is printed at the top such as “Pentateuch”, “Poetry”, “Gospels and Acts”, etc. Under this is the ESV logo, the volume number, “ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION”, and the Crossway logo with the word “CROSSWAY” beside it.
Each volume is Smyth-sewn and has a red single-sided satin bookmark. I would’ve like to have seen these be double-sided satin, but I do enjoy the contrasting red instead of the typical black bookmarks Crossway usually uses. Each volume has black and gold head and tail bands and the page edges are the same color as the paper.
Inner Materials and Text Block
The inside features a vinyl paste down liner that seems very well done and durable. The reader is at first greeted with a Table of Contents. The first volume features an Introduction to the Reader’s Set and a Preface about the Bible, the ESV Translation, and the ESV Publishing Team. After this, the books of the Pentateuch are listed along with their page numbers. Subsequent volumes feature the same format minus the Introduction and Preface.
Each book title is written in red on a title page before you get to the text itself. The paper is an astounding 80 gsm Munken Premium Cream. It’s beautiful and makes this Bible an incredible reader. The font is 12 point! I love big fonts and this font is great. These kinds of features can only be found in multi-volume sets like this and is one of the many reasons a set like this is worth owning.
ghosting always looks much worse in pictures
The ESV Reader’s Set is meant to be an uncluttered and immersive experience in Scripture. The page layout and design certainly communicate this. This is a single column layout and reads like a good book. I chose the set with chapter and verse numbers making it slightly more cluttered, but even the design including these features impressed me. Chapter numbers are written in red and appear in the left margin making them completely unobtrusive. The verse numbers are quite small. I like that they’re there, but they don’t get in your way. It’s almost like they’re there if you need them, but you could forget they’re there if you’re not looking for them. Originally, Crossway had only released the Reader’s Set without chapter and verse numbers, but I’m really glad they decided to release a set including them. It makes this set a great reader and also a great set you can use for study.
The margin space around the text is also fantastic. It makes the page look very clean and even puts me in mind of the ESV Heirloom Legacy. It’s pleasing to the eyes and beautiful to read for long periods. Poetry is formatted in stanzas and has the verse numbers in the margin to the left. Once again, the verse numbers are small and really can disappear if you want them to.
Page numbers are at the bottom and center of each page. This is helpful because there’s an Index of Chapters in the back, which gives the page number where each chapter in the Volume is found. This isn’t a feature I knew I wanted, but it’s incredibly useful.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set with Chapter and Verse Numbers does everything right. It’s an amazing edition of the ESV that you’ll be proud and even excited to own. You’ll want to pick it up and immerse yourself in Scripture. It’s beautifully made and is meant to be read and passed down to be read again. I love the elegance of the goatskin over board with walnut slipcase, but they also make a cloth over board edition as well. I love this set and I highly recommend you head over to Westminster Books and pick yourself up a set today! Check out a few more pictures in the gallery below!
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this Bible from Westminster Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
