The Psalms in the ESV by Crossway in Top Grain Leather
The Psalms are a gift to the church. In them you find a Spirit-inspired range of emotions. The Psalms are comforting and God exalting. They can be used for prayer, singing, and meditation. Having a great copy of the Psalms can be a valuable resource and Crossway has provided just that with their lovely top grain edition of the Psalms. This edition comes in other bindings, but I will be looking at the top grain specifically.
As I said before, this is a wonderful edition of the Psalms. It comes in a nice clamshell box and includes Crossway’s lifetime guarantee against defects in craftsmanship.
This edition uses Crossway’s top grain leather, which is soft and flexible. It has a great grain pattern to it as well.Honestly, I think top grain leathers are some of the nicest you can get for the price. Crossway’s top grain editions are affordable, but also may provide you the most quality bang for your buck. I’ve even heard of some folks preferring the top grain over the goatskin so you may just find your new favorite leather when you check out a top grain edition.
The spine on the Psalms is striking. There are four spine ribs, which really stand out on a edition as small as this. The ribs don’t quite go all the way to the edges, which is interesting, but that may have been something hard to accomplish on a book as small as this one. On the spine printed in gold are “the PSALMS”, the ESV logo, “ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION”, and the Crossway logo with “CROSSWAY” underneath. I think this is a bit overkill. It doesn’t look bad and the gold makes the spine pop, but it is busy—especially with the repetitiveness of the ESV and Crossway. I think they could’ve simplified it.
This edition does have a Smyth-sewn binding, black and gold head and tail bands, one single sided satin ribbon bookmark, and page edges the same color as the paper. All in all, this is a very attractive edition of the Psalms.
Inside is an edge lined, vinyl liner, which makes this book quite flexibile. That being said, it does not lay flat out of the box and I think that must be because it’s so small. It may be able to be trained to do so, but I think you will have to really work it to get it to lay flat.
What you expect is what you get as far as the content of this edition. You are buying an edition of the Psalms plain and simple. Crossway calls the paper a “high-quality paper” and this is true enough. It’s thick and cream colored. There is little ghosting and it will put you in the mind of a nice a book.
Each Psalm starts with the number of the Psalm printed in deep red at the top of the page. Below that, in italics, is the introduction to the Psalm. For example, Psalm 57 says, “To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.”
Each Psalm is set in the poetic setting in a very nice 11 point font. This is a great psalter that lays out the poetry very well. In the left margin, set away from the text, are the verse numbers in red.
The bottom of the page has the Psalm and number on the left with a title of the Psalm and the page number is on the right.
The back of the book has a few blank pages where you could take some notes if you’d like. This would allow you to leave the Psalms themselves clean and free of distraction. I really like that Crossway included this.
In summary, this is a great edition of the Psalms and a true treasure to have for you use. Crossway has done a great job in the creation of this psalter and it’s a valuable edition that will stand lots of use and abuse if so desired. If not, it will look great sitting on your shelf or by your bedside.
You can pick up your copy of the Psalms in top grain leather at Crossway or Amazon (affiliate).
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crossway in exchange for a fair and honest review.
