The ESV Heirloom Thinline in Black Goatskin (2022)

The Bible I’m reviewing today certainly strikes me as interesting. It’s a bit of a conundrum albeit a beautiful one. We will talk more about that late though. I’m reviewing the new 2022 ESV Heirloom Thinline in black goatskin.

I was pretty excited about this Bible. Crossway hasn’t offered a premium thinline like this in quite some time. It has all the typical heirloom flair. The box is black and gold and it’s wrapped in a black velvet like material. A Crossway premium was the first I ever encountered and I still think it is the standard when it comes to packaging.

The Bible itself is thin as the name implies. The goatskin feels great. It’s incredibly flexible and my copy has a couple of really nice scars. I think scars are really cool on goatskin and make it look really cool. It also provides a unique factor. This is a Netherlands edition and it is beautiful!

The spine has four raised hubs. In gold are the words “HOLY BIBLE”, the ESV logo, “ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION”, and the Crossway logo. Page edges are a beautiful red under gold art gilt. Head a tail bands are an alternating black and yellow pattern. There are two double sided satin ribbons that are thin and short. Unfortunately, Crossway really does need to upgrade their ribbons. Making them a little wider and longer would be such an easy upgrade to these beautiful Bibles.

Inside is a black calfskin liner with perimeter gold gilt line. There are black vinyl end sheets. The Bible is Smyth-sewn and edge-lined for durability. The Bible also includes family records pages in the front. Being a thinline, I would’ve really been ok if they had left these out. I will go ahead and say that I feel that way about the maps in the back too. Let’s make it as thin as we can!

The format of the Bible is a double-column with an 8 point type. This keeps things nice and thin. Textual notes appear at the bottom of the pages. Line spacing is really good. This reads really well for an 8 point type size.

I am guessing the paper is a 28 gsm, but it is very opaque. That brings us to what I call the conundrum about this Bible. The text isn’t line matched. I don’t think ghosting is an issue here, but if you’re looking for it, you’ll notice. Ghosting doesn’t bother me, but it does some people. I’m unsure why Crossway didn’t decide to line match this Bible. I say that because it is an Heirloom and if I’m honest, the Omega really isn’t much bigger in size than this Bible. I think it’s about the same thickness, but it’s a bit taller. However, it is line matched and does include references.

That makes me ask, “Who is this Bible for?” The only conclusion I can come to is that it’s for someone who wants the smallest, thinnest premium Bible they can get. And don’t get me wrong… this Bible is beautiful. I love it and I am sure I will carry it. But another thing I find interesting is that cover is slightly taller than the Buffalo thinline. I’m not sure why and maybe it just has to do with yapp. Maybe it has to do with printing in the Netherlands vs. China. There may be no true answer.

In the back, you’ll find a Concordance and maps. as well as a few blank pieces of paper. I like the blank pieces as there’s little room for notes in an edition like this, but I could leave out the Concordance and maps and go even thinner for this edition.

I know it sounds like I’ve been critical, but that’s what I’m supposed to do. I will say I truly really like this Bible. It’s also offered in Horween and I wanted that edition, but I think I probably like the goatskin even better! The black and gold looks traditional and classy. It looks like Crossway.

You can pick up your copy of this Bible at Crossway or on Amazon. (affiliate)

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