The Premier Collection NASB 2020 Thinline Bible
I’m going to shoot you straight. I’ve still not been won over by the NASB 2020. That being said, I’m open to giving it more of a chance as some really nice editions are being released. One such edition is from Zondervan. It is the first NASB 2020 to appear in the Premier Collection and it is a thinline in brown goatskin. It is a stunner! Keep reading to see what I mean.
This Bible is nice—and I’m not sure I’ve ever said this before—but what truly sets this Bible off is the page edges. These are gauffered page edges and this is my first time encountering them. Gauffered edges mean that they are printed gilded edges. The page edges are gold, but there is a geometric design printed in white. I like to say that they’ve put the art in art gilt! The page edges truly set this Bible off! I’ve never led a review off with page edges before, but this truly demands it.
The Bible is a true thinline being less than an inch thick. The brown goatskin is supple and is a nice, medium brown color. The spine has five raised hubs. Printed in gold are the words, “HOLY BIBLE”, “NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE”, and “ZONDERVAN”.
The Bible has dark brown head and tail bands. It also has three ribbon bookmarks, which I find impressive for a Bible this thin. They are double-sided satin and are gold, brown, and red. They look great and are wide and long just the way I like them!
Inside is a dark brown liner, which may be a calfskin or may be synthetic. I’m unsure at the time of this writing. I am sure there are vinyl end sheets in the same dark brown color. There’s a nice gold perimeter gilt line. The Bible is also Smyth-sewn and edge-lined for durability. There’s also a nice full color presentation page.
The paper itself is Premium European Bible Paper that is a shocking 36 gsm. This is thick paper for a thiniline Bible. The text is line-matched. I find the ghosting to be most noticeable with the chapter numbers. I think this is because they are large and maroon color.
This Bible does have an accent color (maroon) for the page headings and numbers, subheadings, and chapter numbers. I like this feature and think it adds a bit of character. The page layout is doulbe column and verse-by-verse. I’m a huge fan of the verse-by-verse layout and Zondervan is continuing that NASB tradition with the 2020. I’m also happy to report that words of Christ are in black.
This Bible features a 9-point print size in the Zondervan NASB Comfort Print typeface. I’m a big fan of the comfort print, but I’d love a large print thinline. I typically think the bigger the font, the better. However, I do find this layout quite readable.
One minor gripe I hear from people is that this Bible doesn’t include the full set of footnotes. This doesn’t bother me personally, but it is something to be aware of.
All in all, I think this Bible is a great offering from Zondervan. The first NASB 2020 comes in with a bang as they make a statement with these gauffered page edges. I’m sure this will be a new experience for many as it is for me. If you want a thin, portable, and premium NASB 2020 then I think you will be pleased with picking up one of these.
You can pick up your copy of the Premier Collection NASB 2020 from Amazon. (affiliate)
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this Bible from Zondervan in exchange for a fair and honest review.
