The Thomas Nelson NKJV Single-Column Reference Bible

Brace yourself. This is another review where I will start with page edges. Only recently have I started doing this, but Bible manufacturers keep forcing me to do it. I actually wanted to review this Bible because of the page edges… oh… and it’s blue. I’m a sucker for blue Bibles.

Thomas Nelson describes these as “ornate silver-gilded page edges.” I’d say that’s an accurate description, but they really are something to see. They are silver, but there’s also a design on them. It seems the design was created by not using silver on the parts that have the design. It’s a really, really cool look and you just have to see the pictures to understand it.

This Bible is genuine leather. It’s not premium, but it gets really close. I love the size of this Bible. It’s thick, but it isn’t too tall or wide. It also is a navy color, which I really like. The genuine leather has a really nice looking grain. It almost reminds me of some of the grain I’ve seen from some of the buffalo editions recently. 

The spine has five raised hubs. There is also an ornate pattern blind stamped on the spine that kind of puts me in the mind of hearts. In silver are the words, “HOLY BIBLE”, “NKJV”, and the Thomas Nelson logo.

There are navy head and tail bands and two double-sided satin ribbons. I love Thomas Nelson Bible ribbons, but these are actually a bit short for my preference and what I’m used to from Thomas Nelson. They are navy and red and they do still look great.

Inside is a dark navy paste down vinyl liner and with matching end sheets. This navy is so dark that I had to shine a flashlight on it to make sure it wasn’t black. This Bible is also Smyth-sewn for durability. Thomas Nelson also says this is a lay-flat binding. While it will lay flat in the middle, this Bible is so thick that you won’t find it laying flat and staying open in Genesis.

The layout inside this Bible is stellar as well. The paper is a 36 gsm so ghosting is no issue. The Bible is line-matched.

This is a single column format that looks great. The page headings, paragraph headings, and verse references are accented in red. To my surprise and great pleasure, words of Christ are in black. Over 72,000 cross-references are featured in the outer margins of the text. The font is NKJV Comfort Print, which I really like and it is set in a 10.5 point, which looks great!

I really really like this Bible. In the back, you’ll find a Concordance as well as several full color maps.

I really can’t overhype this Bible. It’s beautifully designed and the layout is one of my favorites. It isn’t premium, but I like it better than a lot of premiums! I highly recommend it.

You can pick up your copy of the NKJV Single-Column Reference Bible in Blue Genuine Leather from Amazon (affiliate).

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