Before I begin, Im a collector of all different sorts of Bibles. Its a hobby of mine but I actively read them all every day and I have to say that this is one of my favorites.

To begin, Ill tackle the quality. Crossway always does an outstanding job on the craftsmanship of their Bibles. From the smyth-sown binding to the beautiful typography, everything is just fantastic.

Now this is not your standard Bible, its a readers bible meaning that its geared towards being more like a book and not a Bible. Theres no verses, no cross references, and the chapter numbers are off to the side to not distract you from your continual reading. This is a great feature, especially for the New Testament letters because you get a sense of their full context and read them how they were supposed to be read: in one sitting. The only exception to how theyve done chapters is psalms. Since they are originally numbered in the Hebrew bibles (Jesus even references the Psalms numberings.) Surprisingly, it also has a couple of maps in the back.

The cloth over board cover feels like a classic book and great in your hands when youre reading it. It also lays flat which is very nice for sitting at a table or desk reading.

It does feature two ribbon book markers which is nice but their placement is a little weird for my taste, not enough to take a star however. Where most books and bibles would place them right in the center of the binding, crossway decided to split them up. My only thought is to be able have a mark in the old and New Testament.

My only issue, and its a slight one, is the thickness of the pages. They are the usual thin Bible pages like you find in most crossway bibles. I would have preferred with it being a readers bible and more like a book that they would go with thicker pages but like the bookmarks, its not enough to demote a star. If youre used to reading bibles like I am then the pages feel like any other bible.

Overall, the build quality is fantastic. The packaging is a nice slip box that it slides in. Its a pleasure to read and easy to get lost in with no verses and cross references and verse notes to distract you. Hard to decide sometimes on taking it over my regular thin line bible that I always have with me.

If you want a different and emmersive way to read the Bible, I would recomment this in a heartbeat. I would not use this for an everyday bible or for church or study, it is specifically to read like a book and does a superb job.

And you cannot beat ChristianBook.coms prices

After reading in this Bible for a while, I can say for a fact that this Bible is being sold for much less that what it is worth.

I have a couple leather Bibles kicking around, and I love them, but something about this Bible makes a hardcover binding seem like the perfect fit. Because really, this edition is meant to read and feel like an everyday hardcover novel. And not many novels these days come out in TrueTone or leather editions. So yes, the hardcover works well. The Bible comes in a slipcase, which bears a pattern that corresponds to the endpapers in the Bible itself - a nice detail.

Another reason hardcover works so well is because the text block is so amazing, it would be a shame if the cover competed for attention. I can honestly say there is nothing wrong with this paper. A few years ago, when a book block was printed in China, that meant it was poor quality. Not anymore, and certainly not with Crossway. The only paper I have seen better than Crossway's China paper is Jongbloed's, and I wouldn't blame anyone for liking the China stuff more. The paper is brilliant white and super smooth.

The printing itself is spectacular. The page could not be laid out better, and the printing is sharp and consistent. The words of Christ are in black; however, book titles, page numbers, and the scripture headings (eg Ezra 2:7-6:2) are printed in a lovely red. The whole presentation is, in my opinion, perfect. We just need to get Crossway to start new paragraphs when new people start talking.

So yeah. Oh, and it comes with two decent ribbons. I have paid $200 for Allan bibles with book blocks that could not even come close to this one. So for $19, I suggest you throw it in your cart with your next book purchase. You won't regret it. I highly recommend this as a gift.

When I saw this bible I got quite excited, even though it's not the main translation I use. I use several translations, so it's not a problem either. But where this bible shines is in it's simplicity. It does not get in the way at all when you read it. Your experience is uninterrupted. I've been reading the bible for over forty years, and I must say that reading this bible in this format, like a regular book, is very eye opening. I have seen passages and ideas, whole pictures, from a viewpoint I have not seen before.

I read a review by Mark Bertrand, and I agree with his excitement as well. He stated after using it that it is a bible that is uncluttered, meant to be read. After using it myself, I wholeheartedly agree.

This bible is beautiful as well. Font is beautiful, easy on the eyes. Paper color is nice. Great binding too. Amazing for this price point. It's got a really nice slip cover too. The cover itself is a woven material, and it's lovely to hold. It's a great usable size. Easy to carry around. You're going to use this bible.

As someone who owns some high end bibles, I highly recommend getting this readers bible, even if it's not your main translation. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read the bible.

When I first heard about this Bible I was less than enthused. I am a pastor and an avid studier of the Word so my first thought was "I can't imagine not having the verse numbers in the text." I have to say, I WAS WRONG! I have been so blessed by my reading of this edition.

Size: For Starters it is a very nice size. It feels like your reading a classic novel. It comes in a very slick little box so it stays nice on the shelf.

Cover: The cloth cover board is the way to go. I know there are other options, but this cloth cover hard back just ads to the feeling that your reading a story. Also, It looks very classy sitting on the shelf.

Text block: There are two ribbon markers which are a great bonus. As far as the text itself, it is very comfortable to read. The font and the size are perfect to just sit and read. One thing that I really like that I have heard others complain about is the chapter numbers. Some say having the chapter numbers takes away from the idea of it being just the text. I personally like having them. They are off to the side in the margin and do not distract at all from the reading.

The Translation: The ESV is great. Every translation has things that you may feel should have been translated differently, but as a whole this is probably the best one out there. If you are one who enjoys the ESV but finds its literalness a bit challenging at times I would highly recommend this. It is amazing what happens when the verse numbers are removed.

The experience: I would recommend this as a companion Bible. For serious study you need a regular Bible with the verses. But I find this Reader's edition to be an incredible companion. I wake up each morning looking forward to the reading experience. You will find yourself lost in a story. What is beautiful about that is that as you are impacted by the words and as they connect with your soul you will find yourself stopping and reminding yourself that you are not just reading a story but you are reading the inspired Word of God.

I can't say it enough, this Bible will be worth every penny you spend!

After years of training my eye to ignore the numbers and section headings in my Bibles, this ESV Reader's Bible is almost exactly what I've been looking for.

First the positives:

The translation is excellent. The type face/setting is also excellent. The margins are excellent. The cloth over boards are satisfactory. The slipcase is appreciated. The price point is excellent. The font size is satisfactory.

Now the negatives:

The pages are flimsy (publishers use the term "Bible paper" as though no other paper were allowed for printing Bibles). The same complaint was made by many people when the ESV Study Bible was published years ago. The publisher defended it by claiming that they used "the finest Bible paper available." That is a lie. Yes, representatives of Christian publishing companies do lie to their customers! Its an attempt to deceive by using a strawman argument (calling tissue paper "Bible paper" until hopefully the public embraces the term and is permanently deceived). The honest translation of that statement is they "used the best of the cheapest paper they could find." The paper in the ESV Reader's Bible is similarly flimsy.

Also, there is a single line break and a marginal chapter number printed at each new chapter. So it doesn't read a completely unbroken narrative. However, I hardly see any reason to complain about that. If the reader is used to ignoring the format in most other Bibles, then reading this version smoothly is no problem at all (but still, some may perceive it as a design flaw to include the chapter numbers and line breaks). I don't see it as a significant issue though.

I think they could have made a slightly better product by making it slightly larger (even just a half inch taller, and therefore proportioned accordingly in width and thickness) to accommodate thicker paper and maybe even a slightly larger font. Skipping the breaks between chapters would have also freed up some space to justify thicker pages.