Review: English Standard Version Classic Reference Edition

This review was published Monday, May 25th, 2009on my blog ReviewTime http://reviewtime365.blogspot.com/

About the binding & cover
The cover of this Classic Reference edition has a nice leathery feel, unlike most artificial leathers. This cover is made from Trutone, an artificial leather which is soft and flexible. Trutone is a high quality artificial leather which should prove to be close in durability to bonded leather. Artificial leather book covers such as this haven't been on the market long enough to know for sure. The European hand-stitching adds to the beauty and durability of this Bible. Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches

What's inside?
The center-column cross-reference in this edition includes over 80,000 cross-references. This is very useful when studying God's Word. The text size of this edition is 9.5 point type, which is very readable, and would be good for devotional reading, or study. The format of this edition is double-column paragraph format, with subject headings. The ESV Classic Reference edition is a red letter edition. The paper is thin, and has a semi-transparent quality. I do not recommend using highlighters in this Bible. If you like to highlight passages I recommend crayola color pencils they work best on thin paper. The pages are edged with gold , which matches the cover & gold tone ribbon marker very well.

In the Front

1. Presentation Page
2. Family Records: Marriages, Births, Deaths
3. Table of Contents
4. Books of the Bible in Canonical Order
5. Books of the Bible in Alphabetical Order
6. Preface
7. Explanation of Features

In the Back

1. Table of Weights and Measures
2. Concordance with over 14,500 entries
3. 8 Detailed Maps

Included with this Bible is a Free ESV Bible Resource software, You can order a free CD of the program or download the program online. The program comes with two Bible translations the English Standard Version & the King James Version. The program has lots of features, and is expandable.

About this Translation
Since I am not familiar with this translation , I decided to do a little research to learn more about it. The best site I found concerning the ESV is http://www.esv.org/. I am very impressed with the amount of information I found. Below are some helpful articles found at esv.org.

Introduction to the ESV Bible

How Is the ESV Different?
This is a very interesting article it compares the ESV to other popular translations

From KJV to ESV
This article explains how the ESV is part of the KJV tradition.

Verse by Verse Comparisons
This article compares verses from the ESV with verses from other popular translations

The publisher offers many editions & styles of this translation including:ESV Thinline, Compact, Journaling Bible, ESV Classic Reference, Single Column Reference, Wide Margin, Large Print Bibles, The Daily Reading Bible, The One Year Bible, The ESV Children's Bible, Outreach Bible , Life Discovery Bible, ESV God's Story Bible, compact TruGrip, Metal BattleZone edition. The ESV also comes in paperback editions & in Pew & Worship editions for churches
To the best of my knowledge there isn't a Catholic Edition of the ESV.

My Personal Opinion
Personally I feel that the ESV Classic Reference edition is great for devotional reading & study.
This Bible is great for devotional reading because

1. The ESV is easy to read & understand.
2. With the word Concordance you can pick a topic, and read about it in your Bible. (with out using Google)
3. This Bible is large enough to be easily read, but light enough to carry with you to Bible study classes or church.

This Bible is great for study because.

1. TheCross reference system.
2. The word concordance.
3. The ESV is an essentially literal translation

Over all I am very impressed with the quality ,and style of this Bible. Maybe one day Crossway will print this edition with the Catholic or Orthodox Canon. Being a Catholic I would love to see how the ESV would translate the book of Judith or the story of Susanna in the 13th Chapter of Daniel (which one of my favorite Bible stories). The Classic Reference Edition would make a great gift for anyone who enjoys reading God's word. The style of this cover would make a very good gift Day.

The Bible featured in this review, along with other ESV Classic Reference Edition Bibles can be found online at the following link.
ESV Classic Reference Edition, Brown/Cordovan, Portfolio Design (The Bible Featured in This Review)