Review: English Standard Version Pink Compact Bible

This review was published April 23th 2009 on my blog ReviewTime http://reviewtime365.blogspot.com/

About the binding & cover
I'm really impressed with the cover of this Bible, the cover feels more like leather instead of artificial leather. The 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 around the edges of the cover adds to the durability of this Bible. Size: 3.75 x 5.75 inches x 3/4 thick

What's inside?
The text in this edition of the compact ESV is 6.2-point type, which is about average for compact Bibles. There is a deluxe edition of the compact ESV with larger 6.55-point type text, if your looking for a more readable edition. The format of this edition is Double-column, paragraph format. I do not recommend using highlighters in this Bible. If you would like to highlight passages I recommend crayola color pencils they work best on thin paper. The paper also has a semi-transparent quality. The pages are edged with silver gild, which matches the cover & silver ribbon marker very well.

In the Front

1. Presentation Page
2. Table of Contents
3. Books of the Bible in Alphabetical Order
4. Preface
5. Explanation of Features

In the Back

1. Table of Weights and Measures
2. Concordance with over 12,000 references

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. It would be nice to find a Catholic edition with cool cover styles like the ones mentioned above.

My Personal Opinion
I love the style of the cover its nice to see beautiful cover styles for Bibles. Some other beautiful styles are the Celtic Cross Design, Crown Design,Filigree Design, Diamond Design, and Vine Design . I like the way this Bible feels in my hands, it has a nice leathery feel. The compact size of this Bible makes it a good choice for traveling. This Bible fits very well in my purse, with out taking up much room.

This edition of the ESV Compact Bible is no longer in print it has been replaced by the improved deluxe edition.
ESV Deluxe Compact Bible TruTone Wild Rose, Floral Design