HCSB Large Print Ultrathin Reference Bible, Black Genuine Cowhide Legacy Edition

This is about as good as it gets as far as premium Bibles available in the HCSB translation. The only one to surpass this is the long since out of print edition from R.L. Allan. Clear, clean, and crisp text, great paper, and a handsome cover.

I love this edition of the (H)CSB. The cover is a little stiffer than I'd prefer, but I still love this edition. I'd give it 4.5 stars so I rounded up. I was annoyed at the book title being at the bottom of the page rather than the top but got used to it and now actually prefer that location. I've found 2 places where the chapter number at the bottom of the page was inaccurate and had to correct it with a pen. I love the CSB (and hate that they put the publishers name and initial in the title of the translation)!I love preaching from this translation and recommend it for use. I also recommend they drop the H.

This bible is good it has red letters and and the font size is good the leather is smooth and soft very good quality the size of the bible is perfect I would recommend this bible.

There are many positives and negatives of this Bible. It's a great translation, I like the new font, and it's well made. But on the downside the cover is a little floppy and thus needs to be protected. The pages are not bleach white as some other Bibles in this translation are thus the contrast leaves much to be desired.

The binding of this bible is great. It opens flat from day one. I like the typesetting (book names and chapters are at the bottom of the page rather than the top). Good font size and very clear to read. Not a fan of red letter, but that is really all you can get with HCSB. The printing leaves a bit to be desired. A number of stray black ink marks on quite a number of pages, and fairly inconsistent printing with bits being lighter than others. For the price I'd like a better printing block and consistency.

The translation and the quality of the inside is tremendous. Be warned, however. The Bible I received was definitely not calfskin!!! It is much thicker, and the box itself calls it cowhide.

Yes, it is true! We can still make high quality Bibles here in America, and they are affordable! I’m not saying this is a cheap Bible by any means, far from it. It is a high quality Bible. I will go over all of the features later in the review. Even if they sold it for the suggested retail price it would be worth it. So to all of my patriotic friends, “‘MericA!”The Holman HCSB Large Print Ultratin Reference Bible showed up on my doorstep well protected inside an appropriately sized cardboard box padded with paper. The two piece retail box is sturdy and should be retained for storage. The Bible was wrapped in black paper to further protect the black genuine cowhide leather cover. I’ve read some other reviews of this Bible and much ado was made over the cover’s softness. I’ll admit that is the main reason I wanted to review this for myself. Although, it is a very nice cover, I wouldn’t call it the softest or most supple cover I’ve ever seen. Considering that soft does not always equate to good, don’t let my mention of that stop you from getting this Bible. I quite like that it isn’t as soft as what I was reading on other sites. For instance, I have an R. L. Allan Readers in goatskin leather. It is nothing like the goatskin I have on a Cambridge Clarion Bible. The Allan was thick and tough compared to the Cambridge. When you get into Bibles, one of the first things that gets you going is that there are Bibles out there with very soft covers. This new excitement wears thin after a while. After using Bibles with super supple covers for a while you begin to notice some drawbacks. Super supple covers or ssc’s for short, do enhance the flexibility of a quality edge lined, sewn binding. What you’ll notice though is that you will begin a tendency to bend your Bible in ways that are not conducive to a long useful binding life. You’ll also become annoyed at your Bible flopping around at inconvenient times. If you have a larger Bible that is ssc it will become more difficult to sit and read as you have to support it someway. The ssc’s also are more susceptible to scratches, and abrasions. The cover can flop away from the pages and leave your pages unprotected. I don’t know how many more dog eared pages I’ve gotten solely due to the ssc.There is a happy medium, thank goodness. I think that this Bible fits in that category very well. The genuine cowhide leather cover IS supple, but not too supple. It is coupled with a case bound text block instead of an edge lined one. This also keeps it from being excessively flexible, without ruining the ability to be bent and undamaged. The cover offers just the right amount of support and protection. When I open it to read from it, I can read both the left and right pages while holding the Bible in one hand, without one of them folding over so it can’t be read. With an ssc you can’t do this. With a rigid cover you are fighting the cover, constantly trying to keep it down and out of the way. This Bible is just right in that regard.When I took it out of the box and the paper it was wrapped in, I didn’t notice any chemical smells, just the smell of leather, as it should be. It felt good in my hands. The spine wasn’t too thick or thin. It is manageably sized at 9.75" x 6.75" x 1.25" The texture of the leather’s grain is natural and pleasing to the touch. The spine is decorated with 6 raised hubs. At the head of the spine is the Holman sword and shield logo with, “HCSB” under it. In the middle of the spine are the words, “Holy Bible.” At the foot you’ll see, “Large Print Ultrathin Reference Edition” with the Holman logo beneath it. It has gold gilt page edges rounded corners and a slightly rounded spine. The signatures are fairly large. I think this is what accounted for some pretty dramatic looking page waves when I first took this Bible out to use. The good news is that those wrinkles you see in the pictures went away after a day of being out of the box and packaging. With just light use everything kind of balanced out.In the front of the Bible there is a Presentation page. Then there are record pages for Marriage Certificate, Births, Marriages, Occasions to Remember, and Deaths. After the records pages there is the Title page, copyright/publisher’s page, Table of Contents, God’s Plan for Salvation, Introduction to the HCSB translation and finally the text of the Old Testament starts. The paper is white enough to offer good contrast with the sharply printed modern digital 9 pt. font. The layout and typesetting was done by 2Krogh AS, Hojbjerg, Denmark and proofreading by Peachtree Editorial Services in Peachtree City Georgia. This Bible uses the 2009 Updated HCSB and cross references. This is a red letter edition. It is a double column, paragraph format Bible with center column references and footnotes at the bottom. In the footnotes there are alternate readings or notes on textual variants that is quite helpful. All of these features lend themselves to a highly legible text. It is easy on the eyes and will be a pleasure to use. The book names and chapter numbers are on the bottom of the page instead of the top along with the page numbers. If you are holding this Bible in your hand or lap while reading from a chair this makes more sense. If you are leaning over this Bible reading it at a table or desk the placement of that information can be less convenient. It is not the conventional way to do it, but that is not necessarily bad. There are two ribbon markers for your daily reading in the Old and New Testaments. There is a concordance, eight full-color maps, and HCSB Bullet Notes in the back of this Bible. Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised lately by the quality and value of Holman Bibles I’ve been sent for review. I am actually beginning to expect this level of quality and value from Holman. Because of their work and the fact that we can have a domestically produced Bible of quality and value, I am expecting more from other Bible publishers. This is good for Holman, it might be painful to other publishers, but they can look at it as a negative and stop sending me Bibles to review like some have, or they can pick up the challenge and step up their game.ISBN-13: 9781433603020

It is actually nicer than the Ultra-thin Calfskin HCSB I had last year. First off it has references, secondly it has a concordance. Those are some big pluses. Additionally, the font is an unexpected change I had to get used to. The sanserif style is modern in feel and I find it to be smooth on the eyes. The adjustment has been easy. The feel of the skin is also very nice. The "Cowhide" on the box made me expect a thick sort of leather, but it is actually very supple and only slightly more rigid than my "Calfskin" version. Rest assured, it still lays flat at the ends (not just in the middle). The sight rigidness is just right for one handed reading. It has two marker ribbons too.I picked a few of the verses I have questioned in older versions and like the English wording that has been chosen in contrast to the Greek scriptural phrasing. I understand the premise of the optimal equivalence and appreciate the spirit of it. With that in mind I often read with extra attention to the footnotes that seem to be faithful to what is actually there. However, when I am reading for the fun of it, it is nice to allow the HCSB to offer another angle on the same phrase. I am really enjoying my time in this updated version.PS: I regularly read/study the NASB, HCSB, ESV and Greek NT. I like them all. But I enjoy some more than other. ;-)Sincerely,Stephen Mathews

Appaled by it. 72 quid for something thats worth 30.. It wasn't large Print nor thumb index. I won't be using this 3rd Party again thag i know!! Honestly folks choose something else. Was supposed to be a Christmas Present. thoroughly dissapointed and false claims!!!