I’ve longed been an admirer of wide-margin Bibles. I consider the wide margin Bible to be the best choice as a Study Bible, because it gives the reader the opportunity to interact with the scriptures, creating their own Study Bible. For a Bible with a single column on the inside, a very wide margin (2.5 inches) on the outside of the page, a soft leather cover, in King James, a 9 point font, and a price too good to be true, I recommend the Note Taker’s Bible from Local Church Bible Publishers.
NOTE: click on the images for a larger picture.
The Note Taker’s Bible is available in three styles: the Basic Series, the Designer Series, and the Executive Series. The Executive Series comes in single piece black leather, three piece black, dual-tone with tan spine and black cover, and red. The Bible I am reviewing is the Executive Series single-piece black calfskin leather.
Look and feel
The cover of this Bible looks and feels expensive. It is genuine calfskin leather and is flexible and smooth. It’s easily one of the nicest covers I’ve ever felt on a Bible. This cover is ironed calfskin, which is smooth but still has a leather texture. It is a sewn binding that lays nice and flat.
Wide margin
There is plenty of room for writing on every page due to the nice layout. It has a single column of text that is on the inside margin. The outside margin, a full 2.5 inches, is clear for writing. This is the only King James Bible I could find with this layout. Now that I have it I’m spoiled.
Size
It is 9.75 x 6.5 x 1.5.
Text
The text is an 11 point font, which is much larger than most wide margin Bibles, and it is very readable. It’s not too light, but slightly bolder would be an improvement. It does not have red-letter, which I prefer in a wide margin Bible due to my color-coding habits. It is only available in King James. I really like that each book starts on a new page- a feature that I believe all wide margin Bibles should have. This gives you the end of most books for notes.
Paper
It is not the thin India paper found in most reference Bibles, but not quite as thick as some of the Cambridges that I’ve seen. The paper is good for writing using Micron pens and good quality pencils. It is made for writing in. Bleed-through is very faint. I’ve seen much worse bleed-though with far more expensive Bibles. Its edges are nicely gilded. I was hoping for writing paper in the back (like Cambridge). The only paper for writing includes five thick pages in the front and six thin and four thick pages in the back. 50+ pages to write on would have been sweet.
Concordance
It comes with a 196 page concordance. It’s a good concordance for topical Bible study. It’s best to have a Strong’s or Cruden’s on hand anyway.
References
This Bible does not include references or footnotes of any kind. We have to add our own (this gives me the opportunity to make my own chain reference). My only concern is that I will be using up some of the margin, but that’s OK.
Maps
There are 8 maps. They seem to be various shades of blue and green- not quite full color, but they do the job.
Ribbons
It has two ribbons, which I think should be standard in all Study Bibles. They’re black and .25 inches wide.
Summary
The Note Taker’s Bible feels like quality. The cover feels smooth, the paper feels thick enough to write on, the stitching is excellent, and the price is ridiculously low for this elegant Bible. At $57.00, it easily compares to Bibles in the $150+ price range. The value of this Bible cannot be matched anywhere. The quality will leave a fine legacy for many generations. The Note Taker’s Bible is definitely the Bible of choice for serious students of God’s Word that does not want their Study Bible filled with someone else’s notes. This is a worker’s Bible. It is excellent for teaching and preaching because there’s plenty of room for notes. If I could change one thing I would add ruled-paper in the back. References and a better concordance would be nice. Buy this Bible and write your own notes- you’ll be glad you did. As for me, I will be using this Bible for a long time. And hopefully, I can fill its pages with a legacy to leave my children.
I have used one for several months and enjoy it. It’s a little large for my liking, but it works well for me.
I would recommend using a pen such as this for your notes. It doesn’t bleed and it doesn’t fade.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/sakura-pigma-micron-pen/
I would get one of the smallest tips so that you can write in small letters, thus conserving your space.
Has worked well for me.
Thanks Jason. I would like the fonts to be a little darker because I like to color-code and I’m not sure about my new color pencils. This time around I’m using PrismaColor, and they’re much stronger colors than I’ve used on other Bibles. I might end up just underlining rather than highlighting the text itself. I bought the pens you’ve suggested. I’m using 005 for notes in the margins. I bought black, red, blue, and green. I would like to try burgundy and brown because I like darker colors for writing. I haven’t gotten the nerve to write in it yet, but I will very soon. Thanks for the link. Do you think you would buy this Bible again?
Randy
Randy,
Sorry to take so long replying. Yes, I would buy it again.
I have nothing but praise for the workmanship that went into this Bible.
I cannot see a problem with the fonts. Perhaps it is a problem with the Bible that you have?
Jason,
Thanks for your response. I did finally get the nerve to start color-coding, and the text looks great. The pencil does not bleed through to the other side or leave any indentions (but I’m not pressing down too hard either). The fonts are easy to read through the PrismaColor pencil highlighting. The more I use this Bible the more I love it.
Randy
Great find! Thanks for linking this Bible. I’ve been looking for something like this. Now, if I could only find a KJV interlinear with margins, I would be set. I find that a lot of my notes simply reference what the Greek says. To be honest, I don’t even really need the maps or concordance included in my Bible since I usually have a more comprehensive concordance or a biblical atlas nearby. But that’s okay. Just having more reasonable margin design is a big plus. Thanks again!
Wow this is a really nice bible actually. I bought one pretty similiar ot this had the wide margins inside and outside though. The only draw back was that it was hard cover and not an outstanding one like this one here as far as covers go.
Randy, Thanks for your post. I currently use the Legacy Study Bible. It has wide margins, but they do not look as wide as this Bible. It is also in the NKJV, and I have been wanting a good Wide Margin KJV Bible that did not cost an arm and a leg. I will look at purchasing this soon.
How can I find one of the Note Taker’s bible
You can find it here:
http://lcbplansing.org/Bibles/Executive.htm#Mid
@Randy thanks for the link appreciate it.
I have 2 of these and need to sell one to offset debts in our home budget. The one I have is in it’s original shrink-wrap and, of course, perfect. I own quite a few KJVs, and this one is of the best quality I could ask for at a better price than some hardbacks. It is easy to hold in the hand while writing or reading in church. I can put it on amazon/e-bay if you need me to.
I’m interested in the Note Takers bible and wondered about the darkness of the print. I like a bible that has good, clear dark print. I’d appreciate anyone’s opinion on this.
I’ve also learned about LCBP Inner Leaf Bible but haven’t seen it. Does anyone have this bible? What is the size and the darkness of the print like?
Thanks!
Oliver,
I think the Note Taker’s might not be dark enough for you. It is not as dark as most Bibles that I’ve seen. It is very readable and clear, with a 9 point font, but I would say it has more of a medium tone to the darkness. At first I wasn’t sure it was dark enough for me, but I’ve gotten used to it and I like it a lot, but I do still notice the difference with other Bibles. I’ve had a few Bibles to be too dark. I prefer the Note Taker’s font over the Bibles that are too dark.
I haven’t seen their interleaf Bible. If I can get my hands on one I’ll be sure to write a review.
Thanks for stopping by,
Randy
I was wondering if Ryan H. still had the bible he wanted to sell?Please email asap!I was trying to find one on Amazon.
Heather… I just emailed you. God bless.
I sure appreciate your review of this Bible, since the LCBP site didn’t provide much in the way of pictures or description. I’m probably going to order one based upon your review. I’ve been looking to retire my old friend, a Cambridge cameo wide margin that I bought in 1975.
This Note Taker’s Bible appeals because I’ve been looking for a KJV without a center reference (I never use it) with room for writing my notes. The single column on each page is calling my name, too. Thank you, brother!
See you here, there, or in the air.
My first Note Taker’s bible arrived last week, and my second one is due to arrive tomorrow. I ordered another one for a friend. It’s just what I had been hoping for in a workaday bible, and at a price that can’t be beat.
If I were to have one criticism, it would be that the text runs a tad too close to the gutter; it is fine and legible the way it is, but another quarter inch or so of inside margin would be an improvement. This bible really is a glorious bargain.
Thanks again for this review, and thank you LCBP.
Ah man I wish I could buy one of the LCBP Bibles in Europe.
PUBLISH AN SPANISH VERSION PLEASE(Reina-Valera 1960)
They do have a few Spanish Bibles, but not a Note-taker’s. You can see their Spanish Bibles here:
LCBP Spanish Bibles
That’s wonderful!
I pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for one silimar, (with wide margins, parallel (in English and German), with concordance, maps, and a slot behind the front (hardcover, by the way) cover where to put money for offering).
I was just thinking in my mind, “if font is such a problem for him, why didn’t he start memorizing the Holy Bible when he was younger?”. I guess it’s the Lord talking to me that I should start memorizing the Holy Bible already.
May the blessing of our Lord Jesus be with you and all you.
Thank you.
I would like the note takers wide margin Bible , but I cant find out how to order it.
Thank you Brett Skillen
Hi. Here’s the link for the Note-Takers:
http://www.localchurchbiblepublishers.com/2011/06/mid-size-note-takers/
Ryan,
Have you sold the extra Bible you had on hand?
Thanks,
R
Robert,
I gave it to my previous church as I was leaving. It was a gift for my ex-pastor. I have one full of notes you can have. :) What a wonderful Bible. I have seen note takers in 4 different versions and Church Publishers beats out even Cambridge, in my opinion. I wish I still had it. I am out of work and could use the money, but I might have even used it without taking notes (since I had 2). One thing I am not short on is Bibles. Please pray God brings me a job soon! I will try to find this Bible at a reasonable price for you.
In Him alone,
Ryan
I absolutely love the layout of this bible; however, is it only available in KJV? I am a young christian and would prefer NIV or ESV due to the fact that i’m afraid I would have a little trouble understand KJV. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi Kody. This KJV from LCBP is the only Bible I’ve ever seen this layout. There are a few good wide-margins out there. Zondervan made one in NIV called NoteWorthy. It had one side of each page blank, so you have text on the left and a blank page on the right. For ESV, I would recommend the ESV Journaling Bible. If you’re interested in the New King James, I would recommend the TakeNote from Nelson. It is also available in King James (my favorite) and has a great layout. All of these Bibles are inexpensive. I would highly recommend the wide-margin series from Cambridge.
There are others, but none with the layout of the Note-takers from LCBP. Here is a survey of wide-margin Bibles that might have something that will interest you: http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20060808_a_survey_of_wide_margin_bibles_by_version.html
Kody, here are 2 Bibles that might be what you’re looking for:
ESV Single Column Legacy Bible
ESV New Journaling Bible
They both come out in 2012 and have several covers available.
I have visited the location where theses bibles are published. They do a great job, and really have a heart for the word of god. But, after using it for several months, and having bible proof reading experience, I have found several errors, and emailed them about them but received no emails back. This saddens me because I would love to buy an updated version with a few of these errors fixed. For example, the 4th and 5th book of moses, both say “The fourth book of moses” as the heading. Little stuff like this throughout, just letting you all know. And if yours dont have these errors, then maybe you have an updated version and I just need to buy another one. Thanks, god bless
How thick is the LCBP Note Takers bible, compared to say a Thompson Chain?
Hi DT. I measured them both at 1.5 inches.
RB
It’s great to see all of these comments. I purchased the Notetakers (2nd edition) and found that the text was clear, dark and large enough for me to read. An exceptional bible. However, I found several pages of the concordance so light in print I could hardly read them. Has anyone else purchased this bible with this problem?
I love your descriptions and so would like to purchase this Bible; however, the links to the place to purchase return errors now. Is this Bible still available to purchase? Every other Bible that has margins that wide has type size too small.
They’ve updated their site. Here’s the link: http://localchurchbiblepublishers.com/bibles/?filter_other=57
I have been looking for a bibe like this one.
But i need one in spanish does any body knows where i can find one?
Hello! I really appreciate you putting up this review! It really lead my husband and me to a glorious find! Thank you so much! Perhaps we overlooked it, but we did not see any mention in this review of the Note Takers Bible about the people that make this Bible being a ministry and not a business and they have their own bindery in Michigan – here in the states – made with loving care! Again, we may have overlooked this and if so, I sincerely apologize. They believe that God’s Church should be responsible for making Bibles for everyone and that’s what they do! Here’s a link to the video showing exactly how this Bible is made and the craftsmanship that goes into it! http://localchurchbiblepublishers.com/about/bindery-video/ We bought two of them and did not see this video until after we made our purchase. We are so blown away and cannot wait to receive our Bibles! These will be the most special bibles we have ever had. God bless and Peace be with you! Tina and Jeff Burris