The A. W. Tozer Bible from Hendrickson Publishers is a study/devotional Bible with writings from one of the 20^th century’s most beloved Christian authors. A. W. Tozer was a Pastor, Preacher, Teacher, and Student who wrote many books in his 40-year ministry. This Bible includes over 500 selections from his writings.

Here’s a look at some of the key features:

• Brief biography of A. W. Tozer
• Epistle Dedicatory (dedication to King James)
• Over 500 Tozer selections
• King James Version
• Book introductions
• Textual Headings
• Words of Christ in red
• Outer side-column references
• 145 page Concordance
• 8 pages of Maps
• 9.50 x 6.25″ x 1.75″

Text

The font looks to be a more modern digital font. I’m not sure of the font’s size, but it looks close to 9-point. It has extra leading between the lines, giving plenty of room to underline. There are no footnotes indicators in the text itself. This makes the text very clean and readable.

One of my favorite features is the text layout.  Poetry is set in verse format which is offset from the regular text. I like the way this looks. It helps not only to identify the genre of Scripture, but also makes the text more readable.

The reference of the first verse that appears on the page is printed at the top of each page. Paragraph markers continue throughout the New Testament. Headings and verse numbers are bold, making them stand out from the rest of the text. The red-letter is a nice shade of red. There is some variation, but it does look nice and it’s very readable. Book introductions include information on the books background, message, time, and an outline complete with verses.

Paper

The paper isn’t shiny or too thin, making this a good Bible for coloring and writing. It’s fairly opaque, making it easier to read.

References

The references are on the outside margin. They include the verse number. There are no indicators in the text to know which reference goes to which portion of the verse. There are a lot of references, with most verses having several. The references do not contain translation notes.

Features

What makes this Bible unique is its 500 selections that are taken from 40 of Tozer’s writings. The selections are placed into three categories called On Scripture, Reflections, and Challenges and mostly vary from 2 to 4 paragraphs (though there are a few smaller and a few larger). The selections are well-written with the focus on deepening your walk with God.

On Scripture – these are insights of specific verses or passages. They’re found on the page with the passage and often contain thoughts on application. These make up the majority of the articles.

Reflections – the articles are deeper thoughts about the application of Scripture.

Challenges – these are challenges to strengthen your walk with God through Biblical application.

Concordance

The concordance is 145 pages. There are plenty of entries to look up. The entry for God takes almost a full column of text, which is more than most Bibles.

Maps

There are 8 pages of maps. The maps are in full color and they look nice. The paper for the maps is thicker than the other paper. There is no index to maps.

Citations of Tozer’s Works

In the back is a list of Tozer’s 40 works that are cited throughout the Bible.

Conclusion

The A. W. Tozer Bible has many features in its layout that I would like to see as standard in Bibles. As far as the content, there are a lot of insights that make for good thought-provoking study and reading. Tozer’s writings give this Bible a rich devotional quality. The A. W. Tozer Bible would be a valuable addition to your library.

The Bible was provided for free for review by Hendrickson Publishers. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

The new Cambridge Paragraph Bible is now available in personal size. This is an important Bible for KJV readers as it presents the KJV text as intended by the translators. This reconstruction of the 1611 format is the scholarly work of Professor David Norton. It is in paragraph style and includes the translator’s notes in the margins. Poetry is set in verse style. It is available in either hardcover or leather, and with or without the Apocrypha.

Here are the basic features:

• 5.25 x 8.25 x 1.75
• Translators to the Reader
• Translators notes
• Calfskin or hardcover
• With or without Apocrypha
• 8.7 Swift Font

The edition I am reviewing is the gray hardcover with Apocrypha. The hard-cover editions do not have ribbons.

This Bible is a revision of the larger format Paragraph Bible that came out in 2005. Even though this is considered a personal size Bible, it is still not a small Bible. It is about the size of the Concord, only thicker. It’s still a good size for carrying and reading.

Text

The text is an 8.7 Swift font. It is easy to read and doesn’t feel too small. There is more than average space between the lines of text, so there’s plenty of white space to help the readability. Some lines line up with the lines on the back of the page. These lines are easier to read. The other lines fall between the lines on the back of the page. These lines are more difficult to read. The paper and print are comparable to the Clarion (the Clarion text looks slightly larger and the Paragraph Bible has more space between the lines), and it has about the same amount of ghosting, which is more than average for a Cambridge Bible but still better than most Bibles today. There are no pronunciation marks or italics. There are footnote indicators that show which portions of the verse the footnotes link to (a feature I would like to see added to the Concord).

There have been some changes made to the KJV text over the years (some accidental and some intentional). This edition seeks to fix those issues and make the text as faithful as possible to the translators view of how it should read.

Format

The Paragraph Bible is, surprise, in paragraph format. I’ve always found paragraph format difficult to find verses. This one makes verses even more difficult to find because the verse numbers are very small and faint. This does make the text easier to read because the transition from verse to verse is seamless. It reads like a book- one paragraph at a time. Poetry is set in verse format (as it should be). I really like the way the format looks. NKJV, ESV, NIV, and others have used this style of formatting as a standard, but the KJV usually only has verse format (which is not the original format for the KJV). The original paragraph formatting makes a big difference in the readability of the KJV. It is difficult to find a KJV Bible that reads this well. To further help its readability, modern spelling and punctuation are used (which are actually closer to the original than the 1769 edition).

Textual Notes

The notes include the original notes written by the translators, and notes that have been added through later editions. The notes that are not original are placed in brackets to make them easy to identify.

Other

Included is the Editor’s Introduction, which explains in greater detail the purpose and features of this Bible. Also included is the Epistle Dedicatory- the dedication to King James. Next is the Translators to the Reader. This document includes footnotes. Also included is an index showing page numbers for the books with the number of chapters for each book.

This Bible does not have extras such as a concordance, maps, indexes, references, etc. I like these tools, but I don’t have to have them in every edition of the Bible I use. If this was my one and only Bible I would want these features, but the Paragraph Bible is still a fine Bible without them.

Conclusion

This is a no nonsense Bible that is not filled with extra features, but instead is an edition of the KJV that seeks to present the KJV in the form the translators intended. Its paragraph format is very readable and its size is very usable. The personal size New Cambridge Paragraph Bible would be a fine addition to your library.

Baker Publishing provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

Apostolic Bible Version 2000

George is also working on an Apostolic commentary. You an see what he has written so far here:

Apostolic Commentary

http://www.one-lord.org/Primary/Commentary.htm

The Thomas Newberry Bible is available for Kindle, EPUB, PDF, and more., including an online version. It can be downloaded here:

Newberry Bible

The Concord has a nice layout and set of features that works:

• 8-point semi-bold font
• Red letter
• Self-pronouncing text
• Translators to the Reader
• Center-column references
• Thin opaque paper
• 15 maps
• Sewn binding
• Gilded edges
• 2 ribbon markers
• Thumb index
• Bible dictionary
• Glossary
• Concordance
• Calf split leather cover
• 8.25×5.5×1.25

Cover

This new edition comes in calf split leather. Calf split is a higher quality leather than French Morocco. It is thicker than French Morocco and has about the same stiffness, but the finish is not as shiny. It might loosen up with use. It has a fine pebbly grain that looks like calf-skin. It is very pretty.

Binding

The Concord is Smyth sewn. This allows the Bible to lay flat, even at the beginning or end of the Bible. It has the same construction as the French Morocco edition.

Paper

The paper is an opaque India paper. It is thin, but it’s not easy to see through. It is more opaque than most Bibles that I’ve seen. It has a slight cream tint, which makes it easier to read for long periods of time.

Cross-References

There are plenty of cross-references and translation notes in the center-column. The references have a unique system in that they are not keyed to the text with letters and numbers. Instead, they have the verse number on the side of the column that contains the verse, and then the references and notes. The translation notes give you the word or phrase that the notes refer to. There’s no way to know which portion of the verse the references refer to.

Text

The font is around 8-piont and is semi-bold. It is clean and easy to read. The red is bold, but not too bold. It’s really red and not brown or pink. It’s a deep, rich red that looks nice. This is my favorite red-letter. The text is clean and unobstructed from cross-reference and translation note keys, making it a very readable text. One thing I like about all Cambridge Bibles is the consistency of the print- even in the red-letter text. With most publishers, the text will be dark on one page and light on another. The red goes from red to pink and then red again. Not so with Cambridge, and this Concord is no different. The boldness of the print remains constant no every page (as you would hope with a Bible in this price range).

Concordance

The Concord’s concordance is the same concordance that is found in the wide-margin edition and the Cameo. There are lots of entries- more than most Bibles, but I find this concordance to be confusing. Most concordances have one verse per line of text. This one starts the next verse directly after the last verse (on the same line). This causes you to read through the entries more closely to see where one verse starts and another ends. To make it more confusing, some of the entries are out of order because they relate to another verse that is similar. This makes me think I’m looking at verses in one book when I’m actually looking at verses from a completely different area. If you can get used to it, it has plenty of entries to be a great study tool.

Glossary

There is a seven page glossary that explains the meaning of words that have either changed meaning or are no longer used since the KJV was first translated. The definition includes the part of speech and a few of the most prominent verses where the word is used.

Bible Dictionary

The real jewel in this edition is the Bible Dictionary, which is one of my favorite features. At 128 pages, there are plenty of entries on many topics including people, places, objects, information about each book of the Bible, harmony of the Gospels, names and titles of Jesus, chronological tables, quotes and the verses where they are quoted, and more. There is a wealth of study information in the dictionary. I like having a dictionary this handy in my carry Bible.

Maps

The Concord has the same standard 15 maps as the wide-margin and Cameo. They are four-color and look great.

Translators to the Reader

This edition still has the Translators to the Reader. I feel that this is an important document that should always be included with the KJV. Many publishers have excluded it from their Bibles, but it’s important to know the thoughts of the translators for any translation.

Thumb Index

It’s good to see this Bible being offered in thumb-index. This thumb index is different from those found in other Cambridge Bibles. All of the index tabs are facing the same direction. I like that many books have their own tab. I can go straight to Mark instead of having to find it once I’m in the ballpark. It is also available without thumb-index.

Ribbons

There are two black ribbon markers. They are 5/16 wide and are more than long enough to pull to the corner and open the Bible with. They are longer than the markers in my Concord wide-margin. Now that I’ve had Bibles with two markers it’s hard to go back to just one. I think two markers should be standard in all Bibles.

Size

I like the size of this Bible. It’s around 8.25×5.5×1.25, making it a hand-sized Bible. It is much smaller, thinner, and lighter than the wide-margin and still has slightly larger text. The text is not much larger, but it is larger. This is the size Bible I want to be holding when we’re standing and reading the Bible for a long period of time. It is easy to hold in one hand and read.

Conclusion

The Cambridge Concord reference edition in black calf-skin (with red-letter and thumb-index) has a lot to offer in a hand-sized Bible. The calf-split is a good compromise between goat-skin and French Morocco without sacrificing quality. It has a superior paper and print combination. The only paper that is better is in the wide-margin edition. With thumb-index, red-letter, and a Bible dictionary, the Concord in black calf-split leather makes a great carry and study Bible.

Baker Publishing provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Here are the basic features:

• Highland Goatskin
• Epistle Dedicatory and Allan Royal License
• Center column References
• Chapter summaries
• 3 Dark Blue Ribbon Markers
• Leather Lined
• Smyth sewn
• Semi yapp
• Gilt line inside
• Red under gold page edges (art-gilt)
• 8/9 point Bold Clarendon type
• Italics for inserted text
• Same pagination as regular size Brevier Clarendon editions
• 8.5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• 1.5 inch margin
• 1536 pages
• 15 (16 pages) full color Oxford Bible maps
• 26 page for notes
• 48 pages of lined writing paper
• Coated writable India paper

Binding

The binding on this Allan is superb. It is leather-lined and includes a semi yapp. The highland goatskin is one of the softest and most flexible leathers available for a Bible and this highland goatskin is as nice as any I’ve seen. It includes the leather glued into the leather lining and end-pages, making this a well-build Bible that should last a lifetime. It is a sewn binding that lays flat.

Layout

I love wide margin Bibles. In my opinion, everyone should use a wide margin Bible for study- especially those in teaching/preaching roles. The margins are 1.5 inches on the sides and 1 inch top and bottom.

Paper

The paper is coated India paper, making it excellent paper for writing. It is thick and opaque, and has a slight cream tone which is easy on the eyes. It doesn’t have a shine to it at all, making it excellent for reading and marking. There are 26 blank pages in the back for writing or drawing and 48 pages of lined paper for notes. The art-gilt edges have a copper tone, which I love, but it’s not as dark as the Longprimer.

Text

The font is an 8-point bold Clarendon. The readability of this Bible is better than most due to the boldness of the font and the opacity of the paper.

At the beginning of every chapter there is a summary. I like having chapter summaries because they are useful for searching. They are small and I might not agree with all of them, but they are there.

At the top of each page is a short summary of that column. I like that they are included because they can be helpful when trying to find something quick.

Also at the top of the page is the name of the Book along with the chapter number that begins on that page (or is continued on that page) – with the exception of Psalms, which only has the book name.

This edition does include italics for supplied words (something that is missing in the Longprimer- another Oxford edition).

References

I’m not sure how many references there are, but there are a lot. I like to use Genesis 1:1 to check the number of references. This one has 8 references (not counting that some of them include 3 verses). The references are keyed to the text with letters. I would like to have the verse numbers in the center column to make it easier to find the reference, but that is a small matter.

The center column also includes translation notes with alternate readings. The translation notes are keyed to the text with numbers. They are physically as close to the verse as possible, but, just like the references, you will have to hunt for some of them.

Ribbons

Allan sets the standard for ribbons. This edition has three ribbons in a beautiful dark blue. They are wide and long enough to be useful because they will reach all the way to the corner of the page.

Maps

The Oxford maps are gorgeous. I’m a sucker for full-color maps and these are some of the best looking I’ve seen. These maps do include some ‘traditions’ for some locations. Also, there may be a few locations that are not as accurate because of later archaeological finds, but that is to be expected.

Concordance

This edition does not have a concordance. I would have liked a concordance, but I’m not sure how they could have gotten it in there. A concordance would have completed the study value of this Bible. Considering that I use this Bible at home where I have access to good concordances, and that most concordances in Bibles are not as useful as they should be anyway, the lack of a concordance isn’t a deal-breaker for me. However, a concordance would only improve the value of this Bible. The lack of a concordance could keep me from using this as a carry Bible.

Comparison with the RL Allan Longprimer

Conclusion

The Allan Wide Margin in KJV is an exceptional Bible. I have come to really appreciate quality in a Bible- particularly the binding, paper, and font- and the Allan delivers on every point. The Oxford Clarendon Wide Margin from RL Allan and Sons is sure to be the Bible that is cherished for a lifetime of study.

Click here to buy from Bibles-Direct.com

or here to buy from EvangelicalBible.com

Creating a Study Bible

Printing your own also allows you to choose your own features such as the font you want, including size and style, paragraph format, and you can print the words of Christ in red. You could even print topics in specific colors, highlight the text, underline, bold, add symbols, references, definitions, images, or anything else you can think of. A Bible printed on copy paper has far less bleed-through and the text can be much bolder, making it easier to read and mark. You might not want to carry it, but it will make an excellent study Bible.

For my loose-leaf project I will be using KJV. This has to do with copyright issues (the KJV is public domain) and it is the main translation I use. I will add my own headings in the text, make it red-letter, choose the specific font that I want, add my own references and translation notes, add Hebrew and Greek definitions, make it wide margin, have OT quotes in the NT to be in a different font-style, and possibly use blue-letter for the words of God in the OT. Some of these features will require more work than others. Since I can make more than one I’ve decided that I want my first one to fit in one binder, so I will be making trade-offs with font-size and margin-width, and I won’t add references. Also, I will be printing on both sides of the page.

First, get a KJV text. Since the KJV is public domain it is freely available online in many places. I recommend downloading several and choose the format you like the best. If you plan to add features such as notes, references, headings, etc., and change the font style and size, the page layout of the KJV you download won’t really matter because it won’t look the same anyway. Here are a few choices:

http://printkjv.ifbweb.com/
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/KJB/pce.htm
http://bibledatabase.org/bibles.html
http://www.biblicalscholarship.net/AV.htm
http://www.bibleprotector.com/
http://www.basicchristian.org/

Here’s one in red-letter with some headings in the text:

http://home.comcast.net/~classichauslimited/htmlpgs/kjvbibles.html

It’s easy enough to change the font and page layout using a word processor. If you choose a PDF file, simply save it as text or copy and paste into your word-processor. None of these texts come with references or notes. There are other places to get the text- especially if you don’t mind copying one book or chapter at a time.

Next, format the text the way I want it. I want a large font and wide-margin. I will have to decide which is more important and make adjustments as necessary. I recommend experimenting with one book before printing the entire Bible. For my first attempt I will print only a few chapters. It might take me several tries before I like what I have. Since I’m experimenting, I ended up printing several variations. I decided on a 12-point Times Roman font. I don’t like the shade of red, so I’ll keep experimenting until I get something that works for me. I might even go with black-letter.

The last step will be choosing a binder and punching the holes. You can use one large binder or several smaller binders. You can even use a spiral binding if you want. I’ve decided to use my pages loose rather than place them in a binder- at least until I get the text exactly the way I want it.

Printing your own loose-leaf Bible is a great way to study and write in your Bible. You have much thicker paper than what you can get in any Bible, you can have any size and style font you want, and the text is bold and crisp. You won’t be straining to see the text and you can’t read three pages deep. You can have any size margin you want, and you can interleave as many pages as you want any time you want. If you don’t like what you’ve written or marked, print that page again and start over. You can spread out the cost by only printing a book at a time. If nothing else it can be used to help you in your Bible study by allowing you to interact with and mark your text without writing in your primary Bible.