NKJV Ultrathin Reference Bible, Brown LeatherTouch Imitation Leather – February 1, 2014

I am sort of picky about most things, but am really picky about a good Bible to be used as a daily reader. I am extremely happy with this Bible, and it has all the key features that I value. I consider this to be the best Bible on the market today.What I LOVE about this Bible:1) It is the New King James Version, which maintains the grand literary style of the King James, but is slightly more readable.2) Rich, Beautiful leather cover. The Leather is genuine leather . . . not bonded and not the imitation. There is nothing like the feel and smell of a real leather Bible. The burgundy is a beautiful color.3) Will sit flat and open. Most bibles if you open them and place them on the desk, the Bible will close itself, or pages will flip over. This Bible will sit on the desk flat and stable at the page you have opened it too. This is a really important feature. I like to make notes and journal as I study the Bible, so it it invaluable to have a Bible that will sit open where you put it.4) Readable Text. I would not exactly call it "Large Print", but I would call it large enough to read.5) Format is two column, nicely typeset, with excellent and extensive cross references in the center between the columns.6) Excellent concordance in the back.7) Nice size. The Bible is slim, and a convenient size to carry.8) Nice index. The index is indented, which means you do not have tabs hanging out that get messed up. The chapter indexes are indented and very elegantly done.What could be improved:1) I really do not like the "Red Letter" feature, where the words of Christ are in red. All scripture is "God Breathed", and I do not like the implication that the Words of Jesus are somehow distinct and more important than the words of the Holy Spirit through John. All scripture is equally important and equally inspired.2) Dont like maps in the back because it seems like the bindings always fail at the maps.Bottom line is that I LOVE this Bible and consider it the best presently available. I ordered extras so when one wears out, I will have more in reserve.

I didn’t realize that purchasing a bible could be so complicated. I thought I was just looking for a New King James Version and that was that. Turns out there are a lot of options and it helps to do some homework and spend some time figuring out what is available.First off, this bible wasn’t for me. It’s a replacement bible for a friend and she knew exactly what she wanted. Not doing my research would have meant not understanding what each option is and you’re almost sure to accidentally end up with a bible that doesn’t meet requirements. I probably should add that this was a nearly exact replacement for a much loved bible that went missing.This specific bible is listed as:NKJV, Large Print, Ultrathin, Reference Bible, Burgundy, Genuine Leather with Thumb Index & Ribbon MarkerEach one of those is a distinct and separate option. I had to write it down and watch closely that I didn’t deviate from those requirements.NKJV - is pretty clear and if you’re looking for that translation then I don’t need to mention any more.Large Print - This bible is listed as 10-point type. That is the exact size type that my friend wanted. If you need or want a true large print bible then you may want to look closely at 10-point type to see if it works for you. Now I wouldn’t consider 10-point type to be “Large Print” but it is if you put this specific bible into context and then understand that it could be. Which is the segue into the next option.Ultrathin - This is a very thin and lighter weight bible. My friend cannot carry and handle a heavy bible so I went so far as to look up the weight for each version. To be this thin and light the publisher has to use 10-point type. Other Ultrathins would be a 6-point type or maybe 8-point type which is too small for my friend. In the context of Ultrathin bibles, this is a Large Print bible.Reference Bible - I personally prefer a study bible but that doubles the thickness and weight of the book. You can look at a preview and see if Holman published the references (this one has center-column references) in the way you like. There are significant differences between printers (Holman, Crossway etc.) as well as “printings” (the specific printing, edition or year a version was printed). Publishers move or change the reference locations and styles so watch the exact edition you select. I also had to match the printing so the pages would closely line up to her old/other bibles (e.g. she preferred that a certain verse would fall nearly on the same page in each version).Burgundy - Color was an important discriminator for her. She studies multiple translations and needs a way to quickly recognize which one she is picking up.Genuine Leather - This bible is covered in genuine leather. Turns out some of my bibles are “bonded leather” which is a much lesser quality. If you spend hours with the book it’s nice to appreciate the feel and handle of the genuine leather over other bindings. You can choose to buy even nicer bindings but my friend likes the Holman genuine leather for the stiffness. She feels the more expensive bindings can be too supple. Her bibles get tons of use and handling. These genuine leather bindings are a joy to use and they really hold up well and continue to look like new.Thumb Index - I suggest you look at the preview. Styles for tabs vary greatly between publishers and even between editions. I think another reviewer didn’t like these and was returning the bible because of it. They are exactly the tabs my friend wanted so she’s pretty happy with them.Ribbon Marker - Another option that I hadn’t given much thought to. My friend would prefer a double “Ribbon Marker” but this version has a single Ribbon Marker.Concordance - Once again, I suggest you look at a preview. Concordance styles can vary.This bible has a lifetime warranty. You can see it labeled on the top left corner of the box and inside the bible. I used to tease my friend because she has so many different bibles and she still wears them out. I’m not talking about abuse or mishandling, she literally carries, handles and just plain reads them to death. The leather holds up very well but after several years her bindings fail. Not just with the Holman genuine leather, but the bindings on other publishers bibles also fail. I can tell you first hand that Holman honors this warranty without question or issue. I think you do have to send the old bible back.Okay, so ordering this bible literally was an enjoyable all day affair. We scoured the publishers and other vendors web pages, we called them and asked questions, we compared multiple translations (KJV, HCSB, NIV, ESV and NKJV) as well as editions, we evaluated the feel and handle of the various bindings, we compared the font sizes that were available…and we had a great time doing it. I suspect the average sane person won’t go to the effort we did, but this bible replaces one of a pair of Holman NIV, Large Print, Ultrathin, Reference Bibles in Genuine Leather with Thumb Index & a Ribbon Marker. Unfortunately, Holman no longer publishes this bible in an NIV translation so the NKJV was a good compromise.

Let's face it, the ultrathin reference bible is a standard. They are fairly compact and light, easy to transport, simple, elegant, fashionable, and so useful.I needed an NKJV bible to add to my collection and decided on the brown leather touch NKJV ultrathin reference bible made by Holman. 6"x9"x1" is the dimensions. It has a sewn binding so it will last years and years. 8 point font, subject headings, bold verse numbers to indicate a new paragraph. Red letter edition, and the red is just that, RED. It's not dark like crimson, nor is it bright like a fire truck, not pink, it's a very comfortable red. each book has a brief introduction. It has a small concordance, and maps, presentation, birth, death, marriage certificate page etc.If you get the leather touch make sure you keep it out if the heat. It is coagulated polyurethane after all, and won't respond well to heat. So don't leave it in your car with the windows rolled up on a hot day or it'll distort the cover.These ultrathin reference bibles are used by a lot of pastors and are a perfect bible for a new believer because they keep it simple, are well made, high quality, get you involved more with the text of scripture than study notes. I made a video review on YouTube. Just look for NKJV ultrathin reference bible. It's posted under the name sting of truth.

I really wanted to like this Bible. I simply cannot recommend it. If you look in the first picture, the inside of the Bible states the ISBN for this Bible and what type of leather it is. It states the leather is Genuine Cowhide. Meanwhile, clearly stamped on the back of this Bible is the inscription Goatskin Leather as you can see in the second picture. So obviously Holman (the publisher) doesn't even know what type of leather it is. Based on the feel and movement, it doesn't even feel like leather very much, but I would say it is the cowhide leather as stated in the Bible as per the ISBN. With the wrong inscription on the back of the actual Bible, this should simply have never even been shipped IMO.Also, if you look at picture 3, you'll see the red letter in the Bible is so poorly printed. It is so light in some places it is almost unreadable. The aligning of the text along with the black is also off in many cases and even is on top of other text in some places. Not to mention the awful font for readability. I think the font used by Holman here is the worst font I've ever seen in ANY Bible.It's extremely difficult to find an NKJV in this size of Bible and in genuine leather. That is the main reason why I ordered this. I must say though, the quality is sadly lacking and even after sending an email directly to Holman about these issues; I have never received a response from them. I'm still toying with the notion of returning this while my return window is open, but again, it 's so hard to find this translation, in this size and with a leather cover. I do know one thing though. If I DO keep this Bible, it will be my last Holman purchase ever.

Lovely bible. Just what l was looking for. The text is a good size. Easy to read and to carry. Looks the business.

Excellent

Thin paper, overly thick cover.

This Bible was bigger than I thought it would be. It has the old testament on black index & the new testament in red index. It has ribens for both testaments. Excellent Bible witch I fully recommend.