ESV Personal Reference Bible (TruTone, Brown/Walnut, Portfolio Design)

This review (October 2024) is for the Crossway ESV Wide Margin Reference TruTone Bible. I had tried a number of local stores to try and find a copy of this Bible so that I could see and feel it in person, but no one local to me carried it. After a year of reading reviews and watching videos I finally ordered it. I opted for the TruTone version because it was less expensive and because I wanted to test this Bible with my note taking and highlighting. So let me compare this against the Crossway Bibles that I have experience with. Their ESV Journaling Study Bible in TruTone is much softer and floppy/bendable. This Wide Margin version is stiffer. Not a plus or minus, just an observation. This version also is one solid color where as the Journaling Study Bible is two colors. Now let me address the main questions and that is the typeface, paper, and margins. The Journaling Study Bible is 7.5, the Wide Margin Reference is 9. That was one of the main reasons I had been wanting this Bible was the larger font. I use 1.0 Reader Glasses and the 7.5 while readable would still be a slight challenge after a long day of looking at a computer screen. The t9 point font is much nicer. The paper is thicker/heavier than the Journaling Study Bible. There is one YouTube video that compares the Crossway Wide Margin with a Cambridge Wide Margin and his conclusion is the Crossway paper is heavier/thicker. I would say the paper is similar to the Thomas Nelson NKJV Single Column Wide Margin Reference Bible. I write all of that to simply say this paper is meant for note taking. Yes there is ghosting, but much less so than in the Journaling Study Bible that I have. Please note that I use the Pigma Micron 01 and 005 pens and no I've not tested any other pens mainly because I started with them and have stayed with them. I am still using the same set I purchased a year ago with no indication that they are wearing out, so the initial price for me was worth it. Also the weight of the paper lends itself to less crinkling of pages as you flip through them. The Bible is two column with one inch margins on both side. Now the inside margin (writing space) is slight more and that is due to Crossway moving the text outward toward the edge providing a true inch of writable space. This was one of the reasons I was leaning toward this Bible for so long. I have space to write next to the individual scripture. In the Journaling Study Bible you have two column text with a two inch margin on the outside which results in notes written away from the scriptures which are in the inside column. Neither method is right or wrong, just two different layouts. My final thoughts are I really do like this Bible due to everything above. I still like the Journaling Study Bible, but had I started with this one I would probably go ahead and get the ESV Study Bible as a complementary piece. As for the TruTone cover, I have no long term experience with it. I think one of the reviewers here on Amazon showed his as being worn out after ten years and suggested that you go ahead and purchase the real leather version. From a cost perspective I can see both sides and that is something that as an individual you will have to decide. For me I wanted to test the format out on the less expensive version and then after a year or so decide if I want to purchase the leather version or just have this one rebound. I know this review has been long, but I hope it has been helpful as I tried to address the main points/issues that I had when I was researching this particular Bible.

I usually use the same bible until it falls apart at the seams. In January 2019, I started a new year long bible study and thought that a new bible would be a good idea for the new study. I spent about an hour and a half at a local Lifeway store to pick the one I wanted. I had no idea how picky I was with bibles! Haha! I originally thought I wanted a journaling bible, but eventually decided against it. I picked this bible for the following reasons: 1. It is a reference bible 2. The words of Jesus are in red. (I wouldn't have thought this would have been a big deal to me - but it was) 3. The paper is not "see-through" thin and I'm able to write with a gel pen and gel highlighter without it bleeding through. 4. The margins are both sides of the page, even on the inside. I hope that makes sense. Most journaling bibles only have extra space to write on the outside margins. 5. The font is perfect for me. In my research, I found that most journaling bibles have TINY font point sizes. If you wanted a large print bible, they were very large and sometimes, not even true 'large print'. 6. This bible has a CONCORDANCE. Yes!!! One of those things I didn't think I'd want until it wasn't in most other bibles. I used to be a diehard NIV fan. My pastor preaches from the ESV version and I've grown to really like it's readability and how it is the closest translation from the original language. I have really enjoyed using this bible and look forward to using it as a tool to draw closer to Christ.

Perfect size and weight. I love the single-column format, I find it much less overwhelming when studying. It’s easier to read it like a book. I will say, many of the reviews mention the red-letter detail, but there is no red-letter in this Bible, which I was disappointed with. Maybe they updated it? It’s very difficult to find single-column with red letter print. I still really love it tho! Great to take to Bible Study and church.

I have been looking for a Bible since December. I wanted to regular size, (not one of those little books), I also wanted room to take notes and to be able to highlight. Plus what Jesus says is very important and should be in red. It's so had to find a Bible with red letters lately. I've not only looked on amazon, but I've check other places too. Finally...a Bible I can truly enjoy reading. This is the best purchase I've made. Before this one I bought two other Bible's on here and gave them away cause it wasn't what it appeared to be on here. I was very hesitant to even buy this one, but thank God I did. The lettering is not too small for someone with bifocals, you can highlight and it not bleed thru (I use Mr. Pen SLEEK), the color of the pages are just like they should be, not that old yellow stuff. And not too thin at all. Plus not too heavy to pack. My husband bought me a beautiful Bible for my birthday and I love it, but it's too heavy to pack to church, so it's my every morning reading Bible. This Bible also has maps, page to write family marriages, births/adoptions and deaths. The only part I didn't like, it came in one of those slip in things you see them in in a store, wrapped in plastic, in a bubble wrap that amazon put it in. Not enough protection for God's word. There is a creece at the top of my Bible that goes halfway through the Bible at the top of the book because it wasn't protected as well as it would have been had it been in a box. You can mail me at a baby shark toy and it's in a box 3 sizes big with packaging all around it, but you can't mail out something as precious as God's word in a box to protect it? I gave it 5 stars for the Bible, not for the way it came to me. I pray this helps you make your decision. God bless

This is a very nice bible. Heavier in hand than a Thinline bible but not too much. Realized I am not used to seeing Jesus words in red (my current bible is all black print) and that was surprised how it was distracting when reading. Might have gotten used to it eventually? It was really hard to choose between this and one other bible that had slightly wider margins, and that became the deciding factor for me. If not for that, I would likely have kept this one. No visible issues, though I was trying to keep it in new & unused condition and did not flip through every page (only looked at a few pages). Shipped quickly in a padded envelope..... which was fine this time but may not always be the best option. Not sure if sending it as a gift to myself would have changed how it was packaged for shipping? 🤔 Overall would have no qualms about ordering for others.

Great Bible. Decent size. My only complaint is that the pages are like tissue paper. Not your standard thin Bible pages but almost see-through tissue paper. Just know you get what you pay for.

The letter 8-point type is small, for old people.

It’s a beautiful brown with a subtle deep purple undertone, I think. The pages still have that fresh, new book smell, and it’s around 1,400 pages long. I love the wide margins for note taking, the text itself is pretty tiny for such style. It feels perfectly minimal, clean, and organized to me.

The ESV is one of my favourite translations. This bible has a lovely feel in your hands, the font is not to small and having the reference column on the side is perfect for me.

Product is perfect from various angle, specially the cover and the size of Bible, font size is ok and readable not small and not large but I was expecting for little more bigger font but it's ok.

This is a great no-frills ESV Bible that focuses on what matters—readability, accuracy, and practicality. The text is clear and consistent with the well-respected ESV translation, which balances word-for-word precision with smooth modern English. One of the highlights is the center-column cross-references—super helpful for connecting related verses without cluttering the main text. The font size is decent (not large print, but very readable), and the thin yet sturdy build makes it easy to carry while still holding up to regular use. If you want a trustworthy, cleanly designed Bible with built-in references for deeper study, this one gets the job done. No distracting extras—just God’s Word, well-presented. Highly recommended.

Great size. Love the single column format. Has SO MANY cross references the text can be a little overwhelming with letter references next to them, but that's what this is - a REFERENCE bible. Recommended.

Handy sized bible that has good font size and good study references