The NKJV Wide Margin, Sovereign Collection
A review of the Thomas Nelson New King James Version (NKJV) Wide-Margin Reference Edition (Sovereign Collection) in black Leathersoft (ISBN 9780785294856, style # 9863BK).
This Bible, printed in India, contains the 66 books of the Protestant canon only. The text is presented in two columns, organized into verses, and printed in a 9 pt Comfort Print font. It is usually line-matched. References and text and translation notes are presented at the bottom of the page in a 7 to 7.5 point font. This edition appears to include the full set of references and notes. Each book begins on a fresh page, after a brief introduction.
Margins:
Top - 23 to 26 mm
Inner - as much as 29 mm
Outer - 23 to 25 mm
Bottom - 21 to 24 mm
Marginal area per verse - 8.25 square centimeters
The words of Christ are in red ink (including those in the book of Revelation). Unhappily, the red is not always aligned properly with the surrounding black ink.
I estimate the paper weight at 39.5 gsm. The paper is reasonably opaque and, when I wrote on it using a black Pigma Micron 005, ink did not bleed through. In my copy, several pages were creased prior to use. Page edges are gilded.
This edition comes with a 104 page concordance. I estimate there are 3700 entries. Key words are printed in red capitals in a 9 point font. Context lines are in a 7 point font.
The volume is Smyth-sewn and lies open in Genesis. The wide inner margin keeps the text out of the gutter. The Leathersoft cover feels soft and flexible.
Seven color maps spanning eight pages are included. The maps are printed on a largely matte surface. They do not enter the gutter.
There are two 10 mm wide ribbon markers, one red and one black. They seem to be long enough to be useful.
Contents
00:00 Introduction
01:42 Size comparisons
04:00 Page layout
05:19 Registration issues
06:37 More on page layout
10:50 Print non-uniformity
11:45 The font in the text
12:33 Red text misalignment, more examples
13:07 Paper quality
14:49 Bleed-through?
15:23 Folds and wrinkles
15:59 Concordance
16:50 The color maps and sewn binding
17:48 Liner, cover, head bands, ribbons
18:50 It lies open in Genesis
19:48 Title and copyright pages
21:12 Font comparisons
22:40 Translation charts
26:06 Text and translation notes
29:28 Four NKJV wide-margins compared
32:56 Summary
Пікірлер: 79
Some people have frequently brought up the construction problems and printing issues with this Bible, but honestly, I love mine. It's just a joy to read from because of the page design. I can read from it for hours and not get tired. It has become one of my top five Bibles in my collection, even with the problems.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Even with its flaws, I like my copy quite a lot also. Thanks for commenting, caomhan84!
I just bought this Bible and I love it!
I have now had this Bible for a month and have used it regularly. I like it. For the price it is very good. Like you mentioned, sometimes the red verse numbers overlap with the text and the lines get a little "mushed together" sometimes. Also, the notes at the bottom are somewhat cumbersome and not easy to read when you take a quick glance at them. I wish they had used red ink or something to cite the chapter and verse notations in the notes. It all runs together a bit. But, overall, I am quite pleased with the Bible.
I'm loving every video you make and your revisions, I'm not an expert on the subject, since some time ago I felt attracted to these publications and I believe that you are the mentor for these wonderful bibles, and not only because of your wonderful revisions. May God always bless you!
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for that encouraging comment!
This layout addresses the only criticism I have of the original (KJV) Sovereign-possibly my favourite new Bible of recent years-that is the text running into the gutter. The wide inner margins fix that at a stroke.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
It is a very nice design. Thanks for commenting!
I think this Sovereign Edition text block looks even better in this wide margin format. Very pleasing to the eye and easy to read.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
I think so too, TJ. Thanks for commenting!
I bought this Bible a few weeks ago - and whilst I agree not perfect - for the price it is a lovely Bible and one I will be using more and more through this year. Excellent review as always - thank you for putting this together ) +
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the encouraging comment, Dino!
Another fantastic video! Thank you for these excellent reviews!
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the encouragement, Z201able! I hope you find them useful.
I finally bought one. I absolutely love it! I love the font, layout, wide margins, book introductions, etc. This is a home run purchase for anyone who loves the KJV or NKJV in my opinion. Very reminiscent of the Schuyler Canterbury
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your observations, Stephen! I'm sure others will find them helpful.
Great review, as always, Mr. Jones! I just got one, and I cannot tell the difference between the red and black letter text for the life of me. It would all look the same if it wasn't for the offset printing! With that being said, it is a handsome tome. The paper is thick, the font is attractive, and the faux leather is more convincing than most. It makes an excellent devotional Bible!
Thank you so much for another brilliant and thorough review. Always fascinating and balanced. Bless you, dear brother.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the kind comment, brother! God bless!
The Cambridge is my ALL time favorite!
Excellent review. I own and love the KJV translation of this Bible. It truly is a beautifully made Bible indeed.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the kind comment!
That is a good looking Bible
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
I agree, Stephen. I like the design a great deal. I hope the quality control issues (e.g., print registration and wrinkled paper) I commented about in the video get resolved over time.
@stephengilbreath840
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones I may end up purchasing one of those Bibles lol
Enjoyed your review on this bible. I do remember seeing the print flaw with the verse numbers being too close to the verse. I've sought after older version bibles watching your reviews. Appreciate your time in these reviews!
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for taking the time to post that encouraging comment!
I think you sold me on this one, sir. I’ve been looking to swap my standard NKJV Bible that I use for study & church, and this one seems very nice. And, as a note-taker, narrow margins are my primary concern with most Bibles I use.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for commenting, Tom! I hope it doesn't disappoint you. I'm still happy with my copy, in spite of its flaws.
Excellent review! Thank you
I always enjoy watching your Bible review videos, and I hope you’ll review the Nelson KJV with Apocrypha, which is coming out in a few weeks
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Yes, I do plan to review it. Thanks for commenting!
Outstanding video and detailed breakdown of this Bible. I just bought a copy of this one for myself and very much enjoyed your video. I am looking through some of your other videos as well. Do you have a video regarding the LSB and the older HCSB Bibles?
@RGrantJones
3 ай бұрын
I've posted one or two reviews of the LSB, but I don't recall any on the HCSB.
Edit 2: in case any prospective buyer sees this, the problem was either with the genuine leather or with my individual copy which had very frequent and extreme print non-uniformity. Leathersoft version is essentially as described in the video here. One thing I did see in both bibles was extreme bold black ink, but I don’t regard it as as much of a problem So I received this today…I love it, except the red-letter. The inconsistency in my copy is extreme, Matthew 22 & 23 specifically degrade to a faint pink, and throughout the gospels this repeats, though not as severe (I must have a different edition than yours, since one of the misalignments isn’t present in my copy). Is this worth exchanging over? First experience with a red-letter, btw - I can see why it gives you a headache! But if it was at least somewhat consistent, wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me. Edit: I see at the end you mention it’s quite bad in your copy as well. That’s really too bad. I think this will be my only NKJV, I like the aesthetics of it too much to return it if I’m not going to get a better print.
This is a really nice Bible and plus the wide margin is really good. The red letter is deal breaker but it doesn't seem like Nelson is going to make a non premier collection bible without red letter. What I'd love to see from Nelson is a Bible jsut like this without NY references but having the full set of translation footnotes. In this edition the references and the footnotes should have been separated for ease of navigation.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for commenting, Edward! I think Nelson will continue to ignore us on the red letter issue as long as red letter editions sell well. I have to assume Nelson understands its market, which leads me to believe that NKJV users must generally prefer red letter editions.
@edwardgraham9443
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones That's really sad to be honest because I do believe that a lot of people either just hate red letters or are colour blind and can't read it. I'm not sure that they will change either, although I do believe that I saw where they are coming out with a few blue letter editions this year and their tag line for those is that it is for people who have difficulty reading red letters, so they do at least know that a portion of the NKJV market don't like red letters. I thought it would have been much easier to just print black letter editions, but they are determined, I believe, to have the words of Christ set apart in a different colour than the rest of the Bible, something that I just cannot understand. This is why I personally have discontinued the use of the NKJV in favour of the ESV as my primary Bible. If I have to use the NKJV translation, a translation I really love and had used for a very long time (I had a Holman black letter text edition for many years which I wore out), I use it electronically which is not my preferred way for reading the Bible so I just don't use it anymore. Furthermore, I've grown to absolutely love the ESV translation anyways I can find editions that have all their footnotes and no references and ones that have both but they are separated so as to make navigation easier.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
@@edwardgraham9443 - That's interesting. I hope Nelson uses a very dark blue, but I expect to be disappointed.
It is interesting how we all have our own little idiosyncrasies when it comes to bible design/production. You like the black letter, whereas I like the red letter. You are happy with the spine, while I can only look at bibles with Holy Bible, Version Name and Publisher Name and blind raised spine hubs… and can only stomach red/maroon print highlight text; if not black. Printing errors are, however very annoying and I don’t know how the binder can let such an error pass the production line. The page span mis-alignment error is because one ‘signature’ of pages was out of line. Each signature usually comprises 8 double sided pages (16 in all) -(or multiples of 4 double sided pages; 4, 8 or 16, depending upon each single page size) printed on both sides of one large sheet, then folded and bound together with the other ‘signatures’ before being cut on three sides; top, bottom and fore edge to reveal the individual pages. And, the term; ‘micrometres’ can also be stated as ‘microns.’
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
I grew up with microns, but I stopped using it when I heard that the international standards folks preferred micrometer. Thanks for the explanation regarding the printing offset, David.
@djpodesta
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones That is fair enough about the micrometres. I didn’t know that.
Thanks for your review. I just do not like red-letter Bibles; and I have always thought the NKJV to be an unfinished work. BUT, the Nelson NKJV Open Bible has found its place in my library!
Well done and informative video as always. I've got 2 of these bibles. I purchased the brown imitation first to see how I felt and the layout is so nice that I purchased the black genuine leather for the future. I have noticed, in the imiation leather, the spin seems to "pinch" in a couple places. I hope with use that will relax.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for commenting! How do you like the genuine leather? Do you think it's worth the additional cost?
@livingwithfaithbiblereview3413
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones I'd suggest yes considering it's not much more cost and its a genuine leather and It's a paste-down like the imitation leather but the liner is vinyl vs. the heavy paper liner that's in the imitation leather. I felt, a proper wide margin finally rather than only the outer margin!
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
@@livingwithfaithbiblereview3413 - thanks for that information! Wide margins all around are much better than a wide outer margin only in my opinion also.
Thank you for a typically great & thorough review. I want to love this bible but the reviews about the test misalignments & verse numbers is holding me back. I wrote Thomas Nelson about it but have not heard back. I noticed at 17:05 what looks like the page separating at the bottom. Is that correct? Again, Thank you & God Bless.
@RGrantJones
8 ай бұрын
There's a bit of a gap between the last page of the concordance and the first page of the color maps, but all the sheets are firmly in place. Thanks for the kind comment!
@xael
7 ай бұрын
Yes Patrick there are gaps of separation. I had to send 2 of mine back. Aside from worse paper damage than what Grant had (I had more folds, wrinkles, and even imprints of the ribbons) the partial separation or ease of pull apart made me question keeping it. I originally purchased them because of the design. I love the layout and it's a smaller bible than the current wide margin they offer. It's also more cozy than a Cambridge. For size it can't be beat really. Despite it's thickness it feels much lighter than other wide margins. Anyhow, I purchased them for a rebind project. Once I began turning through the bible I noticed the same separation you did except it was more frequent than you noted. I saw it a few times in Grants video also. Anyhow I decided to test that and put some light pressure gently pulling against the separation to see if it's going to come apart and yes it certainly felt that way. The overcast stitch looks like it's weaker than other bibles that do overcast. This Nelson was made in India and the quality (or lack thereof) shows. The overcast seems to be in larger loops and fewer loops meaning less support. The only thing holding back separation in the problem areas seems to be the overcast which seems weak innately. Another issue is the paper had cockling, bad. It also felt somewhat damp to the touch, hard to explain. I liked the texture of the paper though, it had a grit to it that was a nice change. As for other issues mine was plagued with text issues where verse numbers where going into the verse and in other cases partial verses were running into the verse above or below it. It was very bad. Enough for me to send back. At the moment Christianbook is having a sale where the genuine leather is cheaper than the fake leather, around 35$. The KJV WM Sovereign is around 15-20 depending on which leather/color. I'm going to try again. I saw a post on facebook where someone had one of these that didn't have the problems I listed above, or so they claimed. I will let you know if I can remember how they turn out when they arrive. Edit: I prefer VbV but if this is another fail, I might have to go with Cambridge which is a smaller text in paragraph. It's sad. The options for a NKJV wide margins are slim, very slim. I have been begging Schuyler to do one. They would do an amazing job. My problem with them though is it's probably going to be a copy of the Quentel. I would much prefer a VbV with center column references.
I am a new subscriber and love the channel. You probably get requests all the time, so here goes lol. I have a 1985 New Internation version my grandmother gave me. Would love if you could review that one :) Thank you
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for commenting, starcastle22. I reviewed one edition of the earlier NIV here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qaCClM2xocidj84.html .
Red letters would be cool if they were consistently printed and dark. But thats rare.
Great review, thanks! Any progress on the NRSV and NRSVUE comparison video?
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the encouraging comment, and for the question, Mike. More of a setback than progress. The computer I've used for the past six years or so died recently, and the software I've been using to draw charts is no longer available. So I have to locate a drawing application that produces high-resolution images, and I need to redraw the slides I've already built.
@Mike-pz6hz
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones That must be frustrating, sorry to hear that. Always look forward to your reviews, and I'm sure it'll be worth the wait whenever you're able to complete it. God Bless.
Lexham Press just came out with a new translation of the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books. I would love to see a review on the translation ($13.99 at Christianbook). The Lexham Old Testament Apocrypha: A New Translation
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the recommendation, Paul! I see it includes 1 Enoch and two versions of Tobit and Daniel.
Would it be rude to ask you how many copies of the Bible you have? (I aooreciate that you keep giving me reasons to explore more, but I am running out of room.) At least my Ancient/Modern NJV has black letters.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
dale, I have no idea. I've been buying a few copies a year almost every year since about 1981. And though I've given some away and lost some to a flood, I still have most of them.
@RobertFranklin85
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones You must have gotten tired of counting after 100!? Just kidding, have a blessed day!
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
@@RobertFranklin85 - Yes, I'm confident that there are more than 100 here, especially if you count English and Greek New Testaments and copies of the LXX. May God bless you and yours as well!
Thank you,R.Grant. New Subbie. Enjoy your detailed work. (BTW your participation in Wildsmith's famous "ribbon" episode was brilliant.) Continued Blessings,Sir.🌹🌹🌹🌹 Added thought: do you think Nelson will publish the Sovereign NKJV in large print? Thanks.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the kind words, Brenda, and for subscribing! I don't know whether Nelson will publish the Sovereign NKJV in large print, but I'm confident that they will not do so this year. The only NKJV large print edition Nelson plans to print this year is a personal size reference Bible.
@BrendaBoykin-qz5dj
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones Thank you, Sir.🌹🌹🌹🌹
Is the NKJV your primary preferred translation? Just curious
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the question, Stephen! No, I don't have a primary translation. It's likely that I use the KJV more frequently than the NKJV. I read a range of translations, often a more literal translation side-by-side with a more interpretive one, like the Jerusalem Bible or the NEB. When I read the Old Testament, I typically follow along in the NETS as well.
@stephengilbreath840
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones That's how I am. I kind of float from the KJV, NKJV, NASB, and ESV. I also use the NIV (1984) and the NLT
How do you determine which bible to take with you?
Has the red letter alignment issue been fixed ?
@pkmcnett5649
Ай бұрын
No
Hey when are we gonna get a face reveal 😮
Do you hand out bibles?
Fun fact: The thin Bible page is also called India Paper, I read somewhere. I wonder. Is Bible publishing a big business in India, just like in China?
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for commenting, Hassan! I haven't heard much about Bible printing in India before (though, of course, I have Bibles with India paper in them). But regardless of whether it is now or becomes a big business there, I hope they work through their quality control issues. This publication is an example of an excellent design and flawed execution -- which can be corrected in future printings.
@RGrantJones
Жыл бұрын
@@StanleyMathai - Thanks for that information. I hope the situation improves.
@hassanmirza2392
Жыл бұрын
@@StanleyMathai you can find bibles in English almost everywhere now, even in Pakistan. In my Urdu-Hindi language I am sure there are Bibles there in India. Also very few will understand KJV as the language is archaic.
@hassanmirza2392
Жыл бұрын
@@RGrantJones I watched this very good academic lecture by Notre Dame university, on YT Christian-Muslim Relations in History: Three Things Everyone Should Know