NLT Large Print Slimline Center Column Reference Bible – Tyndale House Publishers

The problem that I’ve found with most reference Bibles is they either have too much reference material or not enough. The perfect reference Bible in my opinion would be one that contains a broad base of information, which brings me to the review of Tyndale’s New Living Translation Slimline Center Column Reference Bible.

 The edition being reviewed is the Mahogany bonded leather, also available in black w/ silver page edges.

The binding, not unlike most bonded leather Bibles this one is fairly stiff with what appears to be a paste down vinyl liner on the inside of the cover.

The size of this Bible is approximate 9.5″ x 6.75″ x 1″ with gold page edges. The text block is Smythe sewn and lies flat when opened with a single brown ribbon marker.

The layout: of this Bible is a typical two-column text with center-column references: Each book of the Bible contains a brief introduction and outline. Also included is information regarding the author, estimated time of event, purpose, and themes. The center column references are listed under chapter and verse headings that remove the need for superscript letters throughout the text, leaving a fairly clean text.  The references were selected by relevance to the content of the word or passage; in short, the references don’t lead to a dead end. Although limited, there are some superscript letters in the text that refers to a Hebrew or Greek keyword also listed in the Center Column along with a Strong’s concordance number. Beneath the Hebrew and Greek words in the center column is an additional verse relative to that same Hebrew or Greek word. Also throughout the text are asterisks indicating a textual note relevant to the word or passage that are printed at the bottom of the page.

Print: The words of Christ are printed in red, and not that I have a problem with highlighting the words of Christ, but many people find red print difficult to read. In most bibles, the red print ends up being pink or very lightly printed. However, the red print in this edition is fairly consistent and thankfully is more brick red than pink.

The paper thickness in the reviewed edition is approximately .75″ @ 1000 pages. The paper in the NLT Slimline Cross Reference is thin but opaque enough that it doesn’t really affect readability.

What sets this Bible apart from most standard reference editions is the condensed Hebrew and Greek Index and Dictionary (NLT Study System).  The NLT Study System contains one hundred Hebrew words and one hundred Greek words that are keyed to the numbering system found in Strong’s Concordance. Beneath the word and definition is a list of verses where that word is found throughout the Bible. Downsides: Along with the English spellings I would like to have seen the Hebrew and Greek spellings of these words.

The bible also contains a combined dictionary and concordance and also 8 colored maps (no map index).

Construction: As mentioned earlier, this bible has a bonded leather cover and it is Smythe sewn, however a word of warning. This particular edition is experiencing some separation of the binding from the text block.  I’m sure over time and use the cover will eventually come off, however, some binders glue carefully applied might fix the problem.  Tyndale does have a warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, but as a result of the low price of this Bible, I didn’t ask for a replacement. I ended up purchasing another copy in black bonded leather. At present, I haven’t experienced the same problem with my black copy, so I’m hoping it was just an outlier, but you might want to check before you buy or mention it to the online retailer and have them check for any signs of separation.

Lack of quality NLT Bibles:

Currently there’s a void in the market for a “premium” large print reference edition of the NLT translation. A premium edition is a bible with above average paper, print, and binding.  However, Schuyler has one available for preorder, it’s the NLT Quentel Reference. It’s a two-column reference edition with a 10.5 pt. font and at present this is the only option for a premium NLT.

In conclusion: I think if Tyndale would upgrade the paper, printing, and the binding, then the Slimline Center Column Reference would make for a very nice “premium” edition of the NLT. Premium Bibles aside, for the price this is a very good value and even though there’s no line matching of the text, the paper is opaque enough that the print from the other side of the page doesn’t affect readability. If you’re looking for a standard reference bible with a broad range of information, then I feel very comfortable recommending the NLT Slimline Center Column Reference Bible.