Binding: Thomas Nelson offers two different premiere editions of the KJV GP Reference. The top of the line is the brown goatskin with raised hubs, the next step down is the reviewed edition which is a black goatskin with decorative gold stamping used for faux hubs. Both editions use edge-lined construction and are leather-lined. The goatskin does have a natural grain, in other words, it’s not a stamped grain. This edition has a very soft binding, at times the goatskin feels like a fabric type of leather, although I like the appearance and feel of the leather, my impression is that it might be a little less durable than your normal goatskin. Take for instance, there’s one issue with the edition I’m reviewing, the back cover feels more solid than the front cover, it’s the same piece of leather and the difference may be that the glue has separated between the front cover and the liner, which is unnoticeable until you handle it.
Construction and features: the text block is Smythe sewn, including overcast stitching in the front only. The page edges are light red under gold art-gilt. This edition has three 10mm double satin ribbons, two black, and one red ribbon. The binding has a natural grain, and it is stitched around the perimeter. It’s a floppy bible, not stiff, it has a rounded spine, and it lies rather flat right out of the box. The overall outer dimensions are as follows: 10 inches by 6 ¾ inches by 1 ½ inches thick.
The layout is not what I’d call regal or elegant, the design is more like a well-made tool, one that is useful for various tasks. The design is set in a two-column verse-by-verse format with center-column references and brief book introductions. It’s a straight up and down verse by verse edition, in other words, there are no poetry settings in this edition. A friend of mine referred to the setting as a modern-day Cambridge Turquoise, for which I agree. The columns of text are 7 to 8 words per line, they are 2 inches wide and 8 1/8 inches tall. Between the two columns of text is a column of references, which includes textual notes and archaic word definitions. The font size of the references/notes appears to be around 7-8pt. This edition has been listed as having 53,000 and 73,000 references, and I’m unsure which is accurate. I think this number could be a mix of cross-references, textual notes, and word definitions, so maybe 53,000 cross-references and 20,000 textual and word definitions? From what I’ve been informed by a source, this edition gives more alternate word definitions than any other KJV Reference currently available. Keep in mind: All KJV Bibles should define archaic words, this is a necessity for the reader since these words have changed meaning over the past 400 years.
The 11-pt. Comfort Print font has been specially designed by 2k Denmark for Thomas Nelson. The print in this edition is dark and bold and is very consistent throughout. The text is line-matched, so any ghosting or bleed-through of the print is a non-issue. This is a black letter edition, so, there’s no red print for the words of Christ. The red print is reserved for the chapter numbers, and this includes the chapter and verse numbers for the references in the center column, the book titles and chapter numbers that are located at the top of the outer pages, and the reduced set of subject headings are located at the top of the inner pages. The first letter of each chapter is printed in a larger red font, and the page numbers are located at the center of the bottom of the page and are also printed in red. The red print used is a nice dark red, think more brick red.
The paper is eggshell white in color, it has high opacity, and it’s listed at 36gsm. There is some show-through of the print but it’s minor and not distracting. This paper is only used in the premiere editions, it appears to be coated, and it has a slight sheen. I like the feel of this paper, it’s not overly soft, it feels a little more durable than your thinner bible papers, and it separates and turns easily when flipping through the pages. The page size is 9 ¼ inches by 6 ¼ inches.
At the front: This edition includes a Presentation page, King James Dedicatory, Table of Contents, and Book and Special Abbreviations.
At the back: a 165-page Concordance, Bible maps, a page listing the miracles of Jesus, the Parables of Jesus, and a one-year reading plan. The Bible Concordance is laid out in a three-column format with the listings approximately 7-8pt in size.
In closing: There’s not much to complain about with this edition, although I would recommend increasing the spacing in the margins to make a little room for notes, doing so would give a cleaner and more elegant appearance to the page. Adding some poetry settings would break up the monotony of the text, as well as adding a full set of subject headings back within the text. Also, some blank lined note pages in the back would be a nice feature. This edition does have the King James dedicatory, but it does not have The Translators to the Readers, which should also be included. Although advertised as a Giant print this is a Large Print edition, a Giant Print would be closer to a 13-point font, and while this font is listed as being a 12-point it appears more like an 11pt. With that said, as a large print this is probably the best KJV large print reference edition currently available, however, if you need a true giant print, then look here.
Christian Book Dist: KJV Giant Print Reference
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