After signing up for alerts on the publication of this particular volume, I received an email from Christianbook.com that alerted me to the fact that I would be able to order before the March 14th date that other booksellers were putting on sale. Not sure if that was because I was a member or not. At any rate, I was excited to say the least. I quickly put my order in on the 2nd and received on the 7th, a full week before Amazon, for example, would put on sale. As of this writing, still on pre-order status on Amazon, at a considerable higher price.
The Bible came in a standard Thomas Nelson bi-fold box with no visible damage at all. Upon first inspection, I noticed two things. First the volume was quite light in weight. Second, the leather was quite flexible and soft but not quite as soft compared to the Sovereign wide margin, for example. This Bible weighs in at 37.5oz and the Sovereign wide margin comes in at 48.1oz, according to my digital kitchen scale. The dimensions are otherwise the same except for the width of the book block, this volume is about 1.25 inches, and the sovereign is 1.62.
This particular publication is not a premium Bible, and I did not expect one. There are 5 spine hubs outlined in gold, a nice touch. The text on the spine appears to be stamped rather than embossed, I expect it will rub off over time. There are no colors in the text block, except for the red letter in the New Testament. I have grown quite used to chapter and verse numbers in color to make it easier to find. The signatures are sewn, however there is no edge line construction. A curious choice given that this model is not meant to be written in the margins heavily. The liner appears to be paper, but it is coated and has a synthetic feel. I wonder how long before it begins to tear away from the book block. This is quite a bit of cockling in the signatures, and it becomes a little annoying when turning pages in the front and the back. To be fair, I find this with almost every volume printed in South Korea.This is a first edition, obviously, this version has indexed tabs and the paper is adequate, but certainly not premium. Considering the inclusion of the Apocrypha, I wonder how the weight is so much lower compared to other Bibles in my collection. It really does make a difference when reading for extended periods of time. My ESV Study Bible remains on my desk at all times as it weighs in at full 4.75 lbs. Apples and oranges, however.
The Deuterocanonical Books are separated from the new and testament, there are 15 included, however, Psalm 151 is not included. As an Anglican, I can appreciate the inclusion of the apocrypha when praying the daily office. Until comfort print, this endeavor was a challenge on my middle-aged eyes. It is surprising the lack of options when it comes to KJV Bibles that include the apocrypha, although modern digital printing has improved, quite often the Cambridge text can be a challenge to read for any length of time. Once I saw that Thomas Nelson offered the KJV with the apocrypha AND genuine leather. I was ready to purchase.
Very happy with my purchase. It has become one of three Bible that I use every day. The size and weight make it a true pleasure, however, some color in the text would have been nice. I expect that will change in the future. You can go wrong if you prefer a volume with the apocrypha as your choices are quite limited.
