ESV Wide Margin Reference Bible, Red Letter (TruTone, Brown)

I bought this for my wife, who wanted a journaling Bible in which she could write notes. We looked at more recent Crossway Journaling Bibles but all seemed to have lined margins, which she definitely didn't want. This Bible has a lot of extra helps, wide margins on both sides of each page, and good quality paper. With the right pens the marks don't bleed through. The Smith-sewn binding enables you to open the Bible flat from Genesis to Revelation and the Trutone cover is both attractive and durable.

I love this Bible so much. If you want to get a serious Bible, easy to read, good quality, easy to understand, this would be it!

This is a fantastic Bible from Crossway. The quality of the production is excellent, sturdy attractive imitation leather cover which looks far better than expected, good quality paper and consistent high quality printing. The font used is clear and easy to read, some might find it on the small side but this is to be expected given the compact size of the book. The page layout is excellent, single column paragraph style with cross references in the gutter. This was the main reason for my choosing this Bible - I wanted a smaller, more comfortable reading Bible - Crossway’s Reader’s Bible is great but in a large hardback format which is uncomfortable for long reading sessions. At this price this Bible is hard to fault and I intend to buy further copies as gifts. My only wish to improve it would be an edition that includes the Apocrypha.

Really good.

Just what I was looking for! Easy to read, portable, quality paper, lovely feel to the cover. Highly recommend this particular bible.

The text is in 2 columns with a good sized margin fore and aft. The print size is good and easy to read. The ESV is a very good translation enabling a good understanding of the original writings. Its style is traditional and it has retained the best of the much-loved RSV, which I still use, as my preferred translation. Its old fashioned phraseology has been eliminated, leaving an excellent word for word version of the sacred texts. The well prepared reference system is found at the bottom right hand corner of each page. Each chapter or section contains an unobtrusive introduction. There is no introduction at the beginning of each book. The spelling is that of American English, for example, plough is spelt plow, and so on. Let's not be too stuffy, however. The overall impression of this excellent Bible is positive. The quality of the translation is shown through a high level of standard English usage: for example, Luke 17. 11-19. However, verse 1 reads: temptations to sin are sure to come... this is the same as the RSV. However, the NASB wisely avoids this colloquialism. The Greek agrees better with this translation; the KJV, likewise, is more accurate.

Amazing good quality good weight excellent to bring everywhere amazing to praise God looks amazing and I just wanna thank the creators of this Bible. It is such a good quality bible it blew my mind how amazing it was for the money. I just wanna say God bless you all and thank you for this amazing milestone in my journey with Christ. God bless you all in Jesus name.

Praise God ❤️Jesus loves you ❤️

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.

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.