When Crossway released the English Standard Version in 2001, I was enrolled in a Westminster Doctrine of Salvation class with Dr. David McWilliams. During the course of one of his lectures, Dr. McWilliams mentioned the ESV, explained a little bit about its history, and gave us an example (Ephesians 1:4-5) of an instance where the ESV's rendering was superior to other translations. As the class progressed, Dr. McWilliams began to use the ESV while teaching, and I did likewise, acquiring the first of my many copies. As a translation, I loved it. My admiration only grew when I read Leland Ryken's The Word of God in English, which defends the ESV's "essentially literal" approach to translation while questioning many of the assumptions about readers that animate the more popular approach, dynamic equivalence.
My only problem was that Crossway packaged an excellent translation in a lackluster package. Although I admired the typography -- except the sections set in verse, where the ESV's narrow columns created unintended line breaks (a problem that would be fixed by a single-column setting -- the bindings left a great deal to be desired. Like so many modern leather bindings, the Crossway Bibles felt as if they'd been wrapped in cardboard. The leather was as likely to crease as flex, and the Bible felt stiff and dead in the hand. Since I had earlier acquired an appreciation for decent (or in modern parlance, "fine") binding, this was enough to make me cry out to the heavens in desperation.
So I took matters into my own hands. As soon as the slimline edition of the ESV came out, I sent one to Mechling Bookbindery and had them re-bind it in goatskin. Although the result was not exactly what I'd hoped for -- the elegance of, say, an Allan's binding was absent -- I ended up with a comfortable, attractive (if somewhat workmanlike) ESV. For a while, I planned another project: a compact ESV to be re-bound according to more precise specifications, this time with some additional artifacts of Reformed theology like the Heidelburg Catechism and the Westminster Confession bound into the back, something the Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (sadly available only in the NIV) later did. So far, that project is still simmering on the back burner.
By the time I heard about Crossway's Thinline Cordovan Premium Calfskin ESV, I had pretty much written Crossway off. Their earlier effort at a "premium" binding, the Heirloom Reference, left me cold. It was bulky and the examples I saw suffered from "fuzzy" imprinting. I expected the Thinline Cordovan to be more of the same. But I was wrong. Dead wrong.
Crossway's Thinline Cordovan is the best manufacturer "premium" binding I have ever handled. It takes some risks and they pay off. As far as I'm concerned, this edition alleviates the need for re-binding and is the must have Thinline ESV. (The must have Reference ESV, if you are wondering, is the one from Allan's.)
Let's talk about those risks I mentioned. The Thinline Cordovan is brown. It isn't the sort of burgundy color you associate with the word "cordovan," though. Instead, it is a rich, caramel brown. The leather is completely smooth -- and that lack of grain is a definite risk. When my friend Darrel handled his first Thinline Cordovan (before I'd seen it), he told me afterward that he didn't think I would like the smooth, shiny finish. When I heard those words -- smooth, shiny -- I gulped. But then I saw the thing in person and I was amazed. Another risk: the stitching. It's the sort of detail that some people would take issue with; it certainly doesn't blend into the background. To make a long story short, the Thinline Cordovan takes some aesthetic risks, but they all pay off. The result is a Bible that is unique on the market. Everyone who sees it -- and more importantly, handles it -- seems to want one.
One of the features I wanted on my project Bible was a leather lining, but Mechling wasn't able to do it. Imagine my surprise when I opened the Thinline Cordovan and discovered a richly grained leather lining! If you click on the link above and buy the Thinline Cordovan from Amazon.com, you'll pay about $100. But this is the one time in your Bible-purchasing life when you will actually receive a Bible that looks like you should have paid more than that. The picture doesn't do the leather lining justice. Finding that grain tucked away inside the smooth cover is an elegant touch. Whoever made that design choice deserves much more than a pat on the back.
Unlike the imprinting on the Heirloom ESVs I've handled, the Thinline Cordovan features sharp, eye-catching imprint that contrasts well with the color of the cover.
If you've hung around here long enough, you know that the real test of a good binding is how "limp" it feels in the hand. I expect a Bible to do two things: (1) lie flat when opened and (2) pour like water when I prop the spine up in my hand. Most modern Bibles, even the "premium" ones, won't do this. That's one of the reasons I think hardbacks are so popular with people who actually use their Bibles often -- and one of the reasons why a hand-sized hardback like The Message Remix impresses me even though I open it at random and invariably wince at the language. When it comes to flex, the Thinline Cordovan is impressive. Not only does it lay flat, but it goes limp and melts when I prop it up by the spine. I can bend the cover over backward, too, just as I can with the excellent Allan's bindings, without leaving any tell-tale creases in the boards. If you compare the "limp" picture here to the Allan's one, you'll see that the Thinline Cordovan isn't quite up to that standard -- but it's pretty good nevertheless.
Nothing is perfect under the sun, bindings included, so what would I change about the Thinline Cordovan if I could? First, I'd add an extra ribbon. I've grown accustomed to having two, which makes it much easier to attend to sermons that draw on more than one passage of Scripture. In the perfect world, I would also replace the current two-column setting with a single-column design, which I find much easier to read. Why a modern, paragraphed text is placed in two columns is beyond me -- I guess it's the power of tradition. But since the ESV is far from alone in this regard, perhaps it isn't fair to make too much of this point.
All in all, I would say that the Thinline Cordovan goes a long way toward redeeming Crossway's reputation. From what I've heard as of this writing (May 2005), there are some more exciting editions in the pipeline that might extend this triumph across the board. As far as buying advice is concerned, if you're only going to have one ESV, you might prefer the Allan's Reference edition in goatskin. Then again, maybe not. The Thinline Cordovan has a lot to offer, and you will not see another Bible like it. You don't get the center column references, but perhaps you don't use them much anyway. If you're going to have two ESVs, then it's a no-brainer. You have to get the Thinline Cordovan.
LINKS
The Classic Thinline (Cordovan) Page at Crossway | Order at Amazon.com
So my four favorite Bibles are:
1. my ESV thinline Cordovan premium calfskin. (Thanks for the recommendation on this one Mark.)
2. My Cambridege wide margin NIV in goatskin
3. My Cambridge loose-leaf NIV. It is great for study, but impractical for turning pages at a Bible study.
4. My next one.
Posted by: Marvin | September 29, 2007 at 02:34 PM
For anyone interested, I found this guy on EBAY...selling this Bible for $95.99 + $5 shipping. He has ok feedback...and just checking it again tonight, I see he has 11 available. I'm considering buying one, but haven't decided whether to make the leap or not. I've already got the Black Calfskin ESV Single-Column Reference...but still, this might be nice! :)
Posted by: PDS | October 15, 2007 at 09:50 PM
Posted by: PDS | October 15, 2007 at 09:51 PM
Well, it didn't post the hyperlink, but if you do a search on EBAY for "ESV, thinline", scroll to the bottom and it is the one being sold for the $95.99. Easy to find.
Posted by: PDS | October 15, 2007 at 09:52 PM
Mark what do you think of the black ESV thinline calfskin Bible I have one and find it better then the first edition of the Cordovan due to the thicker paper. Thanks for the info on the ESV Bible from Alan's. I have just ordered one as of Monday oct 29th
Posted by: Michael Smith | October 31, 2007 at 06:28 PM
Mark I am in the process of receiving this edition of the ESV and I am going compare it with the black edition my Oct comment as about.
Posted by: MIchael Smith | February 01, 2008 at 02:16 PM
Is the binding on this Bible sewn or glued?
Posted by: Eric | March 07, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Eric -- It's sewn. According to Crossway, all the cordovan calfskin editions now available have sewn bindings.
Posted by: J. Mark Bertrand | March 07, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Thanks for the reply Mark, I've got another question now...
Is the leather on this Bible the same as the Classic Ref. Burgundy Premium Calfskin? I dont see the words "Cordovan" anywhere, but they look very similar, right down to the stitching. The Bible I'm looking at is on evangelicalbible.com.
Posted by: Eric | March 19, 2008 at 01:45 PM
The list of ESV editions is online here:
http://www.gnpcb.org/catalog/bibles
The description now sounds a bit ambiguous. They're calling it "Premium Calfskin Leather, Cordovan (Antique Burgundy)." The ISBN is 1581345984. The edition listed at 50% at evangelicalbible.com is actually ISBN 1581347057, which Crossway describes as "Premium Calfskin Leather, Cordovan," though it's the same edition. The Classic Reference is not the Thinline reviewed here, in other words, but it has the same binding.
Posted by: J. Mark Bertrand | March 19, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Just noticed the one 50% off at evangelicalbible, according to the ESV web site, does not come out until April 11.
Posted by: Rod Summers | March 19, 2008 at 06:59 PM
I just picked up one of these at my local bookstore and love it. Something curious though--the one I purchased doesn't have the gold stitching along the edges like I've seen on others. Have they modified the design recently?
Posted by: Chris Merritt | May 13, 2008 at 01:18 PM
Chris, I heard they dropped the top stitching detail because there were too many complaints about the stitching coming apart.
Posted by: Kathy | May 13, 2008 at 03:29 PM
Yup, mine is also without the stitching. The cover is so soft. Btw, is the Cordovan calfskin fragile & easily "damaged"? Because the skin just feels so delicate.
Posted by: Ben Ting | June 21, 2008 at 07:49 AM
Has Crossway addressed the issues people have been having with the paper on the Thinline? It sounds like a quality Bible, but the bleed through would bother me I think. Anyone have the inside scoop on this?
---John
Posted by: John | November 22, 2008 at 08:54 PM
Sorry to bother you all but trying to attempt to locate a antique dealer specializing in bibles and I think religious antifacts. All I know was his first name was Eric and lived in Rocky Point, Long Island, New York (about 4-5 years ago). If anyone knows of him or has any information on how to contact him, please post. Thank you all for anticipated help.
Faith
Posted by: Faith | June 03, 2009 at 11:26 AM
I see that no one has written anything on this for months, but I just wanted to put in a plug for this wonderful Bible. Actually, today I purchased the ESV Classic Referance Cordovan in the premium calfskin, when I found it necessary to return the ESV1 tan Bible I just got. The issue for me with the ESV1 from Allan was the print and paper quality. It was definitely a beautiful Bible, and I look forward to perhaps purchasing another Allan's Bible in the future (perhaps the Reader's Edition ESV coming out this fall?) but for me the bleedthrough of the text was significant enough that I found I needed to return the Bible. Anyway, I was able to go to a store where I got the Cordovan Bible for 40% off, and I will have to say it is just beautiful. I expected it to be burgandy, as is stated on evangelicalbible.com, but was pleasantly surprised to find it more of a dark caramel color-just beautiful. I love the quality of the binding and the leather inside lining as well. And the paper quality is great and for some reason the font is just so much more readable for me than the Allan ESV1. It's by far the nicest Bible I've ever owned and I would recommend it to anyone.
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I was able to go to a store where I got the Cordovan Bible for 40% off, and I will have to say it is just beautiful. I expected it to be burgandy
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Posted by: cialis | April 26, 2010 at 01:33 PM
I know this article has been dead for awhile outside of our friendly spambots, but I just received this bible today and it is amazing. I love the calfskin and the font / typeface is considerably better than the Premium Thinline I was using before.
Excellent Bible for the price I picked it up for.
Posted by: Timothy | November 22, 2010 at 02:21 PM
@Timothy - From what I understand, the NEW premium thinline has an 8.2 text and the OLD printing (calfskin editions) have a 9.5 text.
What did you not like about the printing in the premium thinline...I heard it was supposed to be good?
How is the ghosting/bleedthrough in the Calfskin ed you purchased?
Posted by: Matt Morales | November 23, 2010 at 05:11 PM
Crossway told me that they are using a different font in the NEW thinline which supposedly makes up for the decreased font size. I'm curious to hear Timothy's take on this as well.
Posted by: John | November 23, 2010 at 05:24 PM
No problem guys... here are the specifics as I see them. I have no real data from Crossway on fonts, sizes, paper weights, etc. Just looking at them side-by-side. :)
Right off the bat, the text block itself on the Calfskin is a bit larger (nearly 1/4" taller and a bit less than that wider)than the Premium, yet the text per page seems to be the same. i.e. Romans 12 starts on the same lower right part of the page in both Bibles, etc. So this leaves better spacing for the text on the Calfskin edition. More space between lines and even between individual letters in a word as well.
The paper on the Calfskin is more off-white, while the Premium is closer to a shade of yellow, though both are more yellow than white. The Calfskin paper is more opaque than the Premium. When looking at the large bold chapter numbers, the chapter numbers can be seen through two pages of the Calfskin paper, and seen through three to four pages of the Premium paper.
The text imprint on the Premium thinline is actually a bit darker than the Calfskin, although due to the higher transparency of the paper and the higher contrast of the dark print on the yellow color of the paper, the Premium text is harder on the eyes to read under both fluorescent and "True Color", those blue tinted GE, lights.
The font on both appears to be about the same size, though the Calfskin reads easier and appears to be larger due to the better spacing.
Combine these all, and the text is much easier to read on the Calfskin... plus is feel so awesome amazing in the hand.
:)
Posted by: Timothy | November 24, 2010 at 02:40 PM
I recently received both the black Allan's ESV PSR and the cordovan calfskin to see which I liked better. I have to say, while the Allan Bible is excellent, I chose the cordovan. I just love it!
Posted by: Zach Mockbee | March 05, 2011 at 07:38 PM
Scratch those two! I got the HCSB Ultrathin in Calfskin and the leathers blows those two out of the water! Absolutely soft and flexible. I wish people would pay more attention to the Holman, it's an incredibly solid translation.
Posted by: Zach Mockbee | March 08, 2011 at 01:56 PM
I am very impressed with the HCSB Ultrathin in calfskin as well. I really enjoy that bible.
Posted by: John S | March 08, 2011 at 02:20 PM
You guys are going to talk me into the HCSB Ultrathin in calfskin; I was just looking at it online a couple days ago but couldn't find any good pictures of the font, nor have I read of the font size. I have a copy of the HCSB that I picked up used and while I hadn't spent much time with it, I started reading Proverbs from it this month and have really enjoy it thus far, 9 days in. The copy I have is not the 2010 edition, I don't know how many changes were made.
Posted by: Brian | March 09, 2011 at 12:34 PM
I third the HCSB ultrathin. wonderful little bible. font is around 9. bleed through is minimal as far as thinlines go. the font like what zondervan used in the 90's. a bit dated in my opinion, but easy reading.
Posted by: ryan | March 10, 2011 at 03:15 PM
I wish I could see a better (actual/real) picture of the HCSB Ultrathin Bible open. While I am very tempted to order one, I do wish their Large Print version came in the calfskin. Also, Crossway is coming out with a 2011 ESV and while I would like one of those also, I believe it will be some time before it is available in a version I would want, not to mention Allan.
Posted by: Brian | March 10, 2011 at 03:44 PM
Brian, I'll try to take some pictures and post a link in the next few days.
Posted by: John S | March 12, 2011 at 09:04 AM
Thanks John.
Posted by: Brian | March 12, 2011 at 10:33 AM
Well, I got some pictures. It's really difficult to get good pictures of the text. The pictures all look kind of washed out, so the bible looks much better in living color. At least these will give you a better idea. I included a couple pictures with a Pitt Minion for comparison.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110404306086826768733/HCSBUltrathinBibleInCalfskin?authkey=Gv1sRgCKbA_PzSiszntAE&feat=directlink
Posted by: John S | March 12, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Wow, John, the paper does indeed look excellent in this! The paragraph layout is attractive with small superscripted verse numbers, light section headings, and the absence of references. I'd prefer black-letter like the single-column Ministers versions but you can't have everything.
Can anyone comment if the same textblocks (with same quality & thickness paper) are used in the cheaper DuoTone bindings of this edition, namely the brown (ISBN-13 = 978-1433601194) and grey (ISBN-13 = 978-1433601200)? Are there any bonded leather editions?
Posted by: bill | March 12, 2011 at 12:37 PM
Bill, I'd prefer black letter as well. The red is plenty dark for me in real life, it's not a bright fire engine red or anything.
I am pretty sure that the HCSB Ultrathin is only available in the two duotones and the calf.
Posted by: John S | March 12, 2011 at 12:49 PM
Thank you John, those pictures are a help. The used HCSB I picked up also is a text version with no references and I must say that really like the layout.
Posted by: Brian | March 12, 2011 at 03:22 PM
I have the black calfskin version of the ESV thinline. Is it any different in binding? Just curious since this post is about the Cordovan edition.
Posted by: Freddy | March 20, 2011 at 09:51 AM
I really wanted the black calfskin edition. I'm a bit of a traditionalist! So, after a little over a month of use with these three Bibles, I've determined that the Allan is my favorite. It's very old world and well put together. I kept the HCSB calf and still love it, but I gave my cordovan to my buddy who lives next door in the dorms. We're getting ready to graduate from Bible College and every minister should have a quality Bible.
Posted by: Zach Mockbee | April 01, 2011 at 09:28 PM