ESV Wide-Margin Reference Gray Hardcover ES741XM Hardcover – February 1, 2009

If you are a student of the Bible, who enjoys journaling or taking notes as you study to see the Lord Jesus Christ more clearly, then a wide margin Bible is for you. This is my second wide margin esv in the last three years, but my first cambridge goatskin.Some things i love about this Bible: The paper is very nice for writing on. It opens flat. The goat skin leather is very soft. The extra blank pages in the back are helpful.One thing that can be improved on: The spacing between the sentences does not leave enough room for writing directly above words.Overall; this is my favorite Bible i have ever owned.Update: it’s 11 years later (3.8.24) and it’s in great shape even though I still throw it in and out of my backpack and use it daily. This Bible is rugged. The Cambridge Goatskin is the way to go.

This is an amazing bible, perfect for both scholar and neophyte. The ESV translation is compelling while remaining faithful to the original languages. The wide margins and high-quality paper make it a joy to take notes. Who wouldn't love the dozens of additional pages included in the end? The typesetting is 7.9 pt and a real pleasure to look at. The hardback binding is actually a big plus in this case. I can easily stand with this tome open in my hand without it closing or draping. It lays open on a table even when reading Genesis 1:1 and I expect the Smythe-sewn binding to last forever. It's not nearly as heavy or as thick as I had expected and is easily carried in a backpack or diaper bag (I have occasion for both). The only down side that I can see is that the outer edges of the white pages will almost certainly turn grey with use (I guess it would be too much to ask for gold-gilt pages at less than $50).If you like taking notes in your bible, this is the one for you.

This bible with its strong binding and beautiful goatskin leather is a beauty and for the most part I love it. There is room around all of the text for notes and you also have several blank pages in the back for more notes. I have a few complaints though, the pages are pretty thin and start to curl with use or writing (but they're not opaque or very prone to bleed through). The next complaint is that the font is pretty small and the paragraphs are condensed together enough that you can't really underline a passage, verse or word without covering part of the next line below, you are limited to just highlighting what you want.If they would move away from using the same paging layout as the Pit Minion and made this with slightly larger text and more line spacing it would pretty much be the perfect bible.

Only negative thing would be the font size (I can still read it decently without readers, but if the blood pressure is up I definitely need my readers). The paper & margins for note taking are great. I am using the Sakura Pigma Microns in it (#5, #005, and the PN) and they don't bleed through, even if I color in one of my symbols. I use various colors for underlining. I don't have small hand writing at all, wish I did & wish it were much nicer, so the margins are fine for me. Only way to go bigger would be journaling, but I haven't seen the paper quality in a journaling bible compared to anything by Cambridge.

I've had my hardcover ESV wide margin now for about a week and love it. The price between the hardcover and the softer covers is what sold me. I don't need to spend all the extra money, but if you want, I'm sure they are very nice.Now, I must say that this is my first wide margin experience and I am loving it. The richness of my study has skyrocketed. I recently found out how much being able to write in the columns improves learning, especially for those visual learners. I knew my spiritual life was not as deep as I desired and I often struggled with remembering with what I read a few days down the road, but no longer. By combining underlining with little catchphrases off in the margins has not only helped me dig deeper in the word, but has helped me to prepare for my next devotion by quickly glancing at my notes. I love it. Also at the end of the book are a few extra pages (32, that is) to journal whatever you feel. I've used this section to start my prayer lists so that I can have it all in one book. They also provide an alphabetical blank index for you to be able to create your own index for you notes you've created.Overall, I am thoroughly pleased with my experience and I am sure I will remain so. Yes the words, are small, but not any smaller than any of the other bibles I've owned as some reviewers have declared to be a downfall to this edition.

The hard cover is really nice. I like it as a "sit at my table and write in it" bible. I don't carry it around or to church. But the hard back is great for writing in. Would recommend for any one who wants to it for just that purpose. also, this version does not have the words of Jesus in red - which i really appreciate since i write and mark it up and red letters could mess with my system a bit.

This is the best bible I have ever handled and felt. The translation is easy to follow if the pastor is reading out the King James or if I'm reading with a friend who has the NIV. The Goatskin leather is PERFECT! Soft and easy to handle. Plus its a larger than hand size which is perfect for me being 6-3 and wanting something with weight and substance. Overall, I am extremely happy with it. GET THIS BIBLE if you have the $$. it won't let you down:)Thanks for reading

This is exactly what I needed for studying the Bible. Being able to write notes and references in the generous margins is very valuable and allows quick access to past thoughts.

This is the Goatskin leather cover and the most expensive Bible I've ever bought. However, I likely won't be buying another Bible in a long time because the quality of the binding and the craftsmanship is superb. With some of the other Bible bindings such as the faux-leather, bonded leather and some bindings marked 'genuine leather', they just don't seem to last very long and split apart at the seams and binding. This Cambridge is worth the price because it holds up a lot of use. It is designed to last and is created to be used and will hold up for a long time. I bought 2 or 3 Bibles before this one (each around $30 and from different publishers) but they didn't hold up very well. I wish I had bought this one first instead of waiting until now. Look at it this way: this is an investment, in more way than one!

This is a first class quality product.Superb material in terms of cover and paper. This will last a lifetime.Plenty of space all around the text for notes. There are also several blank pages and lined pages for more detailed comments.Includes concordance and dedication page.

Soft goat skin leather feels very nice and supple. Bible edges are all nicely sewn without loose threads, etc. This is definitely a well made bible! Pages are off white with a good sized margin for notes. I will be using archival pens for my notes so pages should hold up nicely. There is a large notes section at the rear to add your own notes to as well and it includes an index area at the beginning so you can index your own notes. This is a great feature!

Words simply cannot do justice to this bible it is that good. All I can say...... just buy it!

So far so good.The binding and goatskin cover seem to be very durable. I like the concordance and wide margins I hope to pass on my notes to future generations.