• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Things Above Us

Missions - Evangelism - Theology - Sports

  • About TAU
    • Our Mission
    • The Gospel of Grace
    • Writers
    • Contact Us
    • Comment Policy
    • Attribution/Content Usage Policy
  • Resources
    • Before the Throne
    • From Death to Life
    • Our Tract
  • Articles/Blog Posts
    • Missions
    • Evangelism
    • Theology
    • Sports
    • Book Reviews
    • Kid’s Book Reviews
    • pSaturday Psalms
    • Movie Reviews
    • Go Therefore!
    • Something to Think About
  • Things Above Us Roundtable
  • Evangelio de Cristo
  • Store
    • Cart

Book Review — Zondervan Single Column Reference Premier Collection

January 8, 2021 by Chuck Ivey Leave a Comment

NASB Single Column Reference Bible (1995 Translation) Premier Collection: Goatskin, black. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. $200.00.

 

Zondervan Premier Collection

Regular readers of Things Above Us know we love books on theology, but you may not know we also sometimes review bibles, such as here and here. In this review, we will be taking a look at Zondervan’s new NASB Single Column Reference (SCR) Bible, which is part of their Premier Collection. As the name suggests, the Premier Collection features premium binding, paper, leather covers, and typesetting.

Presentation and Materials

First, I have to talk about the experience of first receiving this Bible. The Premier Collection SCR comes in a very nice black box, embossed with silver lettering on the top and sides and off-white, mocha lettering on the back. The Bible itself is elegantly wrapped in black paper with a silver seal holding it in place. The publishers also include a note which details the materials used and promising that the Bible comes with a lifetime guarantee.

The paper is an opaque 36 gsm with gold over red art gilding. The typesetting was designed by 2K/ Denmark exclusively for Zondervan and was printed in China. The binding is Smyth-sewn and I could not find any noticeable defects.

This edition of the Premier Collection SCR features a beautiful black goatskin cover and black leather liner. The grain pattern on the leather is completely natural and has a texture that I would describe as having an almost spongy feel to it. This is easily one of the softest Bibles I have ever held.

There are 5 raised ribs along the spine. The words “HOLY BIBLE” are stamped in gold between the second and third ribs from the top and “NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE” and “ZONDERVAN” in gold between the fourth and fifth ribs. The pages are art gilded in red under gold.

There are 2 black ribbons and 1 red ribbon included, with the red ribbon positioned towards the New Testament section. I found the ribbons to be an appropriate thickness for a Bible this size, not too thin and not too wide.

Layout

This Bible features the much-loved NASB 1995 translation. Zondervan has announced that they will continue printing the 1995 NASB, even after the NASB 2020 is released within the next year. The biblical text itself is printed in black, in a single column, verse by verse format. Poetic passages are offset and centered. Old Testament quotes which appear in the New Testament are printed in all caps, making them easy to recognize.

Page numbers, book names, chapter numbers, and descriptive themes are printed in a bold, all caps, red font. Throughout this Bible the book name, chapter number, and page number are printed in red in the upper outer corner of each page, making it easy for the reader to quickly orient himself. References are printed along the outer edge of the page with the relevant verse number in red and Scripture citations in black, both in a smaller font than the Biblical text itself.

As already mentioned, Zondervan commissioned 2K/ DENMARK to come up with the typeface. To my eyes, the typeface has an almost modern look to it, so I was surprised to learn from a note at the back of the SCR Bible that it was inspired by Second Temple era inscriptions in Aramaic. A bible with too much clutter can be taxing, but the Premier Collection SCR’s combination of a generous 10.5 point font and Comfort Print typesetting make it incredibly easy to read.

Practical Use for Pulpit and Study

Providentially, shortly after this Bible arrived, I was invited to guest preach for a pastor friend who prefers the NASB. Having now had the chance to guest preach from this Bible, as well as reading it devotionally and for personal study, here are my thoughts on how it functions. While I was able to easily find my place when preaching from the SCR, it is not ideal for preaching and teaching. The layout is also not the type of minimalist style you would find in a reading Bible since, to be fair, it is produced and marketed as a reference bible.

This brings me to my only real critique, which is really more of an observation for anyone considering the Premier Collection SCR. A fair amount of the outer edge of the page is either left as empty space or filled with references, leaving the biblical text itself in the shape of a tall, narrow pamphlet. In other words, there is plenty of space for note-taking if desired, but the biblical text ends up being a little too tall and narrow for my tastes. I think widening the text another inch or two would have balanced out the functionality of this Bible.

Conclusion

Zondervan’s Premier Collection NASB Single Column Reference is a beautiful presentation of God’s Word in the renowned NASB 1995 translation. The materials and typesetting make this a Bible that can compete with similar, more expensive Bibles on the premium market. Those looking for a high-quality reference Bible should seriously consider this one.

A copy of this Bible was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Chuck Ivey

Chuck Ivey

By God’s grace, Chuck Ivey grew up in a Christian home and came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a young age. He has been married to his wife Ashley for 18 years. They have two high energy children by adoption and are currently fostering to adopt more, also by God’s grace. Chuck works full time in local law enforcement and serves as a deacon and teacher at Beech Haven Baptist Church in Athens, GA. He teaches for the Bible Training Center for Pastors, writes Christian book reviews, and occasionally speaks on apologetics for Ratio Christi. Chuck is currently pursuing an MDiv at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Coffee and books are involved. You can follow him on Twitter @3378Ivey

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: bible review, book review, Chuck Ivey, ESV, Evangelical Bible, goatskin, premium bible, Schuyler

Liked what you read? Subscribe!


Views expressed in posts are those of their individual authors and may not be shared by all writers on Things Above Us.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

On Sale Now

  • From Death to Life $14.99 $13.99
  • Before the Throne $17.00 $14.99

Subscribe To Things Above Us

Sign up for our RSS newsfeed and stay up-to-date with the latest blog posts on Things Above Us!

Things Above Us Roundtable

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Play | Stitcher | Email | RSS

Pull up a chair to the TAU Roundtable as the writers from ThingsAbove.Us and other special guests discuss current events, theology, missions, evangelism, and sports!

The Bible Memory App - Bible Memory Verses
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Justification, Mercy, and Propitiation
  • Ep. 047 | 2021 NFL Playoffs Week 3 — TAU Roundtable
  • Is Gambling Okay?
  • God’s Hatred of Sin and the Coming Judgment
  • Encouraging the Church After the Violence in Washington DC

The Team

Allen Nelson IVAllen Nelson IV

Allen S. Nelson IV is the pastor of Perryville Second Baptist Church in Perryville, Arkansas. He and his wife Steph...

God’s Hatred of Sin and the Coming Judgment
Michael CoughlinMichael Coughlin

Michael Coughlin lives near Columbus, OH, and leads local outreaches to glorify our Lord and reach the lost with...

Is Gambling Okay?
Chuck IveyChuck Ivey

By God’s grace, Chuck Ivey grew up in a Christian home and came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a y...

Book Review — Zondervan Single Column Reference Premier Collection
Garrett O’HaraGarrett O’Hara

Garrett appears to have originated the term, but not the theology, "dispybapticalvinistic-expialidocious." He ...

Justification, Mercy, and Propitiation
Justin BullingtonJustin Bullington

Justin Bullington is the husband of Deb, a father of four, the Associate Pastor at Princeton Bible Church, a 6th...

When Should We Officially Ditch a Christian Content Creator?
Tim BatesTim Bates

Tim lives in Akron, Ohio with his wife, Melanie and two children, Calvin and Caroline. He serves as a deacon, teacher...

Reflections on a World Without Sports
George AlvaradoGeorge Alvarado

George Alvarado is an almost retired member of our Armed Forces (yes, he's older than he looks). He has a beautiful w...

A Open Letter to Afflicted Saints

Click a term to see related posts.

Adoption atonement Bible book review Cessationism children Christian Life Christmas Chuck Ivey church conversion Culture Devotional discipleship egalitarianism evangelism Foster Care From death to life Genesis gospel grace imputation Jesus local church love Marriage mercy NFL preaching propitiation Psalm 119 Psalms reformed baptist Reformed Baptist Theology reformed theology Roundtable sanctification scripture sin sola scriptura Something To Think About Suffering theology Things Above Us worship

Click the image below if you got one of these cards.

Other Posts You May Like…

When the Honeymoon is Over

I assume everyone reading this blog is already familiar with the phrase ‘the honeymoon is over.’ It’s the accepted fact that after newlyweds are finished with their honeymoon, (and real-life begins, *gasp*), that the excitement of being married is no longer novel, and the reality of living with another imperfect person brings heartache never thought […]

4 Illustrations of Saving Faith

Christians are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone. These are precious truths held dear by all true believers. But, what exactly is saving faith? Saving faith is a gift of God (Philippians 1:29), whereby a person is united to Christ and receives a full pardon […]

library shelf

20 Books That Have Shaped Me

I love books. I love buying books. I love reading books. I know books aren’t for everyone, but they have had a profound impact on my life. In this post, I want to share with you 20 books that have significantly impacted me. The Rules I’m going to stretch this a bit. I can’t keep […]

Everything You Need To Understand the Culture

Our practice at ThingsAbove.Us is to write about whatever we want always with an end goal toward our mission and to have some fun too. Sometimes that’s verse-by-verse exegesis. Other times, that means critiquing pro sports. Once in a while, we write articles that help you think through current events such as political or social […]

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

If you don’t choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you won’t go to heaven. That’s right. I said it. A sinner must choose Christ by faith in order to become a Christian. I don’t know if you’ve been in some of the circles I have before, but there are pockets of people out there […]

Psalm 119:125-128— God’s Law > Everything on Earth

Thus, David begins the end of this octet with the proclamation that God’s precepts are right. All of them! And thus it follows that every other way is false and therefore worthy of disposal. It is not enough for the Christian to say “I believe what I believe but I won’t judge someone else for their beliefs.” This is as hateful as letting a child play with a fork near an outlet or walk through a parking lot with his or her hand unheld. When you love someone, you do what you can to protect them while they are weak, teach them how to protect themselves so they’ll grow, and warn them of the very real dangers they are ignorant of.

2018 © Things Above Us

Copyright © 2021 · Things Above Us on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in