A quick confession: I’ve had a bias against large print Bibles. They seemed to me to be designed only for older saints with poor vision. I didn’t see any use for these Bibles aside from the back row or the resource table at church.

I was wrong.

The Benefits of Large Print

When I received the ESV Large Print Wide Margin Bible from Crossway, I quickly saw how valuable a Bible like this can be. This will serve those who need larger print, but it will benefit many others as well.

The 11-point font size is generous, and that size has a noticeable effect on the page layout. The larger font size results in fewer words per page. And since the leading (the vertical space between lines) is usually proportional to the font size, there is ample space within paragraphs in this Bible. When this line spacing is combined with one-inch side margins, the result is a lot of room for writing, circling, drawing, and highlighting in your Bible.

Details of this Bible

This Bible does away with most distractions. Cross-references and commentary are absent. We see the word of God displayed simply, with chapter and verse numbers as well as a few footnotes from the translators. I love the way this Bible focuses on the text.

The Scripture is printed in the common two-column format. This is familiar to Bible readers, but I’m starting to dislike it. There are so many quality reader’s Bibles now available, I have grown to prefer the one-column layout they use.

The outside page margins are each one inch, and that is a helpful addition. I prefer margins that are wider, but I suspect many readers will find the space in this Bible more than adequate.

Recommended

The ESV Large Print Wide Margin Bible would make a great gift or purchase for personal use. It is sturdy and well-made; it will last for many years. It is also attractive; the edition I received has a two-tone brown imitation leather cover which feels nice and offers a subtle, sophisticated appearance.

You can buy this Bible at most online book retailers, including Amazon and Westminster Books. At the time of this writing, the price at Westminster Books was $3 cheaper than at Amazon.

Disclosure #1: Crossway provided me a free copy of this Bible in exchange for an honest review.
Disclosure #2: The links to Amazon and Westminster Books in this blog post are affiliate links.