ESV Pitt Minion Reference Brown Calf Split ES443:XR

Earlier this year I decided to make an addition to my translation library which consisted of ... wait for it ... just the KJV. I grew up with the King James bible and love the elegant flow of the old English. I also enjoyed the vast resources built around the study component centered on the KJV text. After doing a lot of research about different translations I came to love the ESV. I still read and study from the KJV, but wanted to include another translation that was faithful to the manuscripts they translated and the ESV was it. The purpose of the review isn't to discuss translations, but bible formats and there purpose in absorbing the word of God. My plan was to build a library of bibles and resources, i.e., study bibles, commentaries, concordances, translations, bible types, etc... Since my KJV library was fairly well established I began the search for the perfect combination for the ESV. My wish list included bibles for reading, on the go, and personal home study. During my research I found several iterations of the ESV translation that I thought would work but nothing really stuck for the three purposes I was looking for. Since this was the first time I had spent more than $30 on a bible I didn't feel comfortable going completely nuts and buying a $200 bible (I thought I would dip my toe first). When I saw the Pitt Minion and it's corresponding partner in the wide-margin I knew this is what I was looking for. So I purchased the Pitt Minion in calf split and wide-margin in hardcover. I couldn't be happier with my choice. I know they are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality of covers in their category, but to be honest I don't think I forfeited anything with this combination choice. I feel better about the money spent and if I were to do it all over again I would choose the same covers. The calf split Pitt Minion has softened up a lot ... the bible opens flat in all places with ease! The grain feels so good in the hand! The print is unbelievably readable for its size. The hardcover wide-margin is actually (IMO) better than the soft cover options, because my sole intention for the bible is to use it for personal study. The bible doesn't come to bed with me (often) and is mostly used on the coffee table. Also, it opens flat in all places. The selling point was the fact that the pages correspond with each other. This is perfect for me because I have a visual memory. Now this left me with one more aspect of my search for the perfect combination of bibles. I needed a bible for long periods of reading. Well, lucky for me, Cambridge fulfilled that desire as well in the recent released Clarion. I purchased the calfskin this time because it was only $10 more at evangelicalbible.com than the calf split. To be honest, I like the cover, but would've been fine with the calf split. The one nice thing that may maintain my first decision is the red under gold gilt edges (they are really nice!). I plan to never write in this bible ever ... it's just for reading. That's why I have the wide-margin. I can not begin to tell you how perfect the layout, text and size of this bible is. It is literally a perfect reading bible for me. The font really appears much larger than 9 pt. The pages do curl in the middle of the bible, but I think with time the problem will go away. If not, it won't matter because the rest of the bible is perfect! If they used thicker paper the bible would've been twice as thick (wouldn't work!). It's the compromise you make when looking for the best reading bible on the market. So that concludes my ESV library ... for now. The Cambridge Pitt Minion (calf split), Wide-Margin (hardcover), and Clarion (calfskin). You will love any one of these bibles in isolation and could easily get away with just one. If that is was what you are planning to do ... my order of preference would be (1) Clarion, (2) Pitt Minion, and (3) Wide-Margin. If you want to take notes and only want the Clarion or Pitt Minion you can always buy a notebook. Know that each of these editions will last you a very, very long time! Go, enjoy the word of God, and share your experience with others!

Update/Addendum: For more on this Bible, see my blog post: [...] By the numbers: 1) The font: This font is very readable, yet compact. It's amazing how clear and easy to read the font is. 2) The paper: India paper. Outstanding. Some bleed through, but not enough to be distracting. 3) The maps: This is where this edition really stands out. This feature seems to be overlooked by most reviewers of most Bibles. I would say two things to this effect--a) If you're seriously studying the Bible, you need to start paying attention to its geography. Period. How can you follow the narrative flow of the Biblical story if you're not paying attention to geography? b) Except for study Bibles, the Pitt Minion has far and away the best maps I've ever seen. Shoot, this little Bible's map arsenal rivals that of many study Bibles. 15 maps with a complete map index! I have never seen anything like this in a compact Bible before. 4) The casing/cover: Beautiful brown leather! *Goatskin* leather! The ESV edition is a bit stiffer than the others (NASB, NIV, etc.) for some reason, but I really don't think this is a down side. The cover becomes very flexible with use. And, with a compact Bible this size, having a sturdy rather than floppy cover can be a plus. 5) The page edges: Art gilt (red dye under gold). The gilding, as I understand it, is real gold leaf (not the spray on stuff). These page edges will be protected for years. I've seen gold-leaf gilt edged books over 100 years old and the gold still glistens. The red under the gold adds an extra layer of protection. The art gilt edging gives you another reason to buy the brown edition, rather than the black edition, because the red-under-gold produces a sort of reddish-brownish-gold hue to the page edges, and this goes brilliantly with the brown leather. 6) Overall sturdiness and durability: Honestly, it takes at least two years to really be able to assess how well a book or Bible holds up, and I've not had mine for that long. That being said, I and my wife (I gave this Bible to her after I saw how much she liked it) have given this Bible some pretty bad beatings, and it has taken them all very well. We've thrown it in purses, pockets, brief-cases, etc. And it is still in very good shape. The text block is completely attached to the cover, and I can't see it coming undone any time soon. There is no separation between any of the pages. This one has held up very, very well. 7) The spine/binding: This one is, of course, smythe-sewn, but that's just the beginning of the story. The text block has a "springiness" that I've never seen before. It opens flat out of the box, with absolutely no coaxing. When you open it, it lies completely flat, whereas many Bibles and books, even smythe sewn ones, form a sort of arch as the papers curve back into the spine. Not the Pitt Minion. 8) Size: I'm a big guy, and I can put this in my somewhat sizeable pockets. Maybe most people can't fit it in their pocket, but you can carry it with you in your hand easily. It can fit in compartments in briefcases and backpacks easily. And it is very slender. All in all, if you want one Bible to take with you for the long haul, one that you can trust to hold up to abuse, one that has plenty of good helps in the form of cross-references and maps, and one that you can carry with you anywhere--this is it. In fact, I think that I'd sum up my review this way: If a soldier or chaplain were to ask me if there was a good Bible that they could take with them into a war zone and still count on it to hold up for life, I'd tell them that they want this Bible, the ESV Pitt Minion, preferably in brown goatskin.

The Pitt Minion ESV is incredible! The leather is stiff out of the box but it becomes flexible in a few days of work in, the leather feels nice and the grain is satisfying to look at. The liner is made of a vinyl thick piece of paper and it is a paste down, in the few days of usage I noticed that the corners of the liner began to peel off but the problem of resolved easily by super glue. The text is fine for me but for others it may be small since the bible is a compact bible and it's a 6.75 font. There are 2 ribbons on mine, I don't know if that is normal since most Pitt minion calf splits only come with 1 ribbon, 2 or one ribbon doesn't really bother me. The Bible has maps and a concordance and it is a red letter text, it is not too red but a little pinkish but it is still elegant, overall the bible itself is worth the buy, it is a incredible portable nice feeling premium bible

I love bibles and I have a lot of them. As a German who wants to improve his English and read the word of God in this language I ordert this bible and didn't get disappointed. A small one but really nice. It is a calf split leather and it is more soft that I thought. Really flexible. In comparison I have another bible in goatskin leather. Yes, there is a difference but not that big. The fonts are small but for my eyes absolutely ok and good to read. A big plus is, that this bible has the same layout as the Cambridge ESV wide margin bible. The Pitt Minion is the smaller brother. For me as a visual learner that is the cherry on top. So..with my school English...I hope you can understand what I mean :-) Great Bible - 5 Stars

First the pros: Great size that balances features and portability. This Bible fits easily in one hand, and yet has great maps, good cross-references and concordance. The double column layout is very nice. I especially like the way Cambridge puts the cross-references down the center column. Cross-references for the left column of biblical text are flush left, and those for the right column are flush right. Makes it very easy to track which references go with which verses. The maps are super. Though some of the writing is in very small type, it's readable. I use progressive lenses, and can even make out the numbers on the distance bars on the maps. The printing is that crisp. I really like the color-coded map index too. The Cons: The point size of the text may be a bit small for some people, but I found that even with progressive lenses the 6.75 pt. font for the text to be quite okay. Even the small font used in footnotes and cross-references is clearly readable. The only time I had difficulty reading the text was when there was a power cut in a poorly lit room. The BIGGEST Con, however, is the problem of getting a non-defective product in India. Cambridge makes top-quality Bibles that come with life-time guarantees, but for some reason some of the ones that end up in India have problems. (That's the reason for the 2 stars.) Right out of the box I noticed that many pages had slight crease marks near the corner of the edge. This defect wasn't visible in the edging when the Bible was closed, and I decided to keep the Bible because I like it so much. However, one day I was reading in Isaiah and saw a damaged page that had the torn edge of it sewn into the binding! (See photo.) That compromises the longevity of the binding. The vendor was good about giving a refund even several months after the purchase, but it was still a big downer for such a good Bible. Here's what I suggest if you buy this Bible: When you get it, immediately go through and inspect every single page to make sure there are no defects. If you see none, you'll have a great Bible at a reasonable price. If you have to return the item, Amazon makes it very easy to do that in the first 10 days.

This genuine goatskin leather ESV bible is a real pleasure to use.The Bible is very light, yet very strong and durable with the goatskin cover. It feels very soft and opens flat straight from the box. The English Standard Version (ESV) is a literal translation making it very accurate, similar to the KJV/NKJV only more updated, and perhaps easier to read and understand. The central column references are also great. The whole Bible is nicely laid out and although the font is 7 point it is easy to read. This edition is red letter for the words of Christ. Overall a great Bible, compact yet easy to read with very strong Bible paper with sewn binding meaning it will last for many years. Would highly recommend for a great all rounder Bible- well worth the money. Cambridge bibles are probably among the highest quality available.

Beautiful quality. Rich leather cover. Not floppy. Cover is but not to stiff. Will last for years. Typeface for me requires glasses but very crisp and legible. Nice 2 column format with references down the middle. Perfect size for backpack or bag. I take this edition everywhere with me for when there are a few minutes to spare. Very much worth the investment as it feels like an heirloom.