CSB Pastor's Bible, Black Deluxe LeatherTouch

I have not had time as yet to read through it all the way, but in my study of the birth of Jesus, I appreciate the translation being "guest room" instead of "inn"reflecting a loyalty to Scripture rather than to mere tradition. I'm sure I'll find other things I like as well!

I found this Bible quite interesting and since I have been carrying the HCSB for the past few years and the NIV for over 25 years. The Bible reminds of the HCSB in a lot of ways such as the ease for people to understand and to remember verses and their meanings.

In my ministry, I have to serve in several different types of Christian churches and have to have various translations depending on what church I am in at the present. I have had this Bible for about 4 months and have used more than the HCSB, NIV, or the KJV Bible.

It is easy to use with all references labeled and the sections no how to prepare a funeral, pastor a church are a great aid to have in one place.

This Bible is worth what you pay for the item. If you are expecting high-quality leather of the leather touch you will be disappointed. The pages are well lined and have found plenty of room for notes and marking verses. For the "money" this Bible delivers.

Great translation. Very poor quality. Holman Publishing can do better.

This review is not about the CSB translation. The translation itself is a welcome revision of the HCSB - which is a fresh and exciting translation of God's Word.

This review focuses on the quality of the product offered by Holman Publishers. Frankly, it is subpar at best. I ordered both the leather edition and the LeatherTouch editions and was disappointed in the quality of workmanship in both. First, the guild on these Bibles was sloppily applied. I literally had to go through each page and separate them, and on one of the rounded corners the guild was so thick that the pages tore when trying to separate them (you can see my pictures of this as posted on Amazon). Second, there were numerous fold-over creases in the pages themselves which is a result of poor quality control. Third, the liners were poorly applied, not enough glue was applied to keep them in place resulting in liners coming loose from the bindings. Fourth, the quality of the paper is lacking, although "ghosting" is minimal and the line-matching is good. Both of these editions are of extremely poor quality and I'm disappointed in Holman publishers for putting this beautiful translation into such a poor quality product. I have used the original HCSB ministers bible for years and the quality of that product is substantially better than this edition. It was manufactured in Italy and not China as this one is and the difference in quality is substantial. This edition gives me the impression that Holman decided to rush this Bible to market and sacrificed quality along the way (not to mention a higher profit margin). Those of us who believe God's Word should be shown respect by giving it the best possible wrapping will no longer accept poor quality production. J Mark Bertrand, and others, have raised our awareness in that if a company is going to produce Bibles for Christians they had best put out a product that meets high quality standards. Unfortunately, this one does not.

If you are looking for a high end Bible like an Allen, then this is not it. If you are looking for an affordable Bible, that is put together well, this is it. The leather is Brown goatskin and has a nice feel to it. It is stiff and not as flexible aso the Large Print Ultra Thin CSB. That is because they used a thick paper liner instead of a vinyl like they did that one. The leather is a soft feel to it and I like holding it and using it. The paper is about the same as in the LP UT and no it is not the best paper but it is not bad either. I have already marked in this and written in it with no issues or regrets. I use the Pentel 8 color highlighter pencils and I also use the Twistables by Crayola. I wrote in it with a pencil and again no issues. The pages are line matched and there is some ghosting but about the same as you will find in an NIV or ESV. And I have MANY Bibles and I compare them all. The helps are in the back and very good but I love the outlines to perform weddings and funerals are in the middle between Psalms and Proverbs which is better then the Hendrick's Minister Bibles which are all in the back. I love the font is a 11 and it black letter. Easy to read and to use in teaching. The binding is sewn and its single column. This has now become my main Bible in studying, reading, teaching and preaching out of. Again if you are expecting this to be a Bible like an Allen or Cambridge, it is not. But if you want an affordable well made Bible - This is it!