The NASB Note-Taker’s Bible is a pretty basic Bible.  I own the hardcover edition which is bound quite well; it is a solid and sturdy Bible.  The font is smaller than I like (8.5 point?) and I’m not wild about the words of Christ in red.  It is also worth mentioning that there are no “bells and whistles” in this Bible.  What I mean by that is this: there are no maps, study notes, application insights, cross-reference charts, “gospel insights” or anything like that (aside from a few charts in the back).  I’m not a big fan of study Bibles with all sorts of bulk, so I don’t mind the fact that this “thinline” Bible is just a Bible without anything else.

While I generally appreciate and utilize several translations and paraphrases of the Bible, I’ve recently come to like the NASB more and more.  The NASB’s translation principles are solid, its use of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts is level-headed, and it is generally a very good translation for daily use.  Speaking of the NASB, I recently received a copy of the “NASB Note-Taker’s Bible” from the BookLook blogging program, so I want to review it here.

The NASB Note-Taker’s Bible is a pretty basic Bible.  I own the hardcover edition which is bound quite well; it is a solid and sturdy Bible.  The font is smaller than I like (8.5 point?) and I’m not wild about the words of Christ in red.  It is also worth mentioning that there are no “bells and whistles” in this Bible.  What I mean by that is this: there are no maps, study notes, application insights, cross-reference charts, “gospel insights” or anything like that (aside from a few charts in the back).  I’m not a big fan of study Bibles with all sorts of bulk, so I don’t mind the fact that this “thinline” Bible is just a Bible without anything else.

This NASB Bible is a “Note-Taker’s” Bible which means that there are wide unlined margins for writing and note taking.  The margin on the top is minimal, but the sides are around 1 3/8 inches wide and the bottom is just under 2 inches wide.  Some people might want bigger margins, but it is fine for me.  All in all, I recommend this Bible for those who want a basic NASB with wide margins.

In case you don’t know much about the NASB, I’ll end with the preface found in this NASB, which gives a summary of itself:

In the history of English Bible translations, the King James Version is the most prestigious. This time-honored version of 1611, itself a revision of the Bishops’ Bible of 1568, became the basis for the English Revised Version appearing in 1881 (New Testament) and 1885 (Old Testament). The American counterpart of this last work was published in 1901 as the American Standard Version. The ASV, a product of both British and American scholarship, has been highly regarded for its scholarship and accuracy. Recognizing the values of the American Standard Version, the Lockman Foundation felt an urgency to preserve these and other lasting values of the ASV by incorporating recent discoveries of Hebrew and Greek textual sources and by rendering it into more current English. Therefore, in 1959 a new translation project was launched, based on the time-honored principles of translation of the ASV and KJV. The result is the New American Standard Bible.

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the BookLook blogging program, and was not compelled to write a positive review.)

Rev. Shane Lems is a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and services as pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Hammond, Wis. This article appeared on his bog and is used with permission.