Actually, I chose this Bible over another slightly more expensive Bible that had wide margins because one of the reviewers here said this Bible contained a comparably good concordance. Well, I probably should have chosen the wide-margin one, since, as of beginning of 2006, the Bible they are shipping (I'm talking of the hardcover edition) doesn't have a concordance. The usual lists of Jesus' parables, Old Testament prophecies Jesus fulfilled, Jesus' miracles, and the "Where to find help when ..." which is always there in Gideon Publishers free Bibles. Other study helps include 10 maps (black-and-white, but very detailed), and a reading plan to read through the Bible in a year. That's pretty much it.

Otherwise, 2-column text, rather narrow margins (see my customer images), words of Christ in black (which I prefer) and a high-quality hard cover. I've had a similar one earlier and I can tell it can withstand a lot of battering :). The paper is ok, has some bleed-through, but is not very thin. The binding is thickly glued and on a fabric base, so, though it is not exactly smyth-sewn, it will hold long (again, see my customer images).

To sum up the physical characteristics, this is your basic Bible, but a one that can really live longer than some bonded-leather Bibles (again, I'm talking about the hardcover edition). My personal disappointment about the absence of a concordance aside, for a price of 10 dollars, this is a very decent deal. So I am giving it 5 stars.

To say a couple of words about the NASB text, it was already mentioned by other reviewers that its accuracy is its most valuable asset. Some people complain that the style suffers because of that. I disagree. A "good style", for an average reader, is in reality plain style. I read a lot, and have read the Bible a lot, and I have a good memory, so sometimes when re-reading something that I've read only recently, I notice that my mind skips over very familiar passages. With a Bible, where every word is a gem to be explored, this is not exactly good. But a style that is slightly "out of place" makes my eye stop here and there, and it has its own vividness, which I greatly appreciate.

So, I've read the King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, the New Living Translation, and the New International Version, and this bible, the New American Standard, is the one I personally connect with the best. I have fallen in love with this bible knowing that it is considered the "most accurate" of bible translations and that the way it is worded is now so fluent and engaging. I feel as though, after reading all the translations above, this is the truest of the translations. I believe the original texts have been translated perfectly into English in this version while preserving the true nature of words of the prophets of old. I have had spoken with a number of other people in lessons and prayer groups, and we have compared scripture from a number of different bibles; it is almost unanimous that this bible reigns above all in it's accuracy and in the way it is worded. My mother reads the New Living Translation, because she finds bible hard to understand. When I read scripture from this bible to her, she understood immediately and said, "that's beautiful." Her words express my point: it's simple enough for anyone to read, and accurate enough to study. If you're looking for the best bible out there, you've found it, in my opinion. A review that I read on the Top 10 Bible Versions said this was #3 on his list, yet if he could bring one version with him to a desert island, this would be it. I don't agree with the #3 ranking, but I agree that this would be my choice of all the bible's I've read. Bless all those who seek God in their lives!

NASB Large Print Pew Bible (Black, Hardcover Cloth)

If you like the New American Standard Bible without all the bells and whistles that come with a larger study bible, you'll love this one!

Though not a study bible it does come with its own study aids that you won't find in the others. For example, it includes a list of the parables, allegories, similes and proverbs that have characteristics of parables. It includes a list of all the miracles of Jesus, the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Christ as well as a genealogy of Jesus. Some other helpful study aids are "Where to Find Help" for times when you're afraid, your faith is weak, feeling far from God, or ill or in pain, and many more.

Plus there is also a list of all the titles given to Jesus as well as their significance and where to find them, and also a list of the 12 apostles of Jesus. Finally, it includes 10 very well made black and white maps which I find are easier to read than those in color.

Though not a large bible, it has over 1,250 pages of good quality paper, printed with a dark ink that doesn't bleed through. Coupled with the fact that this is a larger print bible, it's very easy on the eyes; even for someone who's over sixty and wears bifocals!

The bible itself is of excellent quality, a cloth-bound hardback, which lays flat on the the desk regardless to where you turn to in the bible. If there were any downsides, there might be two of them if you're really picky: one is that it's double-columned and, two, the words of Christ are NOT in red. However, for me, those are a plus!

I picked up this exact version of the NASB in a christian bookstore about 8 years ago now. It's still in extremely good condition, even though I use it often. The cover is a soothing blue marble. Most hard cover bibles have designs and lots of color on them, but this one is very nice, and non-distracting. The pages are thin enough to see the otherside, but it's not annoying, they're also thick enough that when you turn the page it doesn't feel flimsy or weak. The font size is very readable from a sitting position, with the bible on a table or desk. Because of the binding it folds open nicely from anywhere in the bible, the pages won't fold back on you. All the verses start a new line, with bolded verses to indicate paragraph divisions. I prefer this style because I don't always agree with the paragraph divisions some bibles offer. The cross references are the best I have ever seen. I have done multiple in depth searches on esword for greek cross references, and have found some truly remarkable things this way. Each time I've done this I've gone back and found those passages in the cross references of this bible. I've checked with a few other cross reference bibles and study bibles and have found that they often do not have the references the NASB has, though the NASB has all the ones they have.

Once this bible is worn down I intend to order the exact same one again.

The Bible is a very difficult work to perform a review. Many reviews of it are biased towards the opinion of the author, their theological point of view, understanding and general attitude. Therefore, I will state first up that I hail from the High Church of England and tend not to err too far from its general theological outlook and opinions. I grew up reading only the King James, or Authorised, version of the bible. Although I did occasionally find its expression a little difficult to understand - after all it was commissioned close to four centuries ago - I've never found any particular reason to move too far away from it, and in fact will often consult one of its revisions, the New King James version if I can't understand it.

That said, I purchased a NASB (despite being able to consult it for free on various free bible gateways on the Internet) because I wanted to experience a subtly different "literal" translation of the bible and especially the gospel. I am not one to claim that a "literal translation" is always the most appropriate translation for the bible - I believe the various thought for thought translations serve their purpose in the scheme of things - I tend to prefer versions that steer closer to a "literal" rendering rather than a "thought for thought" rendering. I am finding the choices the translators of the NASB have made both interesting and thought provoking and whilst it is not the easiest read for a modern reader (although I'd argue that the KJV is more difficult, only because of its use of the elder English used), it is certainly not unreadable.

Consequently, my goal was to experience a different but "literal" translation. Rather than rely on one set of translators - or my own translation were I to learn the original sources and somehow decide "which" set of "original" manuscripts or compilations of manuscripts to translate - I've found this bible to be immensely useful. That said, I still prefer the language of the KJV if only because I personally find it a familiar form to read - were I stuck on an island with only an NASB, I don't believe I would be lacking in the bible's wisdom.

Onto more material matters.

The binding and covers are sturdy but as others have mentioned, the paper is not particularly thick. In addition it is prone to creasing. That said, it is a tradeoff between the font size, the paper thickness and the overall size of the book. It is, all in all, a reasonable compromise although my only criticism of its format is the paper thickness; I have a KJV which is just as readable, with the same amount of pages but with thicker paper; the font is slightly smaller but still legible for me and my eye sight isn't what it used to be.

Given an English bible is, by definition, a translation from a number of even more ancient texts, it would be unfair to expect any individual translation to be perfect. However, if you are seeking a more literal rendition of the extant texts, whose style is modern, albeit at times complex, English, this is a fair translation to consult or even use.

I downloaded the updated version of this, with the Digital List price of $6.99 (actually paid $5.59), NOT the one with the digital list price of $2.99.

I was worried about finding a Bible that I could navigate easily on the Kindle, recognizing that the basic purpose of the Kindle doesn't really lend to using the Bible the way most of us use it. I've been wanting to have a copy of an NASB Bible, since both my Sunday School teacher and pastor have recommended it. Here's my thoughts on this version:

Kindle navigation: I can understand some of the frustrations others have voiced, but you do have to wait for the Kindle to index this as another reviewer mentioned. I tried it with the sample first, and it worked well. It's taking a while longer with the full version, but that's logical. However, even if it never indexes it completely, there is a built-in navigation that is faster than I can usually find anything in a hard-copy of the Bible. From the menu, the default option is "Go to." After choosing that, choose "Table of Contents." You can then choose the book, then the chapter you're looking for. You could also use bookmarks, but that may become complicated if you make a lot of them.

NASB version: So far, I like this version. Previously, I've used NKJV and NIV. As noted above, I wanted to try this version based on reliable recommendations. After using it just today for my first day of reading through the Bible in a year, I can already recognize some differences that in my opinion clarify some verses. For example, in Gen. 1:2, the NASB reads, "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters" instead of "was hovering over the surface of the waters." It presents an images that I think is more consistent with the nature of God, and certainly does not detract. Also, in Matt 1:19, the NASB reads, "Joseph . . . planned to send her away secretly" rather than "send her away quietly." Those are the types of differences I am noticing. It is very easy to read without being so conversational that it loses meaning.

The NASB also puts certain words in italics that they have added to better clarify but that were not literally in the actual original text. This may sound alarming, but putting it in italics lets you see where there may be differences in version. And I haven't seen any of these yet that did anything but clarify.

This version was clear and easy to understand. I recommend it.

Solid binding and good feel to the pages. This Bible does not have the almost fragile feel that a lot of Bibles seem to have. Still very compact and easy to use. Well organized but with minimal commentary. If you are looking for a Bible with tons of extra information I would recommend a study Bible of some sort but this one is great for simply reading. The NASB '95 is an excellent translation that falls closer to the "word for word" side of the translation spectrum, a bit far from the "thought for thought" style of the Message Bible. I recommend different translations that fall all across the spectrum to get a better grasp of what the Scriptures are saying.

een excellente vertaling

jammer dat de bladzijden nogal veel tekst doorlaten * de kwaliteit van het papier is niet optimaal

Nice clear font, good translation.

As for this edition, we couldn't ask for more, but it could be useful, for future editions, to add explanatory footnotes.

This was a gift to a client, who was having eye problems... she liked the larger easier to read print. PS - this was her first Bible.

I love God's (Jesus) Word. I have read New King James Version for years, but NASB is made easier to read and understand. I would highly recommend it. I actually also got the New Living Translation Bible together with NASB. Being that i have already read the New King James Version, so am going to take my time to carefully read through NASB and NLT which is in a very simple English, easy to read and understand. As a Christian who loves Jesus, you would love to have these translations just to compare with KJV for better understanding.

I have read many different translations of the bible in my lifetime in many formats. This however is the most precious one I own. Great (literal) translation and wonderfully presented with a print style and font that is so easy to read. I bought another NASB bible off here recently and the font was so small that it was uncomfortable and almost impossible to read. This is absolutely perfect. Recommended.