Cambridge ESV Topaz Reference Bible, Black Calfskin

10 reviews for Cambridge ESV Topaz Reference Bible, Black Calfskin

1. Rated 4 out of 5

   David T. Leto (verified owner) – October 27, 2023

   I purchased the black calfskin edition of this Bible. The leather is soft and the Bible laid open flat when I first pulled it out of the box. It is a little stiff as to be expected but after a little over a week it is already breaking in quite well. The pages are thin, however that is to be expected with 28 gsm paper. The print is crisp and easy to read. This format does not isolate Old Testament quotes in the New Testament. The Psalms are not set out in a chiastic or poetic structure either. These are not deal breakers for me but maybe for some, especially if you are paying for a premium bible. The references on the side are a little smaller than I would like but still much easier to reference than most other ESV reference Bibles. My biggest issue with this Bible is unfortunately the red letter text in the Gospels. I much prefer an all black letter text, however I figured with a premium Bible it would be less of an issue. I would say about 80% of the red letter text is solid and dark. Some of it is very dark and readable however there are areas that are definitely quite faded. The Gospel of John, which is typical of red letter Bibles, seems to suffer the most. The 10 point font and the verse by verse layout help alleviate reading the faded areas. Overall this is a solid, beautiful Bible. The maps are excellent and the so is the concordance. If it was an all black letter text I would have given it a five star rating. I hope in the future Cambridge will consider an all black letter edition of this beautiful Bible.

2. Rated 4 out of 5

   Brandon Vaara (verified owner) – January 7, 2023

   4/5 stars. The red letter text is inconsistent. It starts out with a nice dark red in the gospels, but then changes to a lighter pink shade as the NT progresses. I expect more from Royal Jongbloed as I’ve owned many Schuyler, Cambridge and Allan book’s that use red letter text with a consistent shade throughout. Second critique applies to the two ribbons. The Topaz is a medium sized Bible that costs nearly $200 for the Calfskin editions. I think they could easily insert 2-3 of the larger ribbons in this and make the cut at the bottom slanted and precise. The ribbons are the same as a $50 fake leather Pitt, and that is unacceptable. They barely protrude from the bottom of the book. Also, there is noticeable glue at the top where the ribbons go behind the spine. Sloppy for a premium book. Also, be advised, the calfskin editions are similar to the Clarion calfskin and calfsplit editions in that there is a piece of cardboard inserted behind the leather which makes the cover stiff. I don’t consider that a negative because it makes a book of this size easy to hold in hand while teaching. A double column VBV with a good size font is a perfect teaching format, and that is where the Topaz truly shines. That’s why I gave the book a 4/5 star, with some minor tweaks this could be the best VBV ESV on the market to date. It’s such an awesome book and I am grateful to the folks at Cambridge for bringing new designs to market.

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   Timothy Dodenhoff (verified owner) – December 5, 2021

   I really like this Bible, the words are bold and the font a good size for the eyes. The verse by verse format is good so as to find other verses quickly, I like the stiffer calfskin because I like holding my Bible, and it’s not so floppy as the goatskin version. It’s also thin, they did an excellent job in keeping it thin yet with good size print. Theaps are nice, and with this concordance this is a real pleasure to read, and reference. I highly recommend this Bible to anyone. Though it has a paste down liner, it seems they put it together well, and it should last for many years to come. Good job Cambridge!

4. Rated 5 out of 5

   Eddie Teague (verified owner) – July 2, 2021

   As another review mentioned, the only thing to criticize about this Bible is the pasted liner. Now, the liner is quite secure and gives no indication that it might fail. Stitched lining is just one of those things that reassures you that you won’t have trouble down the road. It’s a minor quibble.

   This Bible is perfect for my purposes: (1) large, clear font for easy reading, and (2) clear references that are actually useful. I have many Bibles and prefer wide margins. But I needed a good, simple, readable reference Bible. Study Bibles are great but it’s important to not overlook the value of a good reference Bible.

   If that is what you’re looking for….a good “reading” Bible with clear references, this one won’t disappoint. The side-column references are much easier to work with than if they were at the bottom of the page. Center-column tends to clutter everything. I expect this one to become “home base” for me.

5. Rated 5 out of 5

   Forest A (verified owner) – April 8, 2021

   This Bible is so close to perfect! There’s nothing like it (at least as of now) in the ESV. The only con is the paste down liner. Everything else about this Bible is perfect and it is great for study and preaching.

6. Rated 5 out of 5

   Nick S. (verified owner) – March 15, 2021

   I’ve used this Bible for a few days now, including teaching from it yesterday. It is a wonderful Bible! The calfskin cover is excellent quality and feels very soft/smooth. It feels solid, like it will last. The verse by verse text layout with red numbers and references on the sides is great! I really can’t imagine a better layout. Very easy to read and to preach/teach from. This is the ideal Bible for me.

7. Rated 4 out of 5

   Alvin Lam (verified owner) – August 15, 2020

   I’ve this Bible for a few months now. The font size is good for me, the calfskin leather cover is pleasant to behold and the Bible felt sturdy when I hold it. I appreciate the opaqueness of the paper cos nothing is more annoying than trying to read but noticing the wordings from behind. It’d be great if there’s a marker/symbol to indicate a new paragraph. I like the fact that the cross references are at the side and readable than Crossway’s annoying layout at the bottom. There’s a reason for the term “quick reference.” Marginal remarks are at bottom which is good. This Topaz makes for pleasant reading, helpful as a preaching Bible.

8. Rated 5 out of 5

   Greg Lindsey – March 5, 2020

   I simply couldn’t be more pleased with my new Cambridge ESV Topaz Reference Calfskin Bible! What a delight to hold and read! The “feel” of this Bible — from the calfskin cover to the typeface to the font size to the quality of the pages to the thickness of the Bible itself (which, I must say, is surprisingly thin) — is, at least to my mind, perfection! Add to this a concordance “with more than 3,000 word entries and more than 14,000 Scripture references,” plus fifteen pages of full-color maps, and what do you have? A grand slam! Thank you, Cambridge University Press, for this outstanding new verse-by-verse Topaz edition. And thank you, evangelicalbible.com, for your top-notch service. I enthusiastically recommend this wonderful Bible!

9. Rated 5 out of 5

   Brandon – January 7, 2020

   This is a great Bible! I went with the calfskin because it is stiffer than the goatskin since I often hold my notes in my Bible when officiating weddings and funerals. In my other “floppy” premium Bibles this just doesn’t work.

   The font is wonderfully crisp. I am amazed at how easy it is to read.

   I was nervous about the verse by verse because I wanted to use this as an all around Bible for preaching, study and reading. It is definitely different than a paragraph format, but I actually find it easier to track with the text through tougher parts of scripture…I can’t totally explain why, it’s just easier.

   The one thing I wish for is paragraph markers, I wonder what the reasoning is behind not having them?

10. Rated 4 out of 5

    Larry Wing (verified owner) – November 14, 2019

    I ordered the calfskin because my other goatskin bibles, while I really like, I wanted a Bible that has a little stiffer cover. This one meets that need perfectly.

    The font size and line matching makes it very comfortable to read and I like that the verse number are in red (except where the text is in red, then the verse is in black). The paper is thick enough for easy turning without sticking or fear of tearing.

    Verse by verse layout is very nice for quickly finding a reference when in church, Bible study, or doing personal study. I still prefer paragraph format for just sitting down to read but this edition fulfills my desire for a VbV edition in ESV.

    A couple negatives – from my perspective, you may not agree – is that I wish the ribbons were a little longer. Along the same length as Schuyler’s. I also wish there were some indication of a paragraph break. My Allan NASB bolds the verse number at the verse that starts a new paragraph.

    All in all I think this edition will become one of my daily favorites and would recommend it to anyone.