I have mentioned it before that I really wish the NRSV had better editions. 2009 seems to be the year that this is being remedied. I received a copy of the NRSV Notetaker’s Bible (hardback) from the publisher about a month ago and have been using it since then. Here is my review.
Many Bible geeks have the same complaints about Bibles, and I have lodged them before in previous reviews here on the site. Oxford must have been listening to what seems to be a cumulative list among the snobby Bible community. What the Notetaker’s Bible offers is a generous (2 inch) margin on each page that gives plenty of space to write whatever you feel like. The print is in single column, so it doesn’t tax the eyes as much as a double column tends too. The paper is nice, and doesn’t allow to much bleed through (I use a pilot G2 .05). These three things would satisfy many people that are picky about what features a Bible offers.
The Bible is in a handy size. It has a little bit larger of a footprint than a traditional thin-line bible, but is more square. It is a pretty thick Bible (it contains the apocryphal/dueterocanonical books), but it is in good relation to the length/width. Here is a shot between a standard thin-line and a Life Application Study Bible.
If you are sensitive to small print, you need to be prepared to wear some reading glasses. I have pretty bad eyesight and I need to have a little bit of help. But this is a willing concession to make to get the things mentioned above. Another concession is the fact that this Bible has a hard time laying flat once you get to the end of the NT. Even in the gospels, you are pretty far back, and it takes some “encouragement” to lay flat at times. Since the majority of my Biblical Studies work is in Revelation and the general epistles, this is something I have to deal with using most Bibles. The edition doesn’t feel “cheap”, but it did arrive to me with some battle scars. I went and checked the local Cokesbury store and saw that my copy wasn’t a plumbline for quality, the ones in the store where better. I would say that it feels to be bound about as well as a nice textbook, and since it is an Oxford, I feel assured as to it’s quality. I also wish that the margins didn’t have line markers already, but thats not a big deal.
This would be a great Bible for a seminary student that is starting his or her studies and wants an academic Bible that will hold up for years to come. The size is right for a bookbag,and the margins will come in handy. The NRSV is the standard for theological wriitng so any student needs at least one. The inclusion of the Apocryphal texts is nice, because you don’t have to search around the internet or your library when a reference comes up.
Out of 10 I would rate this an 8.
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