The ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible has quickly become one of the Bibles I bring camping with me whenever Michael and the family are doing evangelistic meetings.
I have a lot of Bibles, so it takes something pretty special to make me choose it over all the others. When we are traveling from church to church and living out of our camper, I don’t want to bring a Bible that is big and bulky just because I want larger print. I want something that is comfortable to read but still easy to take with me.
That’s what I love about the ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible from Crossway. The thinline design is perfect for my travel needs, and it’s lightweight enough to easily carry with me wherever we are going.
Many thanks to Crossway for providing a sample of this Bible in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, thank you for supporting my blog.

About the ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible
The ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible combines the popular Thinline format with larger 10.5-point type, making it a great option if you want a larger, easier-to-read Bible without carrying around a bulky Bible.
The Bible features a double-column layout with cross-references located at the bottom corner of each page. It also includes a concordance, which is a helpful addition when you are studying the Bible.
This particular edition has a top grain leather cover in brown and includes several quality features, including:
- 10.5-point Bible text
- Double-column layout
- Cross-references
- Concordance
- Smyth-sewn binding
- Line matching to help reduce print showing through from the opposite page
- Gilded page edges
- Ribbon marker
- 1,248 pages
- 6.125 x 9.125 x 1.5 inches
- 35.64 ounces
Even with the larger print, the Thinline design keeps the Bible relatively compact, which is one of the things that makes it so practical for traveling.
ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible, Top Grain Leather, Brown Review
A few weeks back, I reviewed a very similar Bible to this one. It was the ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible in Top Grain Leather, and I fell in love with it. The Bible felt perfect. It was thin, had my favorite verse-by-verse layout, and was available in top grain leather. I really had thought I found the perfect Bible and then, this one showed up at my doorstep.
The ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible in Top Grain Leather, Brown is very similar, except it doesn’t use the verse-by-verse layout I love so much. Instead, it has a traditional double-column layout.
I’ll be honest. The layout is probably the one thing that keeps this Bible from becoming my new favorite. I have gotten so used to reading the Bible verse by verse that I really prefer it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like this Bible. I actually still really love it. It has so many of the features I look for in a Bible, including the top grain leather cover, ribbon markers, and line matching.

If you aren’t familiar with line matching, it is a printing technique that lines up the text on the front and back of the page. This helps reduce the amount of print showing through from the other side, which can make a big difference when you are reading. Since Bible pages are typically thinner, I love how this reduces distractions, and allow me to read the Word of God without any added confusion.
Another feature I love about this Bible is the references placed strategically at the bottom of every page. While they are not large print, they are large enough that you can still see them in this Bible. The large print text is really one of the best features of this Bible though. At 10.5-point type, it is noticeably easier for me to read than many of my other Bibles.
I also really like having the ribbon markers in this Bible to hold my place when I am jumping from verse to verse.
The brown top grain leather cover is another thing that makes this ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible stand out to me. It has that classic Bible look and feel that I love, and it feels like a Bible that is meant to actually be used.
Overall, while I still prefer the verse-by-verse layout of the ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible I reviewed earlier, I have really enjoyed using the ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible. The larger print, thin design, reference features, line matching, and beautiful top grain leather cover give me a lot to love, even if the traditional double-column layout isn’t my personal favorite.
If you are looking for an ESV Large Print Thinline Reference Bible that is easy to read but still thin enough to take with you, this is definitely one I would take a closer look at. You can see the different editions and learn more about it over at Crossway.
Last Updated on 6 days ago by Crystal Carder
