[.ca] Thompson Chain Reference Bible-NASB (ISBN 0887072267)

Old NASB but questionable quality control in print:
It has become harder and harder to find copies of the old NASB (NASB 1977) vs. the NASB Update as the newer version has largely replaced the older one. I have looked through the NASB Update and actually find it harder to read than NASB 1977. Personally, I feel NASB 1977 has more of a "college level" feel while the NASB Update (much like the NIV) has more of a "high school level" feel in terms of their use of english. NASB Update and NIV are fine translations but I prefer reading something that is at least at the college reading level. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible is one of the last publications of NASB 1977 that I could find anywhere. I purchased the burgundy genuine leather version with thumb index in April 2004. When you don't have much of a choice, you buy what is available. Here are my impressions of this publication taking into account other reviews: - no damage in shipping from Amazon using free shipping; - inconsistent quality control -- overall, the Bible was in excellent condition. pages were nicely trimmed, ink darkness was consistent throughout (unlike in other reviews) though the red was on the light side, and there was no problem with the binding. -- closer look revealed flaws in quality control. there was a big gash on the front GENUINE leather cover and it was apparent the inner leather liner was severely folded and creased before someone glued it back in place. this is supposed to be their premium Bible which would hopefully be used for a lifetime. i was surprised this particular print made it to the bookshelf. -- paper was thinner than my thomas nelson printing and thin enough to allow the letters from the underlying page to show through. i don't mean the print on the opposite side of the same page, i mean two pages before...i.e. the underlying page. whereas my thomas nelson used some special cloth-like paper, the paper in this publication appears like "thin" high quality tracing paper but nothing special. - i have returned this item to Amazon for a replacement. - printed in Korea, hopefully by a Christian publication company, otherwise it would be a shame for a Bible publishing company to succumb to bean counting.

printed in Korea!:
I expected much better quality. Some of pages have words dimmed and even hard to distinguish, especially in the red letters.

The only Bible you will ever need:
This review applies to the New American Standard (NASB) version of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible in genuine leather. The Kirkbride web site goes to great lengths about the quality of the Bible and the efort put into it, and my e-mail enquiring about quality drew a response from their Senior Vice President, offering to exchange any of their Bibles that had a quality defect. I'm not sure one can ask more than that. I read both the "original" and the "updated" versons of the NASB, and agree with other reviewers that the older version with it's "Thee's Thy's and Thou's" is the more colorful version for those of us with a College education, however don't mind the Updated version as it is no less accurate when one examines it in detail against the original Hebrew and Greek words. So the fact that this Chain Reference Bible is based on the original is no problem to me. I regard this Bible as an essential "must have" for any person who really wants to know what God really says about an enormous variety of topics, for two reasons: 1) The New American Standard translation is widely regarded as the most accurate word for word English translation of the Bible available today. With all of the contentious issues floating around today, I really would like to know what God says about things, rather than see what some other person thinks what God meant to say, as you will find in the various "thought for thought" translations. 2) The Thompson Chain Reference Bible is the only study Bible I have ever come across that appears "opinion free". It simply lists the scriptures that apply to virtually any topic you can think of, and makes it easy to find by numbering the topics and printing the more popular verses under the relvant topics. It also has the most comprehensive, integrated helps I have ever seen in a Bible, from an impartial history of the Bible, through an archeological supplement, and cross references from the beginning to the end of the Bible, alowing you to pick up on any theme from any page, as well as the usual brief concordance and maps. I have just received my latest version of this Bible, and the quality is perfectly acceptable. The leather is soft and supple, and the pages are well bound. So if you are looking for a comprehensive, accurate, opinion free study Bible that you can take everywhere and use to figure out what God thinks about virtually anything you can think of, look no further.

Disappointed with the type quality:
I looked forward to owning a Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, but had to return it. The copy I purchased was printed in Korea, and the type quality was uneven and not up to my expectations. Particularly in the New Testament red letter sections, some of the pages were pale pink and at least two pages were hard to read because the print was so faint. Sorry to not give a great review, but the quality doesn't match the reputation. Maybe they should reconsider the practice of printing it in Korea . . .

Great Bible (Kirkbride KJV):
Really good Bible, it is a must have for every christian. Mine is a black capri grain genuine leather. The paper is good quality and nice and white. They are a one of a kind Bible. They are the only unbiased study Bible. If you buy a thompson chain, make sure you get one made by Kirkbride(the original makers). Hope this helps. God Bless