What Do Older Eyes Think of Think of the Compact Edition of The Lutheran Study Bible?
Read the comment we received for yourself…..and then, if you want one, head on over here to get one.
Hello,
I just wanted to write to let you know how amazingly pleased I am – thrilled, really – with the compact edition of The Lutheran Study Bible I ordered.
I have the regular-sized edition in the hard copy and have the Kindle version as well (which is also great), but really wanted a physical version that I could hold and carry more easily with me. For my every day reading and personal study I have grown to love the NASB, but I like the ESV translation as well and use them side-by-side. The articles and study notes in TLSB are just wonderful. But as someone with over-40 eyes now, I was afraid to order the compact edition. I debated and debated. I actually have trouble reading the regular size version because of some bleed-through, so I was very hesitant to order. But I did, and I am so glad. The Bible text is beautifully easy to read, even without magnifying lenses, and although it’s easier with glasses I can read the notes as well – and I can even make out the footnotes and cross-references if I really try! That’s not a criticism – I need glasses more and more now but can still read this text. And unlike the smaller version of Crossway’s ESV Study Bible, you have included all of the articles and notes and references from the original! That is amazing! And it’s not unmanageably thick, either – it fits very comfortably in hand. And to top it all off, it’s pink! (I know that’s probably a bit controversial with some other customers, but it’s my favourite colour and it is really a beautiful binding.)
All this to say – thank you for this wonderful edition. I was so hesitant to order and afraid it wouldn’t work for me, but as I said I am just thrilled and wanted to let you all know.
Blessings,
Laurel W.
I also have TLSB, which I am enjoying using, …but I’m still getting used to it, though, as I really like(d) my well-used Concordia Study Bible. However, I doubt I’d be able to use the compact edition, as I find the print not easy on these older eyes. So I have the Large Print version. However, while the Scripture text is large print, the notes tend to be standard-sized print, and not so easy on older eyes. I also work in a nursing home, and realize this print (of the notes) is quite impossible for most readers who are still able to read the Large Print Scriptural text. Makes for a heavy book, too, for older hands to hold. Think the best way would be for me to attempt the ebook version, …but then, this older generation, we have trouble with all this new-fangled electronic gadgetry!
So, while I don’t totally agree with the writer of the above article, I do still like TLSB… but still missing using my Concordia Study Bible.
My observation is that the font used in TLSB, which is the same as in the old NIV Concordia Self-Study Bible, is a little lighter in its digital form than it was previously. As such, the overall colour balance (and readability) of TLSB is actually improved by the smaller page size, as it makes each letter seem a little heavier, and thus easier to read. I sometimes wish CPH had used a different font, like FF Parable or Lexicon, both of which were designed (as indeed ITC Weidemann, the font used in TLSB was) for use in small sizes in printed works such as Bibles. Since Weidemann is a slightly older design, in my opinion (and probably only mine) it just doesn’t work quite as well.
(I love this compact edition, though, and use it more than my regular-size edition.)
I love my compact TLSB. It’s very handy and portable. I love the cover too. I hear there might be a compact TODP and I look forward to it too.
Well, I’m 61 and have both the regular hardback TLSB and a compact one too (the blue and black) which I recently got at a local parish in case you notice I never ordered it from CPH. I think it has more to do with one’s particular eyesight than age. Uncorrected, things look the same to me now as 50 years ago, fine up close, blurry from about arm’s length out. But in the last few years, when I put on corrective lenses, I get old, and up close goes away. So I ditched the contacts for glasses again, and just single correction (myopia and astigmatism) rather than damn bifocals, and look over or under the lenses, or take them off, as needed. I find reading the compact edition no problem at all, glasses off. And the compact edition fits much better with my other three main books (God Grant It, The Small Catechism with Explanation ESV, Portals of Prayer).
My Compact Edition (Black and Blue) is on its way, probably delivered today. I’ll comment on it when I get it. I hadn’t even considered getting that edition, since I figured it would be much harder to read than the regular hardcover. However, I was impressed with how readable it seemed when I saw an actual copy at our fall pastors’ conference.
My compact black and blue edition TLSB goes with me most of the time in everyday life and for travelling. My plans are to take it along with a Kindle and a camera on a cruise next month visiting some islands somewhat south of Florida. It’s already made trips to Washington, D.C. and Disney World (FL).
I agree that the print is very readable and appears darker with a nice contrast of ink and paper, even though I practically have to use reading glasses for everything now.
I’m waiting for a neutral cover compact edition. I’m not a fan of blue and pink on my Bible. Right now I have the Larger Print hardcover. I love it, but it’s too heavy and big to carry around.
Well, after receiving my Compact Edition of TLSB and using it for about a month, I have to say that I find it just about as readable as the Regular Edition, even for my 40+ year old eyes. It certainly is a much more portable book, being about half the size of the regular edition. It has a nice feel to it. It seems to have less “bleed-through” on the pages, and the font is fine to read, particularly the text. The notes are small, but very readable, and the footnotes and text notes take a bit of effort, but can be read as well. I have the most trouble with the verse numbers. I find that a bright light makes it much more readable.