Thompson Chain-Reference Bible King James Version/Handy Size/Red Letter/Black/Deluxe Leather Paperback – January 1, 1988

This is one beautiful book, and here are a few reasons why:Firstly, the Thompson Chain Reference is easy to read when it comes to the biblical text itself. The topical study references are in separate margins and are easy to ignore if all you want to do is simply read through a particular chapter or passage.The text is the original Kings James Version translation, and while that may be an acquired taste for some people, it is often the text of choice for the avid student, and is not that difficult to follow thanks to the on-going popularity of Shakespeare's plays written during that same era.Next, when you are ready to study, you can pick almost any passage and follow a reference topic that inevitably leads to more passages and branching topics, or go to an alphabetical list of topics and pick one to follow. Both approaches will have you following an adventure-book style tour of the Scriptures and discovering treasures new and old, all from the comfort of your favorite chair.And when you need a break from that, there are maps, archeological supplements, geographic notes, diagrams, and lots more to help bring the history of this book and the times and places it mentions to life.As for the quality of the actual book itself, I could find no fault. The size is perfect. I've seen bigger, but this is a good size for basic home use, and it won't be too imposing if you pull it out around the family dinner table. The leather binding is simple to the point of elegance, with no text at all on the front cover, the words "THOMPSON CHAIN REFERENCE BIBLE" "KJV" "Red Letter" and "KIRKBRIDE" in serif font on the spine, and a small pattern with the text "GENUINE LEATHER SMYTH SEWN" in the lower right-hand corner of the back cover.The gilding along the page edges is solid. Some of the pages are lightly stuck together by the gilding (which is normal) and are easy enough to separate the first time around. You will want to "break-in" this new binding (Google it if you don't know what that means) to ensure the spine lasts a long time. This process will produce what look like "wear" patterns in the gilding about a centimeter long near the binding when the Bible is closed, but you would start to see these anyway after a few years of diligent use, and breaking in the spine will ensure that you actually GET years of diligent use out of this Bible.All in all, I am very happy with this Fifth Edition print, and hope to one day pass it on to my children as a family heirloom, because it feels like even with a lot of use and a bit of care, it could easily last that long.

I normally do not write a review in fact I can say I rarely ever do, but i had to with this handy bible when I seen this Thompson chain reference bible only had a 5 reviews so i decided to write one myself since i bought this one from amazon.the one (i bought is The Thompson handy Capri grain leather)and it is flawless in workmanship and in the quality of the leather,the pages are all even,and the type really is not that much smaller then the reg size Thompson bible, which i don't even notice the difference in the type size i do wear glasses and i have no problem reading the type. I would highly recommend the handy Thompson's chain reference bible to every one that looking for not a small compact and yet not a full size bible either but one that fit just right in your hands while opened or closed.Also it has a type that is clear and bold and yet still a good size to read for this size bible.If i had to place a "CON" on this bible the only thing i can think of is & would say to the printers at Kirkbride would be ?????"since it is a red letter edition"that the red ink color would be a lot easier on the eyes to read if they used a""""darker shade of red ink"""" on the pagelike they use in the reg size Thompson paperback print bibleOther then that it is truly a beautiful bible and with it also having a "Smyth Sewn" binding there is no doubt in my mind this bible will last for many years to come !!!!!with that said i will say "God bless" & hope this review will be helpful to others looking into buying a Thompson Chain Reference Bible.(P.S.) I also love to see that this "Thompson chain reference bible" was made here in AMERICA. "INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA U.S.A" and you can't beat knowing that this bible was "MADE AT HOME" !!! and is as "AMERICAN as BASEBALL, APPLE PIE, CHEVROLET" !!!!!!

The Thompson Chain Reference Bible (Handy Size - Style 536) in the KJV with genuine leather cover I had ordered arrived today, a day early. I must say that I am extremely satisfied with this bible. I have owned a standard hard cover Thompson in the NIV since 1990, so I am familiar with the layout of the Thomson. I ordered this one because I am going to start going to bible studies out of my home and wanted a smaller size... and a KJV text for that reason. I had read some other reviews of this edition and was concerned about the darkness of the red letter print and a little concerned about the font size. But, I find that the red lettering is just fine and very readable and so is the text size. Before delivery of this bible I had for reference my Old Scofield KJV as this bible is approximately the same size. This bible lends itself well to portability and can be put in a back pack or briefcase with no problems. I am not surprised about the quality of bible and the genuine leather will wear well. It has excellent gold titling on the binding side and the gold fringe around the edge is top quality also. This will be one of my cherished possessions for a long time to come. The benefit to the Thompson is that the notes and study guides let the word of God speak for itself under the guidance of the Holy Spirit which makes this version of the bible so popular in my opinion. Not like others that have commentaries within and limit their functionality in that way. Commentaries are good to have and read, coupled with the Word speaking of itself also.