Rating: 
Summary: Thompson Chain NASB still one of the best!
Review: My Bibles get used every day, so when I decide to replace one it needs to be something that is going to last. After looking at Bibles for three days at various bookstores, I recently bought a Thompson Chain NASB. I love it.
The page layout is very pleasant to the eye. While I don't agree that the Thompson Chain system is totally free of denominational bias, it is pretty close. If you don't want to use the Thompson study system, it sits unobtrusively off to the side of the page. Chances are though, you'll use it a lot. Other Bibles I've seen give you about one third of each page with some commentator's opinion of what he thinks God's word says, which gets kind of annoying.
About the construction: My last Thompson Chain was a NIV with bonded leather. I bought it in 1985 and it's still holding up. My new one is the genuine leather and should hold up just as well. I've seen other reviews where people complain about shoddy workmanship, cheap paper, or the fact that its printed offshore. My 1985 version was printed in Canada (not US) has similarly thin paper, and has held up just fine. I think that this one will also. Unlike some of my other similarly priced study Bibles, the leather on this Thompson Chain NASB was not shiny. It has kind of somewhere between shiny and satin, but quite attractive. Inside both covers there are plenty of blank pages for notes.
Like I stated earlier, I compared Bibles for 3 days and ended up going back with a Thompson. The only other Bibles in the same league are the old version Scofield (not availible in NASB), and the Open Bible (which I also have). The only things that I would like to see improved are the concordance, and the introduction/background information for each book of the Bible. Don't get me wrong, the concordance is decent, but since everything else about this Bible is excellant it would be nice to have a concordance that is on a par with the rest of this Bible. My guess is that they went light on the concordance to make room for the excellant indexes/helps/archelogical suppplements. Having said that, this is still about as big of a Bible as you would want to carry as it is fairly heavy!
If you like the NASB your choices are somewhat limited when looking for a serious study Bible. When shopping for that new study Bible, try out a Thompson. Chances are, in the NASB the Thompson Chain is your best bet.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST Chain-Reference Bible in print!
Review: My old, marked-up Thompson Bible is the "Olde Reliable" that I keep coming back to. I have been using it for over thirty years and find it invaluable to "quick find" verses on nearly evey imaginable topic. On the plus side, are the MANY chain referrences with marginal "PILOT" numbers and brief word discriptions which also serve as mini-commentary on the verses. While the chains may not contain all the referrences a particular denomination may wish to emphasize, it more than make up for it with an ABUNDANCE of referrences most scholars whould never even think to look up! The handy exhaustive indexes, concordance, cross-references and helps enable the user to find nearly every subject in the Bible. On the minus side, 1.) the text is rather small and 2.) it would be benificial if the bold-face marginal headings were included in the OT as well as the New. Overall rating:FIVE-STAR EXCELLENT!!! It is a lifetime of research and study marvelously condensed into a handy-sized volume for both home study and portibility. I heartily recommend it for new Christians as well as those who "think they know it all". As advertised, it is a Bible that will SURPRISE you. Get it!
Rating:
Summary: Get what you pay for
Review: Noticed many are not satisfied with the paper/binding of their Thompson Chain Bible.
I bought the NKJV in black Genuine leather. Very happy with it. In fact I'm thinking about replacing it with the Morocco Leather version. A even softer premium leather.
Many years ago I notated my Bibles with ink. I now use a .7mm mechanical pencil. I can then erase and update much easier.
Spend the extra money and buy the best version. You'll enjoy it for years to come.............
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