A few weeks when I wrote my review on the New Living Translation, a number of folks contacted me privately saying that they preferred the first edition of the NLT (1996) over the second edition (2004). While the NLT1 is still on store shelves (I saw some just last week at two different stores), obviously, once they are gone, there will be no more coming.

Personally, when it comes to Bibles, I'm a huge fan of generous wide-margins for taking notes. I would rather create my own notes through personal study than carry someone else's notes with me. Currently, I use a wide-margin NASB for personal study notes and wide-margin a HCSB for teaching notes. It's worth mentioning that a couple of weeks ago Crossway released a really nice edition of the ESV called the Journaling Bible which gives abundant space for notes (if you don't mind the tiny 7 pt print).

Sometime soon, I think I'll write a blog entry detailing the current offerings of wide-margin Bibles, organized by translation. In the meantime, I should mention to you fans of the New Living Translation (first edition) that Christian Book Distributors currently has a great deal on what I would assume to be close-out copies of The Notemaker's Bible: Wide-Margin Edition. You can even choose between black bonded leather ($14.99 instead of the regular $49.99), burgundy bonded leather (also $14.99 instead of $49.99) and the hardback at an incredible $7.99 (down from $24.99). At those prices, even if you merely wanted a copy of the NLT1 for reference, this would be a good choice. It also makes a great choice as a backup if you prefer the NLT1 over the NLT2.

If you've never seen Tyndale NLT Notemaker's Bible, I can tell you that it's really nice. In fact, I would dare say, it's one of the nicest wide-margin Bibles I've ever seen. One of my former students carried one regularly and so I've seen one firsthand. I wish I had a page spread to show you here, but I cannot find one online. However, the Notemaker's Bible has a generous 1 1/2" margin on the sides for notes and an incredible two inches of lined space at the bottom for journaling. The text is in a single-column format (which I prefer for a wide-margin Bible) and I don't know the exact type-size, but it's definitely larger than your average reference Bible and easy on the eyes. The pages are also thick enough that reasonable note-taking shouldn't bleed through. Words of Christ are in black (which I prefer). If you prefer leather over hardback, Tyndale has really improved the quality of their leather--even bonded leather--in recent years, and the Notemaker's Bible is no exception. This is a quality-made Bible that will last a long time.

Currently, there are no wide-margin editions available for the second edition of the NLT.

And before you ask, no--neither Tyndale, nor CBD sends me any royalties! I just thought this was a really good deal and figured I'd share it.

Tags: NLT, Wide-Margin