Reflecting on the Beauty of God's Word with the ESV Illuminated Bible {A Review and Giveaway}

I had the opportunity to receive a beautiful Bible for review from Flyby Promotions. I have needed a new Bible for some time, so this lovely Art Journaling Edition of the ESV Illuminated Bible was a real blessing. 

This eye-catching edition of God's Holy Word has a hard, cloth-covered cover and comes in a sturdy slipcase. 

As you can see, the slipcase has the same design as the cover of the Bible. And this is only the beginning of the beauty that will be found in this Bible. The first page is this gorgeous presentation page. 

Throughout the Bible you will find over 500 elegantly hand-lettered gold ink illustrations by renowned artist Dana Tanamachi. Each book of the Bible has a custom illustration on the first page. Then there are over 250 hand-lettered margin verses, plus over 100 additional illustrations throughout the Bible. There are also 50 full-page verse illustrations. 

Each of the book opener illustrations is unique and contains images that symbolize thoughts from that book of the Bible.

And the margin verses are in varying gold-ink fonts.

Even the page edges are metallic gold. Isn't it beautiful?

In the back of the Bible you will find several pages filled with small copies of the full page book introduction images, in addition to a short description of what they represent. 

Here are some more details about the ESV Illuminated Bible:

• Printed on thick cream-colored paper
• Single-column, paragraph format
• Wide margins for additional note, prayers, or art journaling
• 9-point, Lexicon
• Black letter text
• 2-color printing
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Packaging: Permanent Slipcase

This Bible is reminiscent of the illuminated manuscripts created in the Middle Ages. In fact, those manuscripts were part of the inspiration that guided artist Dana Tanamachi as she created these gorgeous illustrations. If you would like to learn more about the making of this Bible, I invite you to watch this video:

How We Made the ESV Illuminated Bible from Crossway on Vimeo.

Who is Dana Tanamachi? 

She is an American lettering artist, graphic designer, and illustrator whose exquisite typographic murals ignited the worldwide chalk-lettering trend. She has been commissioned by clients such as Instagram, Target, Google, Time Magazine, Nike, and West Elm. You can learn more by visiting her website, Tanamachi Studio. 

So, what did I think of the ESV Illuminated Bible?

First of all, I think it is gorgeous! All of the illustrations, from the full page openers to the margin verses and illustrations are just lovely. The metallic gold reminds me of the fact that God's Word is a treasure.

I also really enjoy having a Bible where the text is in paragraph format as opposed to the two columns that all of my previous Bibles have had. There is definitely amble room in the margins for note taking or creating your own images. The thing is, I still have a hard time writing in a Bible, so I have yet to utilize those margins. I am looking into Bible Art Journaling, and love the idea. I'm just not sure I'm artistic enough. Perhaps if I can get myself some nice pencils or pens. Perhaps the downfall of such lovely illustrations is they are a bit intimidating, as there is no way I can come close to such beauty. 

There are a few things I wanted you to be aware of. Though the pages are thicker than traditional Bible pages, they are still not as thick as paper in a regular book and images from the next page over can be seen through. I would think you wouldn't want to use very dark writing utensils while taking notes or journaling. 

Also, though there is an introduction, plus the index of the artwork, there are no other extras in this Bible. I admit, that is the one thing that would keep me from giving this a five-star review. I am used to having footnotes and some sort of dictionary or concordance, or some sort of study help in the back of my Bible. 

The ESV Illustrated Bible would be a wonderful addition to any Christian home. It would make a lovely gift (even to oneself), and I can see how it could become a treasured family heirloom. That said, I would still want an additional Bible with the footnotes and study helps. And one that I would feel more comfortable taking to church or Bible study with me. This one is just too gorgeous to risk dropping, spilling on, or getting torn by children sitting on my lap at church. 

You can find ESV Bible and the publisher Crossway on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The ESV Illustrated Bible (in several different editions) is available to purchase on on the Illuminated Bible website. Here is a link to where you can purchase it on Amazon.

I have been given the chance to offer my readers a chance to enter to win their own copy of the ESV Illuminated Bible. Check out the details below.

Time for that giveaway!

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. 

There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional. 

Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning. 

This giveaway is open to Continental US residents 18 and over. 

The giveaway runs November 25th through December 2nd.

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

 By entering the giveaway, you understand and agree that your contact information will be shared with the sponsor.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification."

Disclosure: I received the ESV Illuminated Bible in exchange for my honest review. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.