Great Translation with One Disappointment
929025
I love the single column and the room for notes.  As I have begun to take notes I have discovered that they only way my notes don't bleed through to the other side of the page is to write them in pencil.  The pages are just too thin for any type of ink.  That leads my to another concern...durability.  With the pages so incredibly thin, everyday use will take its toll on the pages.

Hopefully, the guys at Crossway will correct it for the next run of this wonderful Bible.
4030116
I have been very impressed with the English Standard Version since its publication in 2001. Of the multitude of English translations of Scripture available, it may well be the best combination of accuracy, readability, and literary quality. Up until now, the one major disappointment, as many other reviewers have noted, has been the rather poor quality of publications in which it was available.
WIth this new edition of the Classic Reference Bible, it appears that Crossway has finally achieved the goal of providing a high quality ESV Bible. While the text, references, footnotes, maps, and concordance are identical to the already published Classic Reference Bible, there are, in my opinion, three unique improvements in this edition that commend it to anyone who loves and prefers this wonderful translation:
(1) The print type is larger, a 10.5 size (vs 9.5 in the original Classic Reference), which makes it easier to read. This is especially true with regards to the references and footnotes, which were practically illegible to my 40+ year old eyes.
(2) The wider margins allow notetaking, a real plus.
(3) While I don't claim to be a binding expert, it does appear that the binding used (at least on the genuine leather edition) is of a higher quality than on the original edition, which is a much needed improvement.
In summary, I would commend this edition of the ESV without qualification, unlike the earlier editions.
4716283
I had purchased this for my nephew, as my son has a copy and loves it.
Brilliant story and beautiful execution.  The only problem was my nephew was sent the version in French.
I thought I ordered the version in English.  Since he had already opened it and looked through the pages, they did not return it.
I guess when I get around to it, I will need to send him another copy, this time the translated version in English of this classic book since he does not speak French, yet.
But someday he will . . . .
1802196
I'm going to separate this review into two parts. The first part will be for the translation; the second part will be for the eBook quality.

God's Word Translation: 4.8/5
I really enjoy this translation for two main reasons. The first thing is this translation's readability. While I am fond of certain aspects of the old English translations such as King James Version and Young's Literal Translation, I prefer more modernized and, in my opinion, readable versions such as New Living Translation, New International Version, and of course this version. The other thing I like about this translation that even makes it stand out from other modern translations I've read is that most, if not all, of the deviations from a strictly literal translation are made clear to the reader, usually by placing a <> around the added word(s). I really enjoy that because it gives readers the option to read it both ways, either with or without the added words. Also, for me, it seems like a much more honest translation.

eBook Quality: 4.5/5
I'm very glad to have found a Bible for my Kindle Fire. Having a digital version makes for much easier transport. I especially enjoy the Go-to feature, the search feature, and the highlighting feature. The go-to and search features make it much easier to navigate and quickly find whatever it is I'm looking for. The fact that I can highlight verses makes up for the fact that Jesus's words aren't written in red. I can just highlight them all!
There are a couple things I don't like. First of all, the chapter numbers on the chapter selection pages for each book are small and hard to click on, which is a little frustrating when I end up clicking the wrong chapter number. Secondly, when I'm flipping pages, it'll sometimes jump to a different page rather than just go to the next page, and it's difficult to navigate back and get the pages to load in order again.

Total: 4.65/5
Overall, I'm very happy with this Bible. It's a pleasant addition to my Kindle Fire and I definitely recommend it.

- Sam
3386189
Great text; I just bought it and am appreciating reading and contemplating its words.

One note: the translator for this edition is J. Legge, not Stephen Mitchell as the item info describes. Slightly different, still good, for me.
3225560
Great translation by Maria Boulding  but the footnotes are not from the translator and contain his personal views with which I do not always agree.  A better edition of her translation is published by Vintage Spiritual Classics.
3095477
The book is great but I am sure there must be a better translation. I compared the Spanish traslation to the English translation and it is much more easy to read it in English than in spanish eventhough I am more fluent in Spanish. So I would recommend finding another edition if it exists.
3893866
I am a very large fan of the Rurouni Kenshin series, and I've found this to be a very good translation. It certainly could have been a lot worse. For instance, they've kept the right-to-left format and didn't flip the images, meaning Kenshin's scar is still on the proper cheek. Also, they've kept the names in the surname, given name format as well. That might not be as important, but it makes me appreciate the translation more. Also, they didn't translate every single word. For example, Battousai is referred to as "hitokiri" Battousai rather than "manslayer" Battousai. The honorifics were also kept, which would have seriously hurt the translation if they were taken out. There's a big difference between "Miss Kaoru" and "Kaoru-dono in the level of formality. "Miss Kaoru" could just as easily be "Kaoru-san." But "Kaoru-san" is certainly _not_ the same thing as "Kaoru-dono," and shows a good deal about the personality of the rurouni through his humility. They also kept Kenshin's "oro"s, which made me very happy.
  If you're looking for this manga to be exactly like the anime, its not. Its better. It has the elements of the anime- the seriousness and dark themes punctuated by silly humor and lighthearted romance- but a continuing storyline. This is Rurouni Kenshin in its truest form, other than the original manga published in Japan. The manga will also go into the Revenge Arc, which was never animated.
  If you've never seen it before, it is a wonderful series dealing with a turbulent period in Japanese history. Themes of decisions and consequences ring through its pages with storylines that occasionally become very dark. But the darkness never lasts too long as Watsuki manages to incorporate plenty of lighthearted humor and romance. So try it out, you'll  be pleasantly surprised.
2268126
It's a great read and a good translation. My only complaint is that certain "verses" ect. seemed to be over-simplified compared to some other English translations. Kind of reminds me of the "New American Standard" Bibles that are essentially rewordings of prior translations. However it is still a excellent read especially if you've never read the parts of the Quran and are curious about the religion. Personally I do prefer some other tranlations available on the internet.
1607676
Love the translation but in hindsight, I think I should have purchased one that was not side-by-side, but instead was entirely CJB. Probably easier to read and more space for notes.
3526403
This is one of the most beautiful books ever printed and a wonderful introduction to the archive of great Victorian and Edwardian illustrated versions of the classic fairy tales. I was a little disappointed  with the text, however. Tatar's introduction and annotations are insightful enough, if a little sparing, but her translations of the twenty-six fairy tales represented in this volume are surprisingly flat in comparison with the 300 illustrations, many of which are reprinted in full color. It's a pity Tatar didn't use translations from the same period. I know some of these are excessively bowdlerized, but others, such as Lucy Crane's versions from "Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm," are as engaging as the pictures they accompanied. Still, this book is a "must-buy" for anyone interested in fairy tales or the Golden Age of the illustrated picture book. The sumptuous reproductions of "Little Red Riding Hood" and the seven other fairly tale adaptations from the Walter Crane "Toy Book" series alone are worth the cover price.
2548094
A small quibble with this recording:

The other volumes in this series are readings of the standard English translation by Scott Moncrieff (this is also true of the equally excellent recordings by John Rowe, which, alas comprise only the first two volumes of _Remembrance of Things Past_).

Moncrieff died before he could complete this last volume (_Time Regained_), and the accompanying English translation is usually that of Frederick Blossom.

However, this recording is of a translation by "David Whiting".

While I personally  would have preferred the use of Blossom's translation, I have, in principle, no strenuous objection to this change.  But that said: 1] this change of translators is not made clear (i.e. so far as I can tell it is indicated only during the introduction on the recording itself --for example, neither Audible nor Amazon mention it in their blurbs for the recording); and 2] I wish that the original publisher (Naxos) and/or reader (Jason) had selected a published version of a translation for this recording (that is, so far as I can determine, Whiting's translation is not otherwise available aside from this recording).
1895338
I love the Three Kingdoms. However, having read Brewitt-Taylors masterful exposition, this translation seems lacking, in my opinion.

First, I must confess, I hate the modern Pinyin system of romanization. I cannot abide in a system where letters do not have the proper values. I mean, an entire generation of Americans (and God help the ignorant French!) will pronounce names like Cao Cao as "Cow Cow", or the Qin dynasty as the "Kwin" dynasty. The Brewitt-Taylor translation uses the old Wade system, and while it can be hard on the eyes, the reader gets a sense of at least the rough pronunciation (Cao Cao is rendered Ts'ao Ts'ao, Qin is rendered Ch'in, etc).

Also, Brewitt-Taylors translation is nice to listen to. "Empires wax and wane, states cleave asunder and coalesce"; the sound itself is beautiful, and yet still renders the sense clearly. The Roberts translation certainly succeeds in the latter, but the beauty is lost. However, Brewitt-Taylor requires a very great vocabulary, whereas Roberts is more tame in this regards. Still, this was a book for scholars, and the translation should at least reflect that.

Again, if you have no familiarization with the events of this tale, the complete rainstorm of names is daunting indeed. Always keep in mind the three separate forces (Cao Cao of Wei, Liu Bei of Shu and the Sun family of Wu) as well as a few of the other players (Zhang Jiao of the Yellow Scarves, Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, Yuan Shao. Liu Biao and Liu Zhang) and you'll do fine. The book itself, in my opinion, is the greatest book ever told, succeeding in being at once a work of strategy, psychology, government, warfare, and human emotion, and there is nothing like it in the lexicon of Western literature. Enjoy!
3265844
Love this translation and hearing it read is a different experience than reading it yourself.  Do wish they had eliminated the music, and I find the introductions not very helpful.  Straight narration would have been much better.
1361447
Hugo Grotius's book is of timeless value, but I strongly disagree with the preceding review regarding the quality of the translation.  At least certain passages of this translation are very misleading.  For more details see my review on amazon.co.uk.
3609367
There is a lot to like about this new translation of the Bhagavad Gita.  As a reader with not a bit of Sanskrit I can't really judge the quality of the translation.  But it is apparent that Feuerstein is emphasizing verbal accuracy.  And I find that any translation with a parallel original text acts as a spur to pick up at least a few elements of the original.

In comparing this translation with those I already owned, of Edwin Arnold and Barbara Stoler Miller, I can appreciate the value of these different approaches.  Arnold is quite consciously poetic and "Oriental."  Miller displays a freer, more contemporary American style.  In, for example, omitting almost all of the epithets for Krishna and Arjuna, Miller makes the text run swifter and smoother, but loses much of the richness (the same thing happens with translations of Homer).

With substantial introductory material, and frequent footnoting, this is a version that encourages close and careful reading.  Though a Westerner, Feuerstein appears to rely as much on Indian as Western scholarship.  And though he does have a particular approach as an exponent of Yoga,  I don't perceive that this edition is excessively "sectarian."
175257
I was very slow to warm to the Holman CSB. I avoided it for the most part as I believed that there was little reason to bring out yet another modern translation--we are literally awash in a sea of translations. And, like Larry below, I loved the ESV, but was waiting for a quality edition (Crossway cannot seem to publish a quality Bible).

At some point I began including the CSB in parallel searches online and was impressed, upon doing word studies, with the sense of the translation. For example, the CSB, along with only the NJB, captures what I believe is the correct sense of John 3:16. I also like the the treatment of Romans 6:6. Occasionally, I run across phrases that are at first not pleasant to my ears, like "human race" instead of the more usual "sons of man", or "temple complex" rather than just "temple". But, I seem to quickly get used to them and I'm generally delighted with the readability of the CSB. Perhaps most striking is the clarity of the translation. It is rendered in contemporary English and is very clear as to the meaning of the text. It is not a biblical English like the ESV, but not a street English either. At any rate I'm using it more and more and am benefiting greatly from its use.

This particular edition is very nice. The leather is a fine cowhide, thinner than the Cambridge calfskin Bibles that I own, but softer as a result. The paper is fine--it could have been a little thicker, but it's better than standard Bible paper and the amount of bleed-through is acceptable to me (It is an Ultrathin after all). The print is large enough to be comfortable at 10.5 and the Bible is very nicely laid out as regards the general typography. This is the nicest edition of the HCSB to date. I highly recommend this translation and this particularly edition. I don't believe you will be disappointed.