Review & Giveaway: Illuminated ESV Bible

So you know those fancy journaling Bibles that people have been posting on social media over the last several months?

Well... I had an opportunity to review one, and of course I jumped on it.

I received my Illuminated ESV Bible (Art Journaling Edition) and was immediately struck by the beautiful gold design on the outside. I'm sure there's a fancy art word for whatever it is - embossing? - but it's gorgeous.

It also came in a matching slide-out box.
In full disclosure, I recycled that thing.
I'm not a fan of them. Those and dust covers. Don't understand them at all.

The volume itself is a good, hefty what I call desk or table Bible. It's got a nice hardcover and while the pages have that characteristic what I call "Bible-thinness", they weren't so thin that I was worried I would rip one of them if I turned them the wrong way. This is actually pretty important to me because I'm a known clumsy person who tends to rip/spill/otherwise unintentionally break things - so feeling like I could read it safely in my kitchen where little hands are often pulling on me.

Once the Bible is opened, reader is graced with a 9-pt Lexicon font - so be aware if you are the kind of person who prefers a large-print Bible that the larger size of the book is not indicative of the size of the font. All pages leave margin space for journaling and most pages feature the illustrations/designed verses of Dana Tanamachi whose work has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Google, Target, and Time Magazine (among others). You guys - it is gorgeous. I'm not going to lie: even though this is technically a journaling Bible, I have zero desire to write in the margin and rather gently highlight key verses instead so as to not tarnish the gorgeous drawings with my doodles.

See? Isn't it pretty?

While I would not call this a portable Bible (unless you carry a backpack everywhere you likely aren't bringing this to church), it's definitely one that's well suited to the prayer journaler, the person who sits at a table with a cup of coffee to read scripture, or someone who just appreciates an absolutely stunning Bible.

If you're interested in purchasing one of these beauties for yourself or as a gift for Christmas, they are available at Amazon in a few different colors as well as a leather edition (fancy!). Alternatively, I'm giving one away here! Entering is SO SIMPLE - everyone can have up to 2 entries to win. All you have to do is:

- Share this post and comment here that you did so AND/OR
- Leave a comment below with your favorite verse. 

That's it! Entries will be accepted until December 2, 2017 at 12:00 PM and a winner will be notified by December 4, 2017 at 12:00 PM.

For more information about this gorgeous Bible visit https://www.illuminatedbible.org/.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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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.