I still remember last year’s daily office reading calling for 2  Maccabees 6. One line leapt out, “Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age.” I was following along on a podcast with no Apocrypha in hand and thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to read these passages alongside the rest?” Now I finally can.

Unlike many evangelicals who don’t look as often to the great tradition of the church, the Anglican tradition teaches that the Apocrypha “may be read for example of life and instruction of manners; but not to establish doctrine.” Yet most Protestant Bibles, NIV, LSB, and the like, omit it entirely and may not even have a version of the Apocrypha in those versions, leaving an awkward gap in Anglican spirituality. However, even outside Anglicanism, the Apocrypha appeared in mainstream Protestant editions well into the twentieth century and was an integral part of early Protestant vernacular versions. The new Holy Bible, with Apocrypha from Anglican  Liturgy  Press restores that heritage to the English Standard Version (ESV).

This second printing improves on the first enough that I’d recommend it even to readers who only rarely read the apocryphal books. We can look at this Bible from three three categories: exterior, interior, and everyday use.

The Exterior

It’s a hardcover, and that’s a good thing, in my opinion. While some cheap hardcovers come with glued bindings that break quickly with regular use, this Bible is different. Here, you’ll find sewn bindings and a beautiful cover. You’ll also find foil‑stamped titling and a patterned spine give it a refined look clearly inspired by the older bibles.

The cover is bonded leather over board. Bonded leather doesn’t work great on soft covers where it quickly falls apart and where its stiffness can’t hide. On a hardback, however, it adds just enough texture, and is an improvement over plain paper or plastic (though I still prefer cloth for hardcovers). The spine, simple yet striking, stands out nicely on a crowded shelf.

The Interior

This Bible is printed and bound by L.E.G.O. in Italy, one of the top publishers of bibles. The gilt edges are even, the ink is rich, and the paper comes in at a luxurious 50 gsm. It is the thickest paper in any Bible I own, and it is smooth, opaque, and pleasant to touch. However, I think I wish I traded some of that thickness for slightly less bulk, especially since the extra thickness isn’t always super apparent.

The layout borrows from Crossway’s ESV Thinline: double‑column, 8‑pt Lexicon  No. 1. This is one of Crossway’s most popular typesettings, however it has no line matching. Ghosting is still visible, though the heavier paper reduces it to the verso and the next sheet rather than three pages deep as in the standard 28 gsm Thinline. I would have loved there to be line matching, it could have maybe allowed for the use of slightly thinner paper while keeping the same text clarity, but, this is a tried and tested layout and there’s nothing wrong with that too.

Anglican  Liturgy  Press did widen the margins and gutter slightly, so the text breathes better than a stock ESV Thinline from crossway. However, you won’t confuse it with a wide‑margin edition with full room for notes, though there is space for the occasional message here or there.

One thing to note: the Apocrypha is set in a smaller font than the canonical books. The publisher cites its “less authoritative status,” though I suspect page count also influenced that decisions. That unfortunately means that sometimes the smaller font comes through more gray than black, especially with the lack of line matching.

In Use

The Daily Office demands constant shuttling between Psalms, First Lesson, and Second Lesson, and between Bible and Book of Common Prayer, and I find to do it properly often means doing it at a desk. This is more of a desk Bible and because it is a hardcover, it opens flat every time, making this ideal for devotional use on a table. Conveniently, this Bible shares its footprint with the ACNA Prayer Book, so swapping one for the other is almost seamless.

Four generous gold ribbons solve the “Where did my place go?” problem. There are enough ribbons for the two readings, a Psalm, and also an extra for the lectionary at the back.

Speaking of at the back, the entire ACNA one‑year Daily Office schedule is tucked at the end. If you want to pray the Office with only the readings, you’re covered there too.

It is bulky: over two pounds and roughly 1.5 in. thick. It’s a desk Bible, not a travel companion.

Final Thoughts

For ESV readers, this edition fills a conspicuous gap and does so with style. It still uses the 2016 text; a future third printing will presumably adopt the 2025 ESV update. When that day comes, I hope Anglican Liturgy Press adds full line matching, the lone blemish on an otherwise outstanding Bible.

No compensation was received from Crossway or Anglican  Liturgy  Press

Bible Features

• Version: English Standard Version (2016) with Apocrypha (2017)
• Size: 6 × 9 × 1.5 inches, 2.3 pounds
• Type: 8 pt Lexicon (7? pt Apocrypha)
• Pages: 1264, 50 gsm
• Cover: hardcover, bonded leather over board
• Price: $44.95 + shipping as reviewed