I first started caring about how a Bible is made after discovering Bible Design Blog (now Lectio). Soon afterward I bought what became my daily companion for a decade, the ESV TruTone Legacy, my first Bible with line matching, generous margins, and a sewn binding. Many of those once-rare features are now common (sewn bindings especially), but others remain confined to the “premium” tier.

Enter the ESV Single-Column Heritage Bible (TruTone, Chestnut), one of the best mid-range editions you can buy today, at least until Crossway releases another TruTone Legacy.

This 2024 iteration follows earlier Heritage printings (2013, an improved 2014, 2017, and a 2021 update using the then-current 2016 ESV text). Each version tweaks small details yet keeps the same name, so unless you track Crossway’s release schedule, you might unbox a different Heritage than expected.

Form

This is a thick Bible, 5.5 × 8.25 × 1.75 inches and large enough to feel more like a personal-size study Bible than a standard text-only edition. Height and width are manageable, it is just a bit thick.

As with other TruTone Bibles, the cover is polyurethane over fabric with a paper liner. That liner tends to tear over time, so don’t try to fold the cover back on itself. In exchange you get an attractive, durable finish, but not genuine leather. I wish crossway used a PVC liner instead. It would have cost a little more but compared to the cardstock that we get today, it would have lasted a lot longer.

A downgrade from the premium goatskin model is the ribbon count: one ribbon here versus four in the top-tier edition. A small gripe, but I think the block is thick enough to deserve at least two.

One thing to note though, after a few openings the covers don’t lie perfectly flat when closed. The hinge feels tighter than I wish and while use will likely loosen it, out of the box it sits slightly ajar.

Text Block

Both the goatskin and TruTone versions share the same ESV 2016 text version for the text of scripture itself. However, the new layout combines elements from earlier Heritage layouts: wide outer margins and a narrower bottom margin from 2013 and unfortunately, in my opinion, section headings embedded in the text rather than in the margin from 2021. Of course, just like every iteration of this bible you can find line matched text laid out in a generously spaced single column that especially shines in sections of poetry.

Compared with the Legacy, and even the 2015 Heritage, line spacing is more generous, increasing page count by roughly 12 %. The 9.25-pt Lexicon No. 1 font has room to breathe, and tracking a line across the page is effortless. I still wish Crossway had trimmed the leading slightly, either to thin the block or to add more bottom margin for Renaissance-style proportions, but that is a small complaint for an otherwise great layout.

The TruTone block is printed in China and, like most Crossway budget editions, doesn’t lie quite as flat it’s European printed premium counterpart or even as the Italian-printed ESV with Apocrypha I recently reviewed (though a lot of that is also because it’s a hard cover bible). At this price point that’s forgivable, yet worth noting.

One obvious cost saver is the gilding: plain gold edges instead of premium gold-over-red art gilding. Crossway’s gilt on synthetic editions scuffs quickly, and after only light use one corner of my copy has already turned white, likely a thin glue spot during manufacturing.

Conclusion

If the previous sounds overly critical, remember the comparison target: Crossway’s premium goatskin Heritage. Layout is identical, but differences in materials and finishing make the reading experience diverge.

Even so, the TruTone Heritage has already displaced my aging 2013 Legacy on the desk. For under $50 it delivers a roomy, elegant text block, sewn binding, and durable synthetic cover, minor shortcuts notwithstanding. If you need a daily-use ESV that balances quality and value, this edition belongs at the top of your list.

Bible Features

• Version: ESV Single Column Heritage Bible (TruTone®, Chestnut)
• Text: English Standard Version, 2016
• Size: 5.5 in x 8.25 in x 1.75 in
• Type: 9.25 pt Lexicon
• Pages: 2064, 28(?) gsm
• Cover: TruTone® (artificial leather)
• Price: $49.99 (30% Discount with free Crossway+ membership)

Note: a 2025 ESV Text version of this bible will be coming in January of 2026 with an alternate TruTone Design. The premium version of this bible has been renamed to the Veritas edition of the ESV bible