Here are some quick takes based on my first day with it, also illustrated in the photo gallery below:

1. I chose the hardcover edition, which is bound in the classic NIV brown. There are also editions in imitation leather and premium leather.
2. The groups of page registers appear to be intact at the spine, leading me to assume that the binding is sewn and, in fact, I believe that I can see threading if I open the pages wide enough beyond open flat, though I’m loath to do so for fear that the hardcover will crease.
3. Zondervan has chosen the noble approach of placing the cross-reference notes on the inside margin. There is enough gutter space that the references are not swallowed up by the binding and the padding between the references and text block is generous and with a dividing line. The placement of references on the outside margin was one of my chief complaints about the TNIV edition and this change alone makes for an entirely different experience.
4. My initial thought was that the references were too small and that a point or two larger would have been optimal. In practice, however, I’m noticing that the balance is quite nice, with the references rarely distracting the eye as you read from line to line, especially on the right-hand pages.
5. That said, I do think that the text block could have been another point or two larger. The text block dimensions appear to be almost identical to the TNIV Reference Bible and text size was the common complaint of that edition as well.
6. The number of references has been reduced compared to the TNIV edition. An extreme example: the TNIV had 46(!) cross references for Genesis 1:1 alone; the new NIV edition has nine (9). The end result is that the column of references is rarely “full”, whereas the TNIV references regularly overflowed into the footer area. The extra white space on the inside margin makes for a much more pleasing reading experience.
7. I wasn’t fond of the font choice for the TNIV edition; happily the NIV SCR appears to use different font selections that restore a classic contrast of serif and sans-serif typefaces.
8. There is visible ghosting of the lettering on the opposite side of the page and the page underneath, but I’ve found that lighting conditions can really make the difference. Natural lighting minimized the distraction, while florescent lighting was awful.
9. I’ve not yet tried a highlighter. I am hoping that the glossy paper will keep my Zebra LiteRite DE from soaking through, but I’m considering using one of the crayon-style highlighters instead. I’ve also not yet tried writing notes, but expect that the ghosting would be an issue, especially for inked notes, as well as pen/pencil imprints through the pages. The pages are thin and feel like they could “crinkle” without care.
10. For those fans of the single-column text format, but not of cross-references, it appears that Zondervan is scheduled to publish a text-only edition later this year. I would also welcome a “large-print” edition, even if it meant a thicker binding.

I can only assume that, from this brief description, this edition will feature the cross reference system that was published in the NLT Study Bible (Update: this is confirmed by Keith Williams in the comments below). So if you wanted the updated NLT’07 text with a columnar reference system, but not the Study Bible notes – this might be the Bible for you!

** Update **

In addition to the NLT Reference Bible from Tyndale noted above, there appears to be another new NLT Reference Bible scheduled for publication in August. Evidently Tyndale has licensed the NLT text to Cambridge/Baker Publishing, which is producing a Pitt Minion Reference Edition setting of the text:

The slimline Cambridge Pitt Minion format is widely admired for its compact but clear type and its elegant binding styles. In the NLT editions the words of Christ are printed in red and there are full cross-references, a dictionary/concordance, and maps. It is printed on very thin and light India paper, with gold edges. The pages are Smyth-sewn, giving the books plenty of support and allowing them to stay flat once open.

It must be noted that the Pitt Minion format is slightly smaller than the current slimline NLT Reference Edition, with physical dimensions just under 7″x5″; the font size will likely be smaller as well. In addition to being Smyth-sewn, the bindings are made of premium goatskin and French Morocco, so the prices will be set accordingly. No word yet on whether there will be hardback, bonded leather or imitation leather editions.

ISBN: 0521759242 (black French Morocco)
ISBN: 0521735289 (black goatskin)
ISBN: 0521759218 (brown goatskin)

While the folks at Tyndale may not be able to confirm anything, the fact that Cambridge is using their Pitt Minion layout is potentially exciting news for those of us looking for a wide-margin edition of the NLT. Cambridge has previously produced wide-margin editions of the ESV, NASB and NKJV, all based on the Pitt Minion layout. On the other hand, they have produced Pitt Minion versions of the KJV and NIV without offering a wide-margin edition, though there are wide-margin versions of those translations based on other Cambridge layout styles.