(This is an expanded version of the survey that appears in the November-December print edition of Preaching. It includes many items not in the print edition, but also excludes some volumes cited in the print edition.)
The biggest news in books and Bibles this year has been the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version. Many today fail to recognize the pervasive, worldwide impact this one translation has had as it became the book of the English empire just as that empire spread to the ends of the earth, taking with it the KJV. The publication of this translation is one of the keys being led by it. Quite appropriately several books have been published this year on the King James Version.
Because the Bible is the foundation for the preaching of the church, effective preachers are able students of the Word. This annual survey offers a glimpse at many of the more useful and significant Bible study resources published each year.
The current economic downturn does not seem to have slowed publication of Bibles and Bible reference materials, though it often has made it more difficult to obtain review copies! I know it has made most people more careful about their purchases, and my aim in this article is to give some explanation about the new resources available so you might be helped in getting the most for your money.
Each year brings a continuing flow of various study bibles and this one has been no different. Some such Bibles seem merely to be the result of marketing efforts, but others are truly helpful.