Customer Reviews

Biblica: The Bible Atlas: A Social and Historical Journey Through the Lands of the Bible

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ordered this book, sight unseen, because of the editor and the promotion as the most up-to-date Bible atlas. I was not prepared for the size and weight of the book - it is almost 10 pounds. The printing for this book is so lavish that I cannot see how it could be sold at the list price, much less the price that Amazon was charging. It is more like a coffee table art book than just an atlas. In fact, there are probably more paintings reproduced in this book than maps (of which there are plenty). There is substantial text to go along with the maps. Aside from historical background, much of this text is a retelling of the Biblical narrative. The text is written more for the layperson rather than the scholar. There is a full bibliography and other reference material in the back of the book.

I am mystified by the intended audience for a book of this size. A ten pound book is not an easy one to handle for casual reading. Someone interested in a display volume with a lot of artistic pictures is not going to need the latest and greatest maps. Someone with a more academic interest would want the maps with a more technical text, and much fewer paintings. If you don't mind the size of this volume, it is certainly worth five stars for value. The only question is whether you want this combination of features.

At first glance I thought I would really like this book. After looking through it and reading parts of this manouth (at almost 10 lbs and 580 pages you won't be carrying this under your arms) I was wrong, I love this book!

I found myself drawn into the maps and text and excellant writings. The feel of the glossy pages and beautiful art and graphics is impressive. I found the text and history to be fair and balanced. The text is broken up into very readable sections, but take note, you will find yourself drifting from the text to the graphics in no time. It is worth the price and the time to explore and take in all this book has to offer.

Though the title of my review may, at first glance, appear to be a grammatically incorrect cliche of sorts, I can express my reaction to this book in no other way. I highly reccomend this book for Biblical scholar or casual reader. A review such as this simply cannot do it justice, so just take my word for it and buy this materpiece!

Are you kidding me!

--

UPDATE to this Review: Apparently this massive and gorgeous book has been produced by 3 or more publishers. When I said that my book was 17 pounds and 17 inches tall, 13 inches wide, and nearly 3 inches thick, this refers to the Global Book Publishing Edition which comes with Slip Cover Box. Not every publisher made it THIS BIG! The Global Book Publisher's edition is gorgeous, but VERY LARGE, with slip case (made of wood), CD-ROM of almost every picture and map, and this enormous size and heavy book (absolutely stunning pictures on enormous and heavy glossy pages. Be aware that my review is for this publisher...Just check for your publisher to see what you are getting... search for what is most important for you. Quite frankly, the smaller 10 bound 13 inch edition would have been plenty.. but, I wouldn't be without the CD-ROM. Mine is printed in 2006. My ISBN number is 1-74048-009-0 and I just reach over to pick this book off the floor to get that number, I could barely lift it with one hand. Gosh, this think is massive and beautiful!

--

WOW! Yes, you want a better review than "WOW!" but, let me tell you, this book is stunning. At 17 lbs, this book is HEAVY. The Pages are magnificent, 17 inches tall, 13 inches wide! Absolutely incredible glossy paper. This isn't just a book, it is an experience. My wife was home when this thing came in a LARGE box with red warning labels "HEAVY"... and the post man said, "Maam, be careful, I don't know if you can lift this." I came running to the door with NO IDEA what this could be. I remembered only ordering a Bible Atlas that had a CD-Rom. I had no idea it was like this. This came with with a wooden slip case and the whole things was so large, it could be a small Coffee Table, not simply a coffee table book.

But it is gorgeous. Stunning. The full color pictures are amazing. You have to experience the feel and the richness of this book to fully appreciate what you are getting. And trust me, this book became a talking point of many a visitor as they could NOT believe how large and beautiful it was. How they sell this for under a hundred dollars is hard to imagine...that I got mine for less than a fourth of that, well, it is a steal. But you need ROOM for such a massive book.

But how is it as a book? This book was put together by famously well received Barry J. Beitzel, author of the New Moody Bible Atlas. Some of the same maps grace both. But don't confuse the two, they are two distinct products. This one is a book of Biblical backgrounds, images, art, archeology, paintings, history and manners and customs, that also happens to have atlas maps too. 527 pages of text and pictures jump out at you. If all you want is the atlas, you will not like this book, as there is so much more here, and a Bible Atlas would have more maps. Still, the history, customs, and Biblical accounts are well done. A myriad of other authors also contributed and their bios are all included.

This is an amazing work, and I am giving it 5 stars becuase I have forgiven its one short coming (that might lead to a 4 rating), this is not primarily an atlas. Oh, it probably has over a hundred maps (and the CD-ROM has some very nice interactive Bible Maps), but if all you want is a Bible Atlas... get the New Moody Bible Atlas, Rasmussen's Bible Atlas (Zondervan's newest), or the ESV Bible Atlas.... all are done within the last year and all are excellent and Rasmussen's is a steal. But buy Biblica for everything it has besides the wonderful Bible maps.

I just came back from Europe (Rome, etc) and this book is like a journey to these ancient sites with a guide along to explain things. It will be worth its very small price tag, and you will learn to appreciate the Biblical stories so much more. And while some of the Renaissance painting may not interest you (I like them), they certainly add to the overall experience and the feel for what you are reading (if you take the time to read, since visually you will be captivated. Enjoy, enjoy!

God Bless!

At first glance, I thought this was another bible - a very big, heavy bible. But, on closer inspection found it was an atlas for the bible. I bought it for my father, who is incredibly hard to buy a gift for, and he really likes it. It has in-depth text, beautiful drawings and paintings - makes a most wonderful gift. It is quite heavy, however, so he won't exactly be bringing it along for bible study. It does make a very impressive coffee table book for his living room. Great find - wonderful price.

I love this book for several reasons:

1. Beautiful art work

2. Clear maps

3. Nice summary of history

4. The Authors (or editors) even have a sense of humor or irony as they tell many of the stories.

This book is well worth the cost if you are interesting the story of the Bible.

RT

This book contains the writings of more than 20 professors or experts in the field. How can a normal person review this?

My mum is a pretty serious and devout Christian, reading a lot of scholarly books on the background of the Bible texts, plus she leads a Bible study group. She's pretty picky and choosey regarding books about the Bible.

I got her a copy for Christmas, and she thinks its great.

This large and heavy book is one of the best Bible atlases that I have ever seen. Crammed full of brightly colored pictures and maps, the book covers the Bible narrative from Genesis through Revelation, covering even the history of Israel during the inter-testimental years. However, this book is so much more than a mere collection of maps, it has large sections of text, which tell the Bible's stories and puts them into their context - special, historical, sociological, and more.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent resource. True, the book is very large and heavy, weighing in at about 10 pounds! So, this is not the kind of book a student can schlep around all day. But, if you are a serious student of the Bible, and want a great resource that brings the Bible to life, then you really must get this book. I cannot recommend it enough!

Biblica was ordered for Christmas because we thought my husband would like it...

this book is excellently written and the pictures are beautiful..we would recommend this book to anyone who would like an in depth study of the times written about in the Bible. Biblica would go along very well with any bible study you are doing, or just to pick up and read it by itself. Our family will be enjoying this wonderful book for years to come.

We bought this book for ourselves. Visitors to our home enjoyed it so much that we are now buying it as gifts.