NIV Audio Bible Dramatized CD [Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Zondervan Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002 | Series: NIV Audio Bible

- The complete Bible---64-CD set includes both Old and New Testaments - New International Version---today's most read, most trusted translation - New Testament selected by Audio Publishers Association as Audie Award winner---the most prestigious award for audio products - Multiple-voice dramatization brings the Bible to life with world-class narration and colorful, true-to-the-text character renderings - Fully orchestrated background with sound effects provides maximum enhancement of the text reading - Digital engineering from start to finish delivers the ultimate in clarity and listening enjoyment - Brief book introductions give you a quick, preparatory overview of each book of the Bible - Running time 76 hours - Lifetime guarantee stands behind this product's performance

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

· The complete Bible—64-CD set includes both Old and New Testaments · New International Version—today’s most read, most trusted translation · New Testament selected by Audio Publishers Association as Audie Award® winner—the most prestigious award for audio products · Multiple-voice dramatization brings the Bible to life with world-class narration and colorful, true-to-the-text character renderings · Fully orchestrated background with sound effects provides maximum enhancement of the text reading · Digital engineering from start to finish delivers the ultimate in clarity and listening enjoyment · Brief book introductions give you a quick, preparatory overview of each book of the Bible · Location markers make finding and keeping your place as you listen as easy as hitting "fast-forward" or "reverse" · Running time 76 hours · Lifetime guarantee stands behind this product’s performance

From AudioFile

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with the NIV AUDIO BIBLE NEW TESTAMENT.]--The New International Version, begun in 1967 and published in its complete form in 1978, is not only one of the most widely popular English translations, but it also is among the most effective at finding the balance between accuracy and accessibility. These audio adaptations come in several flavors: the entire Bible on 64 compact discs or 48 cassettes, or the New Testament only on 16 compact discs or cassettes. All come in attractive carrying cases. Each of the Bible's 66 books is introduced with a short overview, most of which--even for the Old Testament books--take a strong evangelical Christian point of view. The production is nicely done, with subtle musical accompaniment running through-out and a massive cast of performers. Performance quality is mixed. Production editors made special efforts to guarantee consistency of characterization and name pronunciation, but some performances are weaker than others. All in all, an attractive, well-produced, and, considering its sheer size, economical choice. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Zondervan; Unabridged edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310918634
• ISBN-13: 978-0310918639
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 7.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Books on CD > Religion & Spirituality > Bible
  • #14 in Books > Books on CD > Religion & Spirituality > General
  • #21 in Books > Books on CD > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

583 of 586 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Respectful, and wonderfully rewarding., April 9, 2002

By 

Godly Gadfly - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: NIV Audio Bible Dramatized CD (Audio CD)

Consisting of 64 audio CDs in plastic sleeves in a zippered box, here you have the entire text of the NIV Bible in audio format. A brief overview of the strengths, weaknesses, and benefits of this great product:

Strengths:
1. Overall it is very respectful.
2. The voices are generally not overly dramatic, and yet sufficiently expressive.
3. The voices are very clear and pleasant to listen to.
4. The music and sounds are mostly calm, appropriate and respectful.
5. Using different voices for different speakers enhances the hearing of the text and the listening experience.
6. There are different narrators for different Bible books, giving some variety in style.
7. The text is exactly the NIV text, word for word.
8. There are helpful brief introductions to each Bible book.
9. Each chapter is on a separate track, so it is easy to select which chapter to listen to.

Weaknesses:
1. The sounds and music are sometimes overly dramatized, occasionally detracting from the Biblical text.
2. The vocalization of "selah" in the Psalms is unnecessary and somewhat annoying.
3. The decision as to which voices should be used is sometimes subjective and interpretive (eg what verses of the Song of Solomon are to be attributed to the different speakers is a controversial and difficult exegetical matter). To be fair, the audio Bible simply follows the interpretation suggested in the headings of the NIV translation, so this is more of an issue with the translation, not the recording.
4. Although the chapters that are on each CD are printed on the CD itself, an additional booklet with this information would be helpful.
5. Some Bible books are read somewhat too fast by the narrator (eg Jonah).
6. One of the Old Testament narrators is somewhat repetitive and predictable in expression.

Benefits:
1. You can listen to it while you are travelling or are busy doing other things.
2. You notice things in the Bible that you overlook when you are reading it.
3. You don't need the energy to absorb the Biblical text, unlike reading.
4. You can easily listen to several chapters at a time, or a whole book.
5. Children love listening to the familiar Bible stories - straight from God's Word

Our family has benefited immensely from this product, and you are sure to find the same! Very highly recommended!

318 of 318 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A super value, January 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: NIV Audio Bible Dramatized CD (Audio CD)

Don't be confused -- this is the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, so don't buy the New Testament separately. There are 64 CDs. They are housed in a zippered case for convenient carrying. The zippered case fits into a slip case which is hole-punched so you can put the whole thing into a three-ring binder if you want. All in all, a very high-quality product and an excellent value. The quality of the CDs themselves is excellent. The dramatization is very unobtrusive -- subtle background music or sounds of nature, couple with different voices whenever someone speaks (God, Eve, Noah, whatever). The narration and other voices are not the least bit hokey and don't detract from the majesty of the material. There is also an introduction to each book to put it into context. Lastly, each chapter is a separate track on the CD, so you can easily find a particular chapter or repeat one. I've owned a couple of cassette versions of the Bible, including the King James version by Alexander Scourby, and this is FAR superior. You can't go wrong with this.

165 of 165 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The whole Bible on just 6 CDs, May 2, 2005

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NIV Dramatized Audio Bible (MP3 CD)

This is the complete New International Version of the Bible in a compressed MP3 format. This format has both advantages and disadvantages. The greatest advantage is that you get the entire Bible on just six CDs. It even comes with a nice fabric CD holder to keep them from getting scratched. The entire Bible can be placed in a common 6 CD changer and listened to at your convenience. The down side of the MP3 format is a problem with the format itself. If you are traveling short distances or only listening for a short while then each time you start to listen it begins at the start of that MP3 track. As a result I found myself often having to listen to the same verses over and over because I didn't listen to it long enough to go to the next track. The Zondervan company has done a good job of ameliorating this problem to some extent by putting each chapter on its own track, but some chapters are long and so it is still a problem at times. With a true audio CD my player will pick up in the middle of a song or wherever I left off, not so with the MP3 format.

The actual dramatized reading of the Bible is excellently done and I am very impressed with it. My experience with similar products from other publishers has been that the dramatization is highly overacted and includes background music that more suited to a Cecil B. DeMille movie than an audio Bible. Zondervan strikes a perfect balance between the dramatization and the reading such that it is a joy to listen to and effectively pulls the listener into the story.

This is the perfect choice for those who plan to listen to it for at least half an hour or more at a time. If you plan to listen for shorter periods of time you may be better off choosing the much larger 64 CD audio product. The perfect combination of size and dramatization makes the NIV Audio Bible: Dramatized a highly recommended choice.