New guide wraps up Bible

By Michael Conlon, Religion Writer

CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - With enough Bibles in print by one estimate to put a copy in the hand of every person on earth, it's no surprise there's a demand for guides to the ancient texts that are the foundation of Christianity.

The newest, a collaboration between G. P. Putnam's Sons publishers and the American Bible Society, is a 2,000-page doorstop-heavy book with the heft of a big city telephone directory.

But "The Essential Study Bible," while a formidable looking package, opens up as a highly approachable and easily readable book. Each page of the Bible is laid out alongside shaded margin notes explaining obscure passages and cross-referencing history. There are also maps, tables, historical timelines and a wealth of other data.

And in what the publisher says may be a first there are also margin flags directing the reader to Internet essays on some of the major themes and figures.

It is a Bible for everyman, not the experts, according to Joel Fotinos, founder and publisher of the Putnam Praise publishing program.

There are dozens and dozens of study Bibles on the market, each with a different focus, he said in an interview. The idea was to make it as open as possible for anyone, including those who wanted to read the Bible but didn't know where to start.

"Our original thought was that it would be like taking a Bible class," he said.

"The Bible is still the best-selling overall book in the country, in many different translations. I think this country's history is steeped in it and so is its present," he said, adding that nearly every candidate for public office in the United States winds up quoting the Bible.