At the opposite end of the size spectrum is the Kregel Bible Handbook, a brief little volume (160 pages in a small format) which contains far less content than the preceding volume but makes up for it with a large number of beautiful color illustrations. First published in 1982 as Ken's Handbook to the Bible, the volume is written by William F. Kerr (Pac-Rim Graduate School of Theology), and is essentially a brief introduction to each book of the Bible. While most preachers won't turn to this volume for serious study, they will benefit from its charts, maps, and illustrations. This would also be a nice gift for Bible study classes.

Two more significant new volumes from Zondervan must be mentioned. The NIV English-Greek New Testament, edited by William D. Mounce (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), is identified as a "reverse interlinear." Assuming that the reader's primary language is English, it provides the English text first, and alters the Greek word order to match the English. This facilitates doing Bible study directly from this text, rather than from an English Bible and then "checking it" against the interlinear from time to time. A supplementary volume (Greek for the Rest of Us) is due out this fall. Mounce has provided a wonderful tool for pastors who wish to more effectively benefit from the insights of the original languages as they study scripture.

A companion volume to Mounce's book is The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words, edited by Verlyn D. Verbrugge (a senior editor at Zondervan). This book condenses the four-volume New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology into one convenient reference, providing an essential grasp of the meanings and usage of Greek words in the New Testament. Drawing on the work of more than 140 scholars, the volume includes an index of English words keyed to appropriate Greek entries, an index of Scripture verses that guides you to specific word studies, and requires no knowledge of Greek. Preachers who have limited use of Greek but still want to do word studies will find this work to be a valuable resource. And Zondervan is to be thanked for providing these two substantial works which will be an aid to serious students of scripture.