The Quick-Start Guide To The Whole Bible by Dr. William H. Marty and Dr. Boyd Seevers

The Quick-Start Guide To The Whole Bible by Dr. William H. Marty and Dr. Boyd Seevers is basically a condensed summary of the bible.  This easy to read guidebook covers every book of the bible starting from Genesis to Revelation.  This book is great for a student who wishes to get a brief introduction to the bible without actually reading the bible.  This work is most appropriate for those readers who have not read the bible or are very new to the bible.  It is reminiscent of a scholarly study guide or outline of the bible.  For those readers already familiar with the bible, the information in this book may be useful in gaining an overall perspective of the bible.

This basic book does not have any illustrations, maps or guides.  It is a simple text- only book based and its purpose is to give the reader a basic understanding of each of the books of the bible.  The format of each chapter is consistent. Each chapter covers a specific book of the bible.  There are sections to discuss the "setting", "Summary" and the "significance".  This pretty much covers the historical and geographic context of each bible book as well as the spiritual implications. The simple, minimalist modern cover depicts ornate, religious art from the great masters.  The back cover depicts two additional pieces of art in the shrunken space of two tiny squares. The depiction of these ornate historical pieces of work almost seem out of place in  this book as they contrast greatly with the minimalist narrative style of this work.  And furthermore, there are no graphics, photographs or pictures of art in the text of this book.  The stylized art may even give the reader the impression that this work is written from the theatrical Roman Catholic perspective.  Nevertheless, this is not the case as the Roman Catholic religious perspectives are beyond the scope of this book which is strictly based on the bible.

In my opinion, it makes more sense for those interested in the bible to simply get a copy of the bible or a study bible.  The time spent reading this 299 page book could be devoted to reading the bible itself, or  even individual  book introductions of a study bible. Nevertheless, used as a guide, this book will be helpful as an aid in gaining an overall perspective of the bible.  The title is accurate in that  this book and its summaries do serve as a "quick start" to understanding the historical and geographic context of the bible stories as well as the social and spiritual significance of the  bible. This book is like having a theology teacher right at your fingertips.  Overall, This book can enhance the reader's understanding of the bible.  There are many bible commentaries on the market, but this book is simple, well written and well organised.  As a blogger I received a copy of this book published by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, ofr the purpose of writing this review.