mightychurch.com

I was given a copy of the ESV Study Bible for Christmas which I’m enjoying reading. It has lots of articles and study notes and maps and introductions and references and .. oh yeah, the Bible.

The producers also give you access to the full text online. It is interesting to compare the two. I’ve never owned a laptop, so using the online version invovles going to a corner of the lounge room, whereas I can take the book anywhere.

The online version is helpful when you want to check out some of the many references, because you only have to hover over the reference and the text pops up. With the book, this would involve a lot of page turning.

I’ve also been comparing the online version of New Grove, 2nd edition and the print version. Grove is the musician’s bible. It was begun by Sir George Grove in 1878 and had a mere 4 volumes. The latest version has grown to 29 volumes, 21 million words and 29,000 articles.

In 2007, when I got the chance to show the whole of Australia what a goose I am on The Einstein Factor, I subscribed for 3 months. It is expensive and costs 50 pounds for a quarter. I used this to bone up on Bach, my subject on the program. I had a copy of the first edition of New Grove [a mere 20 volumes], but did not have access to the latest edition, which is why I subscribed to the online up-to-date version.

I was a bit annoyed when I discovered that the 2001 edition is extremely similar to the 1980 edition in the article on JSB. [A bit like the ESV and the RSV ...]

But my friend who kindly gave me an imperfect copy of New Grove [worth $2000 new], has now kindly given me a brand new copy of the $7000 latest edition. Each volume is worth about $240! [He worked for the publishers.]

As I work my way around this set of books, I think that someone familiar with the books would get more out of the online version. The online version can save a lot of time when you need to go from volume to volume. But there is value in knowing, however roughly, the structure of the physical set. And it is still easier to read the books than to read from a computer screen.

This makes me think about the many folk [which includes me] who have lots of online commentaries and dictionaries but have never actually held the original books. I think we would also greatly benefit from also owning the print copies, or at least being familiar with them.

If only we had the shelf space.

I prefer reading book text. I think it is easier to read and I find I concentrate better.

Having said that i use my notebook a lot and have increasingly found myself using online texts to read (even of the Bible!). Sometimes I read the ESV study Bible online instead of my hard copy.

I think some of the reason is developing bad computer habits (too much computer), some because it is helpful to cut and paste text you want to keep for later and some because in a busy life it seems that hard copy reading requires taking time out while online text reading can be done on the go.

Books are nicer though.

Hi Adam
I’d be interested to try an Amazon Kindle, if they ever become available in Australia. They have an A5 screen area and work like a mobile phone. You can download the equivalent of about 200 novels. The screen is said to be much nicer than computer screen. If you find you want to download more than 200, the ones you’ve paid for stay on the webserver from where you are getting your new books, so you can always go back to them.
Sounds good for travelling.