Reader's Digest Bible, The by Metzger, Bruce M - 1982

This is a beautifully printed and bound condensed edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. The Bible paper is of the highest quality; the page edges are gilded. The Smyth-sewn, hardcover binding is study and durable, to last for many years. There's also a silk ribbon page marker bound in. The red leather binding is complemented by a matching slipcase.

The editors of the Reader's Digest Association have developed a literary method of unique value, used to produce this Bible. Now, the text is significantly shortened and clarified, yet all the books in the Revised Standard Version have been retained. The editors have carefully preserved every incident, personality, and teaching of substance in each book. The editors have also kept the true essence and flavor of the language. Such an unprecedented version could be achieved only through the condensation methods developed by Reader's Digest during more than half a century of use, on all kinds of writings, including some of the world's foremost literature.

As practiced by the Reader's Digest, condensation is fundamentally different from other methods of reducing the length of a text, such as abridgment. Condensation is concerned with every individual word of the text, every phrase, sentence, paragraph, and chapter, as well as the larger portions or blocks of text, in relation to the immediate context and to the whole context. At the same time, great care is taken to leave the whole fabric of the passage intact. By contrast, abridgment merely eliminates whole books or major sections of books, perhaps bringing together selected passages.

Though it is the inspired Word of God, the Bible remains a written document--actually a library of many books--employing the language of mortals. Like all things mortal, language, too, is subject to change. Forms of literary expression, habits of thought, structure of language, preferences in vocabulary have changed considerably over the centuries. In word, thought, and incident, the device of repetition (as well as the multiplying of words) were practices favored in ancient times. Today, these practices tend to confuse and exhaust the reader's attention.

Also, of course, a certain percentage of the Old Testament text, especially details concerning ritual and history, holds a less immediate relevance for Christian belief and practice. The special technique of condensation employed by the Digest smooths away such features. Now, for the modern reader, the text shines forth with simplicity and directness, without any damage to its fundamental character.