Leather Books

I bought this Bible as a gift for my husband at Mardel Christian Store. The next time I went my 14 year old son was with me and he saw a similar Bible on a clearance table. I told him I had a better Bible at home. He was extremely happy to receive the Sportsman's Bible. I've since bought several more to keep as last-minute gifts for the men in my life. This Bible is a different version than I'm used to reading but Psalm 118:8 sold me on this version. It's close to the NIV and NKJV.

So many wonderful things to write about with this edition of the Bible. Bought it for my husband and he just raves about it and the passages and enrichment it provides him

THIS...HAD TO ORDER IT AND NEVER CAME IN AT THE BOOK STORE. I FOUND IT RIGHT AWAY HERE AND IT SHIPPED OUT QUICKLY AND I SAVED HER MONEY. IT WAS A GIFT GFOR MY BROTHER...THANKS SO MUCH!

I really like this sportsman's Bible. I also had the one without the zipper, that I did like a little more, but I ended up giving that one to someone who needed it more than me. Overall great Bible, though.

This reference book came highly recommended by a professor teaching an Online Medical Terminology class. It is just as the title states - Concise. You don't need to be a doctor to understand the descriptions of the medical terms. This was my first health care oriented class and I found it an extremely helpful tool that I will keep forever.

I have had this book for the past few years. This is an essential and highly convenient medical dictionary. As a compact reference, I have been able to find the definitions to at least 90% of the words I have been looking for. The accompanying dictionary is an amazing and useful program to have installed on the computer.

The pictures/images in the printed dictionary are great to help illustrate various definitions. There are even several pages of photo-quality images in the middle of the book. The CD-ROM includes all of the information in the book in a very easy-to-use format. There are images, diagrams, and 3-D illustrations.

Recommendation: You won't go wrong with this dictionary.

It's all you'll every need. Trust me.

This concise medical dictionary is not concise at all: it gives all the information one needs, accompanied by very clear and informative drawings and pictures and it even gives the reader the correct pronunciation of the word. The alphabet tags on the side of the book (they give the first two letters of the words on that page rather than only the first letter) are a major help for a quick reference.

I am "only" a biomedical scientist and not an M.D., but this book is very important in my daily work to understand all those sometimes hopelessly complicated medical terms that I encounter in articles and correspondence. I can imagine that this book can also be very useful for M.D.s en medical students to look up the terms they do not encounter every day.

I've searched high and low for a novel like that. Often gay bdsm written by male authors is too cold for my taste, revolving around the physical aspect alone (which I perceive as realistic, but empty), and on the other hand there are the fluffy ones where everything is about love, leaving my kinky side unfulfilled.
Mr. Ironrod provides us with a tale where both my needs are met ;). Paul and Tarquin's journey is interesting, their background that fills more than half of the book explains how they arrive where they do, the break-up reason somewhot logical (and truth to tell I suspect that Joe had ulterior motives offering) and the end, as stated by the others, surprising - and I NEED the sequel. Write on!

Enjoyable reading and good story of Tarquin who sees Paul in a bar and finds that they are attracted to each. Well written and interesting since each chapter deals with Master Tarquin's perspectives and feelings and then Paul's.
Paul's problem as a sub. seems to be that he falls in love with the each of the two masters he served. Each ended badly, but especially the last master. Paul was beaten so badly that he was hospitalized.
So, the conundrum for Paul now, is that Tarquin has offered him a 3 year contract to be his slave.
I also loved the secondary character of the Circle of Six.Everyone was so interesting and the fetishes and sex soooo.....delicious!
Surprising and unexpected ending topped of this excellant novel.

After two excellent short story collections (The Ironrod Chronicles and The Ironrod Chronicles II), Master Alex Ironrod puts forth his first full-length novel of leather fantasy. It fulfills the promise of his storytelling and makes for quite an exciting read. The characters through "Submission" all have the ring of experience around them, like men who have lived their leather.

The two main men here, Paul and Tarquin, revolve around each other and have an intense relationship, forming the core of the novel. But it's more the journey that makes up "Submission's" meat. Both men make the trek to California to unmask their true selves, and fumble through their early relationships with attendant growing pains. (And a few pains inflicted during indiscretions, youthful or otherwise.) Paul, as a college student and young submissive, enters Los Angeles as so many young gay men do, eager, excited and somewhat naive. While Tarquin arrives experienced, brash and brazen, yet still in need of a society of Alpha-men to buttress his natural dominant nature.

Following Tarquin and Paul's journey and maturation makes for a lively read. Master Alex's style is vivid and exciting, offering the kink in a realistic and knowing manner. When the climactic meeting during a large scale leather run takes place, you'll feel the pulsing excitement. Along with Alan Goes' CopSlaves, Alex Ironrod's "Submission" is one of the hottest homomasculine novels of 2007.

Hurrah!! I knew Alex Ironrod had it in him to write a terrific BDSM Novel, as a followup to his collections of short stories.
SUBMISSION - LEATHER MASTERS and slaves is an exciting and graphic story of two men whose lives and lusts become intertwined in today's Los Angeles and Palm Springs. The heat turns up in the first five pages. Almost every kink and fetish is explored in the tales of Master Tarquin and his eventual slave Paul, as they experience everything from beating and branding to desire and deviants. Not for the faintheated, but a definite must for those into Leather and Dom/sub relationships.

If any of you happen to be (or are planning on being) a Textile/Surface Design student at F.I.T., you NEED to own this book. It gives nearly an exact rundown of the curriculum taught at the school...
The best thing about it for me, though, is that I have the book to fall back on when I don't understand an assignment. Priceless! I do wish she'd revise the book again to include more about Computer Aided Design, however!

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in textiles or design. After reading several books on the subject this one still offered fresh information, and in a style easier to understand, especially when describing techniques. One other thing that endeared it to me was that it is truly a handbook, by which I mean you can carry it around. All the other books on this subject were really coffee table size.

You learn so much dense information in textile design school, that you can never retain in your head. Finding this book has brought back all of the rules, repeat sizes, guidance and practical/specific information that is so usefull and needed in the professional environment - especially as a freelance designer when your fending for yourself. Great book - highly reccommended!

I am a College instructor of Interior Design. I have used this text for years in my Textiles course. It is beautifully illustrated (a plus for visually-orientated Design students!). It also deals with the tactile, practical and asthetic applications of textiles. Other texts emphasize the carbon content and chemical composition of textiles and are dry both verbally and visually. This text is not; yet it clearly defines natural vs. man-made fibers and their individual and compound functions. Textiles by Marypaul Yastes is the best!

I first met Dr Millhuff in 1988 in Hemet, CA during a Revival Meeting. His God inspired message touched me then, and his soulful book touches me now!!

He looks into his childhood and examines his experiences and his emotional reactions to those experiences. This process is so vital to both spiritual & emothional growth that everyone should enjoy reading this book!!

I first met Dr Millhuff in 1988 during a Revival Meeting in Hemet, Ca. His presence and God-given message was as powerful then - and I believe in much the same way this book is now.

He guides the reader through his impressionable years and talks of how he was impacted. He unapologetically explains that his twin brother was not affected in the same way by the same experiences. This was not explored further in the book, but it points out a great psychological truth -- we all develop diferently based on our individual interpretations of the same experiences.

Use this book to re-examine your early life and decisions!!

Though I grew up in Kansas City I remember so many of Dr. Millhuff's feelings in my own life during the 40's. I admit I shed a tear and often smiled as I read this unforgetable story. What a great gift for anyone who lived during those years or for one who wishes to experiance them. I served with the Army in Europe with a rifle company and have a new insight into what that war ment to a child at home. It will move you.

Through his skillful use of words, Millhuff tells a compelling story that captivates both heart and mind. It allows the reader to connect with the emotional pain of a young child and, as an outcome, to more adequately understand children who are unable to adapt to the rigid systems of their cultural environments. Though only one story, this narrative undoubtedly represents the experiences of many troubled children. Reading this record of Millhuff's perceptions of childhood events gave me new insight about and empathy for these children.

This book is recommended reading for my university students who are education majors. I feel that Millhuff's telling account will influence the way teachers view all children and encourage them to strive to meet the needs of each student in caring ways.

"Fearful that this gem of a book may slip through the cracks, may I enthusiastically recommend, Tiger Creek Tales, Memories of an Oil Patch Kid by Billy Gene Carriker. The 297 page hardback consists of both a factual and hilarious account of an oil boom town during the Great Depression of the 1930s, i.e., Drumright, Creek County, Oklahoma, now an historic site. It is a prototype of those towns that sprung literally overnight with the discovery of oil. Hordes of people from other states and from foreign countries converged overnight and built Drumright on two impossibly steep hills. Merchants from Lebanon, Syria and Assyria were prominent; mixed with them were engineers, bankers, lawyers and displaced dirt farmers. Carriker cleverly mixes individual accounts with unifying narration from a dozen old-timers who meet in the Boom Town Cafe for coffee. The book is a remarkable re-creation of the town and the times; it is also highly entertaining. Carriker is right on the mark in his account of that time and place. I know, I was there."

Vivian Kelly Travis, Ph.D.
Psychologist
Associate Prof. Psychology Emeritus

After reading the story of an 'oil patch kid' I was moved by the warmth and humor extended by the author, not to mention the knowledged of an earlier, easier time in life. Born and raised in Oklahoma, but too young to have grown-up during that time, I found the book entertaining as well as nostalgic. The sketches drawn through out the book helped me visualize the scenes that the author so eloquently described. All in all the book, the sketches, and the topic were well worth the time invested in reading from cover to cover the story of the 'oil patch kid'.

What a fun book to read! As an adult born at the end of WWII in the central part of the country, I had grown up hearing tales about the 30s and 40s, but the stories in this book really expand on them. Expressions I had heard and words I never really knew the meaning of are sprinkled through the stories. It's actually a mini-history lesson presented in an enjoyable way. The format, the coffee bunch are so real. Growing up in a cafe, I know there is always a bunch of regulars and do they like to talk! I can see this book being a conversation starter for adults and an eye-opening experience for the younger crowd.
My dad talked about playing shinny, never knew what he was talking about. Blowing the plug out of a pressure cooker, feeding spiders and eating box suppers are experiences you never forget! Fill your coffee cup, settle in your comfortable chair and be prepared for sharing when someone catches you chuckling out loud....

This is a delightful book of wonderful stories about real people of all ages living and working in the oil patch of Oklahoma. Sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, a flavor of rural atmosphere is injected into the stories that recall life in a simpler time.
As history reports, born in an unpainted and roughly-furnished shotgun house, located in an actively producing oil field, Billy Gene grew up on the banks of Tiger Creek near the city of Drumright in the new state of Oklahoma - the time was only a few years after Indian Territory was named the state of Oklahoma in 1907. And that oil bubbling up was the reason that Drumright was founded, becoming a boom town before Oklahoma became a state, years later being known as the "Pipeline Capital of the World". Many colorful characters were part of that history.
In a period of 14 years of growing up in Drumright, the author met many different people. His family moved 9 times, which meant he and his siblings changed schools often. In each instance, a new circle of friends was established to go with the old friends. During his elementary schooling, the author attended 5 different schools in the immediate area of Drumright, graduating from the 8th grade as valedictorian of his class.
Those formative years took place during the Great Depression in the Dust Bowl era, which meant the specter of poverty always hovered near. Despite the economic hardships--or perhaps because of them--the large family, attending different schools and living in the rural atmosphere provided an enriching environment for these indelible memories the author shares so beautifully.
You will be entertained by reading this author's work.

I recently recieved a copy of the new TNIV Reference Bible in the premium leather black cover. It is very nice. It shares all the great qualities of the edition with the bonded leather cover - single column, all words in black, smyth-sewn binding, many cross-references and topical ties.

This particular edition adds a premium leather cover and two ribbon markers instead of one - a great little feature. I can't say how the leather will age or hold up with time, but right now it is great. It is so flexible and soft and even smells like real leather! The paper is a nice thickness too - not a thinline edition.

This Bible was designed for preachers, teachers and serious students of Scripture, and I feel like they delivered well. This is a Bible without interpretive notes, but the cross references and topical ties will lead you on a journey though the Bible, using the Bible to understand the Bible.

Maybe it's not perfect - a little bit bigger font, some more margin room for notes...but Zondervan has done a nice job. Hopefully a sign of more great products to come.

I purchased this version after doing a little research on the gender issue and have been pleasantly surprised. The TNIV's clarity is refreshing without being too novel-like. The quality of the Renaissance Bible is very nice. The leather on the outside is soft and supple, and the paper is non-glare and thick enough for notes without bleed through. The only negatives to me are that I would have liked the inside cover to be leather lined and the paper edged in gold instead of silver. I also would have preferred the type to be larger and bolder for easier reading. The Bible is just the right size for carrying back and forth to Church, etc. without being too bulky or heavy. It has great reference notes, as well. All in all a very nice Bible at a great price. You won't be disappointed.

I initially opposed the TNIV based upon changes it made to gender language.
I eventually bought a hardback copy for reference and generally approved
of the non-gender related changes it made, largely improvements to its
predecessor, the NIV. It's clarity and transparency to the original
languages, in contemporary English, was refreshing. As I studied the
gender issues in translation, I read D.A. Carson's The Inclusive Language
Debate: A Plea For Realism and that turned me right around. The
distinctions he makes about grammatical gender vs. sexual gender, along
with the various other challenges in translation in general, were convincing.

Regardless of issues to do with the TNIV translation, this Bible is a very
encouraging step forward (or backward for those of us of age to remember
quality Bibles) for Zondervan. The general production values are
excellent. They have chosen an excellent grade of paper, non-glossy (no
glare), and of sufficient thickness for both easy reading and note-taking. And, its Smyth-sewn! The Renaissance leather, while not goatskin, is fine, though they could have done a better job with the lining (paper). The typography is lovely, and while I would have preferred a 10/11 font, overall it is excellent and quite easy to read. This Bible is a winner and has become my primary Bible for all uses.

All the debate about the TNIV translation aside, I love the translation. I have been a fan of it since I first got my TNIV Study Bible in the Black/Black "European Leather" version - and while the TNIV Study Bible is great (and indexed) it's also very, very bulky.

This reference Bible is just what I have been waiting for. It's (mercifully) not a "thinline" - this Bible is about 1 1/2" thick. It's not nearly as bulky as the TNIV Study Bible, but it still feels like a real Bible (again, as opposed to thinlines). It also has a plain, black, bonded leather cover. This has been my BIGGEST complaint with the TNIV thus far - every edition Zondervan has released has had goofy covers, all oriented toward "youths", so the covers were things like "pink and blue" and such (just do an Amazon search on the TNIV if you want to see some of the bizarre covers available thus far), in fact, the Black/Black European Leather Study Bible was about the most "normal" looking TNIV you could find until this reference Bible came along. This Bible is finally one that I'm not embarrassed to carry around because it *looks* like a Bible. (Why is it that it took Zondervan this long to release a normal looking Bible in the TNIV translation when they have been promoting this translation so heavily, for so long? I still find this an odd marketing decision to say the least. Will it take another two or three years to get an indexed, genuine leather or calfskin edition out? I sure hope not...)

Other features:

This Bible has a smyth-sewn binding, which is just great, and which you usually only see in top-line Bibles - this means it is durable, pages won't pull out, and it lies open nearly flat when you lay it down or hold it in your hand. The paper is much better than most Bibles of this type, with little bleed-through, though it's still not as nice as the paper in, say, a Cambridge bible (it would be nice to see paper that doesn't crease or bend at the slightest touch).

This Bible is printed in the *single-column* format. I love single-column (I have this format in my TNIV Study Bible and my Cambridge NIV Bible) and I find the traditional double-column format exceedingly hard to look at, anymore. It's so much easier to read the Bible in the single-column format. This might be the single best feature of this Bible, actually.

Also, this is a black letter edition without Christ's words in "red", which I also like. Red letter is very annoying and in most Bibles the red-letter print is too faint, and very hard to read. The fact that this edition is black letter is just one more great feature on top of all the others.

If I had any complaint at all about this Bible it would be that the chosen font format is a little small for this size Bible. I would have preferred something closer to a 10/11pt. size. The font seems too small. Maybe they'll offer a "Large Print" or "Giant Print" size in the future.

There is also a large concordance, great reference notes (all on the outer margins) full color maps, etc.

All in all, this is a wonderful edition of a fantastic translation. If you're an adult who has avoided the TNIV editions out there because of their strange and silly covers, etc, this is finally an edition for adults. It's got just about every feature you could ask for in a reference Bible. Hopefully future editions will offer things such as better leather covers, larger font sizes, and an indexed version. And hopefully it won't take Zondervan five years to get to it.

The Daughters of St. Paul know how to make a wonderful missal. The reflections on the readings are intelligent and helpful, the print is very legible, and the layout is very logical. And, it's a handsome volume to boot. I much prefer it to the St. Joseph's missal, which is not as attractive or easy to use. To say nothing of the useless "Breaking Bread" hymnal/missal that the parish provides.

I only have a few minor quibbles with it:
It only comes with 2 ribbons to mark your place (in the order of mass and that day's readings and prayers). I've supplemented it with a few more ribbons to mark various spots in the mass (the creed, the Eucharistic prayers, prefaces, etc.) so that I can find my spot easily.

The calendar on the end papers ends with this weekend's mass(i.e. Christ the King on November 25th.) The missal is still good, but you'll have to look up the dates and pages yourself.

And lastly, there are far fewer devotional prayers in this version than in the one published in the 1970's.

Other than those few things, I can't praise this missal enough.

Follow along with the Priest/Deacon each Sunday. If you are ill, do not miss out on the Bible readings. Always feel that you are there and part of the mass, part of the community, part of a family.

Having my own personal Sunday Missal is one of the best purchases I have ever made! I feel very satisfied with it. I know I am more organized and better prepared for Mass. I can read the commentary ahead of time and reflect on the Readings/Gospel if I choose. It has also helped me select songs for choir practice that fit the theme for each Sunday.

Overall, it is a great bargain! The Millennium Edition lasts until at least 2021. Very inexpensive when you think how long it lasts. Most importantly, and the main reason I purchased it, is that I am the only person to handle it. Just think about how many hundreds of people (with colds and flu) handle the paper copy in the pew....

Know, live, and love the Mass. Every Sunday enjoy and participate in the Mass. This book filled with the liturgy in ordinary time and in the liturgical calender, plus papal guides to prayers. With this missal you won't feel left out at any part in the Mass. You can also say prayers at home that are included in the missal with friends, family, or in private.

Velvet, Leather and Lace is a sensational anthology by three hot authors.

A Man's Gotta Do by Suzanne Forester had designer/finance man Jaime Baird in a jam. Everyone thinks that all women run the lingerie company Velvet, Leather and Lace. He searches his little black book for a woman to pretend to be him for an interview. Jaime gets more then what he bargained for when Lorna Sutton takes the challenge and Jaime on. Lorna has a score to love `em and leave `em Jaime but neither was prepared for the feelings to grow.

Calling The Shots by Donna Kauffman has another partner in VLL Samantha Wallace. Samantha is all work and no play. Things have always been on her terms in love and in life. Her current lover Marshall Conley wants more and how. He turns the tables on Samantha and brings out a steamier side to them both.

Baring It All by Jill Shalvis has partner Mia Tennario up a creek when her contractor quits days before the big fashion show. She turns to her best friend Jake Holbrook for help. Jake is willing to help but he wants more from Mia then just a thank you. He wants her to be willing to explore that they can have it all.

Velvet, Leather and Lace is wonderful anthology. Each story flowed into the next. It's a very hot and steamy read.

"Red Velvet" by Suzanne Forster. Several months ago playboy Jamie had the night of his life with Lorna, but stupidly walked away. Now, the CFO of Velvet, Leather & Lace needs someone built just like her to pretend to be him with the media as everyone wants to meet the "women" behind the successful "Hot at any age, sexy at any size" lingerie catalogue company. As he tries to persuade her to masquerade as a female him, they fall in love, but she does not trust him with her heart and he does not trust him with her heart either.

"Black Leather" by Donna Kauffman. VLL partner Samantha is a control freak at work, but also uses her acumen in her sex life needing to always be in charge. Her lover Marsh wants her to let go and let him be in charge in bed even some of the time or else he will leave in spite of being in love with Sam.

"White Lace" by Jill Shalvis. VLL graphic designer Mia needs help when her set is not right so she turns to her best friend Jake to fix her problems. Jake agrees but wants more than gratitude from the woman he loves.

These three steamy VLL romances heat up the sheets as each well written tale makes the case that mixing business with pleasure with the right person is hot and sexy.

Harriet Klausner

Ms. Forster, I love your voice and writing style! Great characters, great storyline and sense of humor, WONDERFUL sexual tension. I'm so not foot-kissing here, either, but I have to tell you, too, that pov switching within scenes usually makes me batty, but even though you did it now and then, it was just as smoothly and seamlessly as La Nora. (Roberts) *G*

On my way to shower, and then jump hubby. And that's also something a book, in and of itself, hasn't inspired me to do since Betina Krahn's THE PRINCESS AND THE BARBARIAN! *blushing*

Ahem. Thanks for a marvelous read, Suz! I can't wait to dive into the other two stories...a little later. : )

This is an anthology about three partners in the lingerie catalogue company Velvet, Leather & Lace.
The first story is "A Man's Gotta Do" by Suzanne Forster. This is the first book that I've read by the author and I have to admit that I was disappointed. It could have been that I just wasn't in the mood, you know, where you go back later and read it and actually like it. But whatever it was, it did not keep my attention. I found myself drifting off and thinking of other things and having to practically drag myself back to the story. That isn't good. Furthermore, I kept checking the number of pages to see how close I was to the ending. There isn't any one thing that I can name that was wrong with it. It had humor, which is important to me. Great sex, which I like in my romances. I just couldn't connect with the characters. Jamie Baird is the lone male in of the partners. He designs the lingerie and, up until now, his identity as a man has been kept a secret. But now as they are about to hit the big-time with a fashion show, the press is clamoring for a look at the mysterious Jamie. In desperation, Jamie goes to his "little black book" and picks out a woman he thinks could pass herself off as "Jamie Baird, lingerie designer" for a big interview. He picks Lorna Sutton, a woman he went out with twice, had combustible sex with and then never contacted again. Lorna agrees, but only to bring Jamie down a peg or two. Of course, passion ensues and they fall in love. I did like the fact that Lorna, the heroine, was not a size 3 supermodel, but rather a curvaceous full-figure woman. Otherwise, I was not impressed.

Okay, Donna Kauffman's "Calling the Shots" was next and I like Donna Kauffman. But wait, this is dark. No humor. I just can't get into men ordering woman around and degradation, even simulated S&M. Again, agony to get through and I can't think of anything I liked about this one. A shame, because I do like Ms. Kauffman's work a lot. Partner Samantha Wallace has issues with intimacy - not the sexual kind, but letting people close to her. Marshall Conley is a horse trainer who has been her lover for a while and has now fallen in love with her. As I sit here trying to describe this story, words elude me. It's too convoluted. Something about making her give up her need to control things and trust him, and finally give herself to him completely. Sight deprivation, a rider's crop (which he never uses to whip her - I must point that out), etc. I wish I had skipped this one.

Now we are 0 for 2. I began reading this anthology on a Sunday night, reading approximately 1 ½ hours a night - and it took me four nights, 6 hours on two short stories. Wasted hours for me, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I turned to "Baring It All" by Jill Shalvis. By the end of the first page I was transfixed. This is the gem of the book, a lovely romp through the intricacies of falling in love. Mia Tennario and Jake Holbrook were neighbors and good friends. They spent a lot of time together playing games, eating out at least once a week and going to the movies. It was an important relationship to Mia, one that she wasn't willing to scrap for a sexual relationship because "desires waned .... they always did." Jake, on the other hand, had quite frequent fantasies about Mia and was willing to explore them. How he gets her to give in and watching their relationship blossom from friendship to love was a delight. Ms. Shalvis' humor, her connection with her characters and her obvious love for the journey of love makes for a very enjoyable read. One and a half hours later I was finished with her story and the only disappointment, for me, was reaching the end of the book. I wanted more. The five star rating for this story is for the Shalvis story alone. It was that good.

This outstanding bible opened my eyes to how the Bible really relates to me, an African American woman. It affrims the presence of Africans in the Bible. It also helps to correct the distortions that were taught or told to my people for so many years. I use to believe in the Bible through blind faith, and thanks to this beautiful book,I now believe through knowledgeable faith. The Women of Color Study Bible is an excellent bible, which brakes down every book in easy to understand language and helps connect us (African Americans) to our African decents. Like never before in history, we women of color have our own bible to teach our families, the true meaning of God's word and his plan for our salvation. I leave my copy out on my coffee table, and six of my friends have already bought it, because they love my copy so much. We have formed a women of color bible study group, to discuss and learn more about God's word from this wonderful book.

This bible is a very good study bible because it has real life example within the books ie geneis, exodus. Showing how the word is applied in real life and also explaining what God was teaching in the passages. Most people would not read the bible staight through because they may get bored, but the way this bibles is divided it will keep the interest of most non-bible readers. I really, really love it.

I have never had a book that is as enlightening as this. I love the Bible. We as African Americans haven't been taught about our place in biblical history, but because of the extensive research by this group, we now know. Thanks so much. Anyone that reads this Bible will certainly be blessed. Get ready!

I recently bought this study bible and I love it! I hope that one day it will be available in some of the other translations (NIV, New Living, NASB) as well. I especially love the essays -- they are short, practical, biblically based, and tailored for the realities that many minority women face. Since many of you reading this review may not be able to physically examine this bible, I'll use the bulk of this review to describe it to you:

Each book in the bible begins with a summary and outline. In the King James Version, Jesus' words are printed in red.

Verse cross-references appear in the center column of the text. The chained cross-references are quite extensive compared to other similarly-priced bibles I have purchased.

Essays appear for each book in the bible. Essays are written by various contributors -- mostly black women who are clergy members, authors, professors, or lay ministers. Each contributor has a mini-profile in the back of the bible. Many of the contributors are renaissance women who have allowed themselves to be used by God to accomplish many things.

Essays are interspersed throughout the bible and are printed on heavy stock paper; a picture of a strip of kinte cloth appears the right edge of each essay page. This makes the essay sections easy to find. The biblical text appears to be printed on standard onion-skin paper -- this keeps the bible from being bulky.

Each essay starts with an overview of a biblical book and presents historical background. It then discusses the black presence in that book and presents life lessons that can be gleaned from various subsections. Next, it presents information about the women mentioned in that book. This is followed by written sermonettes (called "insights") that focus on a particular topic, such as "Widows -- Dependence Upon God" or "Overcoming Abuse -- the People Could Fly." The sermonettes can also be used in devotional readings.

Standard biblical maps, a concordance, and an index (listing the essays and the women of the bible) appear in the back.

I highly recommend this bible -- it is a wonderful addition to your library!

Chantel