FREE/BARGAIN - Christian Interest - 2015

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

When I saw this study Bible advertised as being marked down to just 99 cents, my dentures just about fell out of mouth and onto my floor. Just kidding, I don't wear dentures. But you get the point--I think that this is an amazing deal!

Two caveats (some would say, "drawbacks," "catches," or even "gotcha"). I didn't see a place where this was noted, but I feel sure that the Bible text is the (HCS/HCSB) Holman Christian Standard, since Holman is the publisher of this study Bible and that's kinda how they've done things in similar situations in the past. Not a big deal, in my opinion, however, as from what little that I've been around it, the version seems to be of high quality (mainly meaning having accuracy and readability).

The other drawback concerns the fact that this volume covers only the Old Testament portion of the Bible. The study Bible seems to be complete for the Old and New Testaments--Amazon's got the New Testament portion, in the dead-tree, hardcover format. But, they appear not to have a digital version available for the New Testament. Perhaps that will come along before very long.

Kindle Women's Evangelical Commentary: Old Testament.

Thanks for finding this. I took a quick look through and have a few observations:

• The quoted Bible text does indeed match the HCSB, but there's not much quoted text. It shouldn't distract anyone from reading this with their favorite translation.
• The epub doesn't have a cover image. A lot of B&H ebooks lately have been lacking covers. It's not a big deal, but it bugs me.
• The epub uses several characters for transliterating Hebrew that aren't in all fonts (ʿēzer appears as ??zer in ADE). If you can use downloaded fonts with your ereader, you may want to use a more complete one like GNU Freefont or SIL Gentium Plus.

DRM-free at Christianbook
Couponable (50% off in the US with GET50SALE) at Kobo
Barnes & Noble

[Difflugia]

This isn't exactly a bargain or anything, but I figured that everyone interested is probably here.

After complaining in another thread that some Bibles that I want are only available in electronic format for Logos, I decided to update to Logos 6 and play with it some more. It turns out that there's a "send to Kindle" function! Basically, you tell the Logos software to link to the "send to Kindle" email for your device and then you can send a Kindle version of most of your resources.

There's a page at Logos that describes the process (it's pretty easy) and also a help page in Logos itself (search for "Send to Kindle" in the command box on the main page). I recommend reading both.

One thing I want to point out that isn't clear from the Logos website (though it is mentioned on the help page) is that once you set your Kindle address, you can't change it without the intervention of Logos customer support. The other thing that isn't clear (anywhere) is that you apparently can't send the documents to the Kindle app on the PC, though you can send them to an Android (and I expect iOS) device or a real Kindle. If you give it the email tied to a K4PC install like I did, Logos dutifully sends the document, but Amazon refuses to deliver it. Fortunately for me, Amazon stores the files and you can resend them to other devices from the "manage your devices" page at Amazon (switch from "Books" to "Docs" to see the emailed files).

Not everything can be sent because some files apparently end up too large (Kindle docs has a 50MB maximum file size), but just about the only things I couldn't send were large commentaries and study Bible notes. All of my Bibles and regular books (everything from Vyrso was eligible) made it just fine, though. Some of the conversions weren't perfect (the NRSV's footnotes got mangled and some fonts are goofy sizes) and books with heavy formatting (like a harmony of the Gospels) are pretty broken, but it's way more than I ever expected from Logos.

Since these upload as personal docs, there's no DRM.

Logos 6 requires Windows 7, but Send to Kindle is apparently available in Logos 5.3 or later.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Difflugia

This isn't exactly a bargain or anything, but I figured that everyone interested is probably here.

After complaining in another thread that some Bibles that I want are only available in electronic format for Logos, I decided to update to Logos 6 and play with it some more. It turns out that there's a "send to Kindle" function! Basically, you tell the Logos software to link to the "send to Kindle" email for your device and then you can send a Kindle version of most of your resources.

There's a page at Logos that describes the process (it's pretty easy) and also a help page in Logos itself (search for "Send to Kindle" in the command box on the main page). I recommend reading both.

One thing I want to point out that isn't clear from the Logos website (though it is mentioned on the help page) is that once you set your Kindle address, you can't change it without the intervention of Logos customer support. The other thing that isn't clear (anywhere) is that you apparently can't send the documents to the Kindle app on the PC, though you can send them to an Android (and I expect iOS) device or a real Kindle. If you give it the email tied to a K4PC install like I did, Logos dutifully sends the document, but Amazon refuses to deliver it. Fortunately for me, Amazon stores the files and you can resend them to other devices from the "manage your devices" page at Amazon (switch from "Books" to "Docs" to see the emailed files).

Not everything can be sent because some files apparently end up too large (Kindle docs has a 50MB maximum file size), but just about the only things I couldn't send were large commentaries and study Bible notes. All of my Bibles and regular books (everything from Vyrso was eligible) made it just fine, though. Some of the conversions weren't perfect (the NRSV's footnotes got mangled and some fonts are goofy sizes) and books with heavy formatting (like a harmony of the Gospels) are pretty broken, but it's way more than I ever expected from Logos.

Since these upload as personal docs, there's no DRM.

Logos 6 requires Windows 7, but Send to Kindle is apparently available in Logos 5.3 or later.

Great news. It may be a while (if ever) that I am inclined to use that feature, but it's good to have the information.

[GtrsRGr8]

UPDATE: Oops, I noticed that Difflugia had already posted this information. I suppose that it's better to have two or more mention a bargain, than have no one mention it.

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

When I saw this study Bible advertised as being marked down to just 99 cents, my dentures just about fell out of my mouth and onto my floor. Just kidding, I don't wear dentures. But you get the point--I think that this is an amazing deal!

Two caveats (some would say, "drawbacks," "catches," or even "gotchas") . . . . I didn't see a place where this was noted, but I feel sure that the Bible text is the (HCS/HCSB) Holman Christian Standard, since Holman is the publisher of this study Bible and that's kinda how they've done things in similar situations in the past. Not a big deal, in my opinion, however, as from what little that I've been around it, the version seems to be of high quality (mainly meaning having accuracy and readability).

The other drawback concerns the fact that this volume covers only the Old Testament portion of the Bible. The study Bible seems to be complete for the Old and New Testaments--Amazon's got the New Testament portion, in the dead-tree, hardcover format. But, they appear not to have a digital version available for the New Testament. Perhaps that will come along before very long.

Kindle Women's Evangelical Commentary: Old Testament.

I just noticed that this title is now available for 99 cents at Christianbook (ePub (DRM Free)), also. It may have been earlier--I don't actively monitor ePub markdowns, but happened to come across this tidbit of information.

Here's a linky: http://www.christianbook.com/womens-...EB?event=ESRCG.

If you want to save the biggest percentage of money on the purchase, you will want to go with the Amazon Kindle, which has a digital list price of $44.99 (so the book's 98% off). At Christianbook, the list price is $29.99, so it's a markdown of only 97%. No, I do not know why you would care, I'm just letting you know in case you do. hahah

[Froide]

Cross posted at the audio freebies thread

This month's ChristianAudio freebie:
Sex and Money: Pleasures That Leave You Empty and Grace That Satisfies

The Free Audiobook of the Month for November is Sex and Money by Pastor Paul Tripp. It grieves our Lord when there is sin in the church. Headlines of Christian leaders sinful failures in areas of sex and money create national news. Sex and Money by Pastor Paul Tripp was written to address these issues and provide clear biblical counsel in these areas. With thanks to our publishing partner Crossway, we believe this is a timely, relevant, and helpful audiobook.

[Difflugia]

The NKJV Study Bible: Full Color Edition is $3.99. The print editions of this Bible are pretty spectacular, but the ebook is almost the same as the regular NKJV Study Bible. While there are some added photographs that weren't in the old one, the written content and study notes haven't changed and the updated page layout doesn't carry over to ebook formats.

The NKJV Study Bible is one of my favorites and if you don't already have a copy, $3.99 is a fantastic price. There's no good reason to "upgrade", though.

B&N
Christianbook
Kobo
Amazon

[Difflugia]

The NIV edition of The MacArthur Study Bible is $3.99, which is the cheapest it's been since it stopped being couponable at Kobo.
B&N
Christianbook
Kobo
Amazon

Thomas Nelson's King James Study Bible: Second Edition is $3.99 (it's amazing how many publishers have a King James Study Bible).
B&N
Christianbook
Kobo
Amazon

The NLT edition of the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible is $3.99.
B&N
Christianbook
Kobo
Amazon

[GtrsRGr8]

I know that some (many?) of you don't like the pdf format. It doesn't render well on your readers or whatever. But some of you, like me, do your reading on computers, where pdf's render just fine. Others of you will tolerate a pdf or go to the trouble of converting it to a better format if the book is good enough. So here's the post.

Nelson is offering a free pdf of The Voice New Testament. Follow this link to request it.

Frankly, I have very little knowledge of this version. It actually may be a paraphrase for all that I know. One feature that I noticed that I think may be unique and I really liked is the formatting in the gospels. Take a look for yourself and see what I'm talking about.

Here's the blurb:
The Voice is a new Bible translation that reads like a story with all of the truth and wisdom of God's Word. Scholars, poets, musicians, and story tellers have come together to create this singularly unique translation that transports you into the Bible's narrative. This bold new translation engages readers like no other Bible.

Also, there's a website for the version. It's a really nice-looking site and there are a couple of tools on the righthand side that can be helpful.

Note: after you've downloaded the file you will notice that it says "watermarked" in the name. Usually anything watermarked is a big turnoff for me. I opened the file and couldn't see any watermarks, however. Maybe they are there but are not visible with my monitor's current contrast and brightness settings. I rather think that there aren't any watermarks regardless of what the file name suggests.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I know that some (many?) of you don't like the pdf format. {...}

Note: after you've downloaded the file you will notice that it says "watermarked" in the name. Usually anything watermarked is a big turnoff for me. I opened the file and couldn't see any watermarks, however. Maybe they are there but are not visible with my monitor's current contrast and brightness settings. I rather think that there aren't any watermarks regardless of what the file name suggests.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_watermarking

Can be almost anything and imperceptible unless you know what to look for.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_watermarking

Can be almost anything and imperceptible unless you know what to look for.

Ah . . . very good. I'm still stuck in the analog age.

[GtrsRGr8]

The price of $3.99 represents a 79% markdown from the digital list price.

Fortress Press has a number of their ebooks on sale right now. This is one that I thought was worth posting. I may post more after I've looked over the rest of the sale items.

The book description doesn't really bring this out very strongly, but in addition to the dialogue there are numerous essays by other contributors. This is one of the primary reasons that I've purchased the book for myself. The list of names of the contributors reads like a Who's Who of scholars on the Resurrection. Although the publisher, Fortress Press, primarily publishes for liberal to very liberal Christians, the list of contributors leans heavily in favor of evangelicals, for some reason.

Resurrection of Jesus: John Dominic Crossan and N.T. Wright in Dialogue. By Robert B. Stewart (editor). Rated 4.0 stars, from 21 reviews at Amazon at the present moment. Print list price $19.00; digital list price $18.99; Kindle price now $3.99. Fortress Press, publisher. 242 pages. http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-J...ht+in+Dialogue.

Book Description
Two of today's most important and popular New Testament scholars, John Dominic Crossan and N. T. Wright, here air their very different understandings of the historical reality and theological meaning of Jesus' Resurrection. The book highlights points of agreement and disagreement between them and explores the many attendant issues.

This book brings two leading lights in Jesus studies together for a long-overdue conversation with one another and with significant scholars from other disciplines.

[Difflugia]

I think the watermarking on The Voice refers to the light Thomas Nelson symbol in the middle of each page.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Difflugia

I think the watermarking on The Voice refers to the light Thomas Nelson symbol in the middle of each page.

I didn't notice the symbol.

My point was to say that if the document had watermarking, it would not be bothersome in any way.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I didn't notice the symbol.

My point was to say that if the document had watermarking, it would not be bothersome in any way.

I agree. It just sounded to me like there might be concern that the watermark was to identify the downloader.

[GtrsRGr8]

Someone, Difflugia I think, made a post recently about a free Geneva Bible. Grace-ebooks.com has just posted a pdf of the Geneva Bible also. It's free also.

I didn't take the time to compare the one that Difflugia posted and this one. This one apparently has the text of the 1599 edition. The first page is a facsimile of an original 1599 edition. The rest of the book is "cleaned up" and has center-column references and footnotes with short notes on some verses. I doubt that those were a part of the original 1599 edition, although I might be wrong on that.

Here's the direct link to this ebook.

FYI--Grace-ebooks has a large number of other ebooks--all pdf and all free. There are a good number of helpful Bible study aids, but most of the books are theological in nature, reflecting something like a Puritan/Reformed view. They all seem to be works that are in the public domain, but there may be some here which have some advantage(s) over copies of the works that you can find elsewhere on the Internet.