THE BIBLE A Biography

This latest installment in the Books That Changed the World series portrays the BIBLE as a living organism, examining its development over the centuries and demonstrating how Christian, Jewish, and secular influences are interwoven into the various versions. While the author's reputation for scholarship is evident, this particular effort does not translate well to audio despite Josephine Bailey's competence. Bailey skillfully keeps the text moving, easily handling historical terms and names, but it still sounds like one is listening to a laundry list of names and dates. Perhaps multiple listens might help--as much of the terminology is most likely unfamiliar to the average listener, who would have a far easier experience taking in the information in print. M.H.N. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2008]