Alice B. reviewed Nelson's Compact Series : Compact Bible Concordance (Nelson's Compact Series) on + 3561 more book reviews
Lovely copy.This little compact concordance boasts over 40,000 entries... which is both a plus and a minus. To give you a frame of reference, stack two VHS tapes, and that is almost exactly the size of this concordance. It is a little "thick," but it is paperback, so it is light. The definite "downside" is that in order to squeeze so many entries into such a small package... the font is amazingly small. So small in fact, that I printed out Gen. 1:1 on MS Word, and matched it to the font size in the concordance. The font size of this little concordance is 4.5 font!
If you want to get some perspective on how small 4.5 is, do like I did, and copy Gen. 1:1 into your your Word Processor. Highlight the verse, then manually change the font to 4.5, then print the page. You will now see what you have to look forward to with this concordance.
The font is so small that I have to take my glasses off (bifocals or reading glasses), and look at the page close-up. Nevertheless, I am okay with this when I am studying at home, since I often read without my glasses anyway. Furthermore, I ordered an additional concordance (also paperback) along with this one. It is the Strong's Handi-Reference Concordance (AMG Handi-Reference Series) . Both books were "Used- Very Good" condition. I paid $.99 for the Nelson's, and $1.89 for the AMG. I will use the 4.5 font Nelson's at home, and take the AMG with me to Church.
The AMG has approximately a 6.5 size font, which is almost 50% larger than the Nelson's. That is still small, but it is a lot easier on the eyes. I can read it without straining, and without having to remove my glasses. The AMG is slightly thinner, and slightly wider/taller.
As I said, I got both very cheap, so I am happy with both. But if I had it to do all over, I would only purchase the AMG. It is amazing how much difference such a few points in font size can make.
Additional Note: Both of these concordances are NOT exhaustive. Exhaustive (for those who don't know) means that the concordance lists every single Biblical occurrence of the word. As I stated at another review:
"I am unsure how the editors choose which verses to include/omit, but the strength of a "Handi-Reference" concordance is that it is used for quick references (at Church, work, a Bible study, etc.), where you may be drawing a blank on a common or popular verse... but you can not remember where you read it. It is also helpful for people who need something a lot more in-depth than the concordance in the back of the average Bible... which, by the way, is also NOT exhaustive."
If you want to get some perspective on how small 4.5 is, do like I did, and copy Gen. 1:1 into your your Word Processor. Highlight the verse, then manually change the font to 4.5, then print the page. You will now see what you have to look forward to with this concordance.
The font is so small that I have to take my glasses off (bifocals or reading glasses), and look at the page close-up. Nevertheless, I am okay with this when I am studying at home, since I often read without my glasses anyway. Furthermore, I ordered an additional concordance (also paperback) along with this one. It is the Strong's Handi-Reference Concordance (AMG Handi-Reference Series) . Both books were "Used- Very Good" condition. I paid $.99 for the Nelson's, and $1.89 for the AMG. I will use the 4.5 font Nelson's at home, and take the AMG with me to Church.
The AMG has approximately a 6.5 size font, which is almost 50% larger than the Nelson's. That is still small, but it is a lot easier on the eyes. I can read it without straining, and without having to remove my glasses. The AMG is slightly thinner, and slightly wider/taller.
As I said, I got both very cheap, so I am happy with both. But if I had it to do all over, I would only purchase the AMG. It is amazing how much difference such a few points in font size can make.
Additional Note: Both of these concordances are NOT exhaustive. Exhaustive (for those who don't know) means that the concordance lists every single Biblical occurrence of the word. As I stated at another review:
"I am unsure how the editors choose which verses to include/omit, but the strength of a "Handi-Reference" concordance is that it is used for quick references (at Church, work, a Bible study, etc.), where you may be drawing a blank on a common or popular verse... but you can not remember where you read it. It is also helpful for people who need something a lot more in-depth than the concordance in the back of the average Bible... which, by the way, is also NOT exhaustive."
