Recent Forum Posts

From categories:

All categories General Discussions: General Discussions General Discussions: Help!

page 1 of 212next »

New Contributions

birnbaum 10 Sep 2012 09:03
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » New Contributions

As I'm new to this biblewiki, I'd like to introduce myself to the forum: My name is Simon Birnbaum from near Karlsruhe, Germany. Since 1984 I collect Bibles in German, English, Hebrew and Greek. In 2008 I decided to put my collection in form of an archive into the Internet (www.bibelarchiv-birnbaum.de and, lately as a successor, www.bibelpedia.com). So I'm sharing quite the same passion as biblewiki does - just in some other form and with different accents.
As my father presented to me an English New Testament already when I was a child, I got acquainted with this sort of literature from my early years on and later started collecting Bibles (also) in English.
Earlier today I filled in the templates for two new entries: The 1870 copy of Henry Alford's NT and Fr. Lazarus' Holy Psalter from the Septuagint (1966). As I've never done this before, I hope the template-entries work. Scans of the these first two entries I've e-mailed to the webmaster.
As I could read, there's at least another contributor from Germany - I'd appreciate to get some more infos from him! Thanks & blessings! Simon

1816 small testament (old & new)

Danorie 03 Nov 2011 00:16
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » 1816 small testament (old & new)

I was trying to find out information on a Bible I have. It is a pocket size new and old testament dated 1816. It says "American Bible Society Instituted In The Year 1816 New York". I was curious about if it is rare or was there a lot published in 1816? I was wondering if it was common back then to print the old and new testament pocket size?

Dana

Re: Concordances.

Bible_wiki 20 Jul 2011 14:31
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Concordances.

I do not have much to contribute in this field, but would be willing to monitor input, help with pictures, etc.

Concordances.

skline 27 Feb 2011 02:37
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Concordances.

Hello call, I just joined this site as I really enjoy collecting old Bibles. But I have noticed that there are no listings for older Concordances. I own a few, including a 1635 copy of Clement Cotton's concordance which is, according to greatsite anyway, the first KJV concordance. I know these aren't as collectable but do you all think there should be a section at least for the older ones (Cotton's, Strong's, Cruden's, etc.)? I ask this because when doing research on the cotton's, I've found virtually no information, so maybe it would be nice to compile what info there is out there and maybe dig to find some more.

Re: A word about valuation

skline 27 Feb 2011 02:33
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » A word about valuation

I think something that most people using Ebay as a baseline aren't figuring is what amount do Bibles SELL for. It's one thing to ask an amount, another to get it. But people aren't looking at that. Look at English Hexaplas. right now there is one for $2500 and another for, get this, $4500. Are they insane? the last Hexapla I saw SELL on ebay was for $700. Granted it was an 1851 edition but still. Even the first edition rarely gets over $1500. But that's not stopping people from going higher. I think they see greatsite asking so much and figure they can too. I have what I believe is a second edition (based on info on this site, as mine has the 112 page intro and the "ornate" title page). I doubt it is worth more than $1000, and that's on a good day. Maybe I'm wrong but I promise you'll not find anyone who would pay $2500.

I really think that ebay gets a lot of flack but some of the "professional" retail sites are as much to blame. They've inflated the prices because they view these Bibles solely as investment items. That's a shame as it keeps them out of the hands of a lot of people who really would have liked to have them. Now, mosst of the older Bibles simply sit on a shelf or worse in a safe instead of being read.

Just my two cents.

What's New Page

BRMuseum 21 Jan 2011 16:03
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » What's New Page

I love the What's New page! I can see it is extra work, but it is a big help and much appreciated!

Re: Links to electronic and hard copies?

DavidLandin 28 Jan 2010 01:34
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Links to electronic and hard copies?

You might be interested to look at our new web site worldbibles.org which lists over 14,000 links to Bibles in 4,100 languages. These links include a wide variety of media formats. If you know of other Bibles that are not listed, and you'd like to add them to the site, please respond to the response form there. The site is completely non-commercial and simply indexes links to Bibles.

Davis Landin

D&M Reprint by Maurizio Martino

BibleBill 01 Nov 2009 14:52
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » D&M Reprint by Maurizio Martino

A note should be put in to the DM Reprint section that states that the DM reprint is not likely to be found. With only 55 copies in existence, you are unlikely to find it.

Re: how to add a new item

Sidney Schwartz 12 Jul 2009 15:30
in discussion General Discussions / Help! » how to add a new item

I agree.
I just tried to add a new book to a listing, and am not sure if I was successful or not.

This is a wonderful project. I have been collecting Bible from various versions for about 30 years. I have collected from over 340 versions. I have a lot of information to share, but really don't understand this process.
Thanks,
Sidney Schwartz

how to add a new item

m-kaly 18 Feb 2009 21:54
in discussion General Discussions / Help! » how to add a new item

Hello wiki-master and senoir members,

as I was not really successful with my first try, I'm asking for help here in the forum. Maybe I am not the only one to need advice, and maybe there is someone who can easily write up a small recipe here for newbees.

Apparently, the Bible Catalog has some logic and structure. Therefor it would be most helpful to have instructions or even rules, in which sequence to proceed such that any additional page appears in its most suitable location and is also registered in all lists.

Thanks!
Michael

Re: Site Organization question

m-kaly 18 Feb 2009 18:34
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Site Organization question

About Classification

Hello there, I agree with Mike-y that it may soon be impossible to keep control if works are listed in multiple ways using "copies" of the data. Each item should be described in just 1 (one) entry, no matter which idea was applied by the original author for classification. Some kind of search engine will find whatever is asked for, as long as the answer is in the data.

As most Bibles are translations anyway, a few more fields may be significant though not mandatory. So why not allow to add them individually if the information is vailable; e.g. translator, commentator, revised by, publisher, printer, …

Also, I am missing "data" like number of pages, physical size, type of cover and binding, … all of which I consider important library information.

And when it comes to referencing Bibles in non-English languages there is also the aspect of scripts (character sets, fonts etc), e.g.
- Language: Jiddish, written in Hebrew characters
- Language: German, printed in Fractura/Gothic typeset

Suggested conclusion: allow and encourage as much information as possible or available, and provide for a powerful search engine.

Michael K.

Re: Site Organization question

Mike_y 10 Feb 2009 07:46
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Site Organization question

Ok, I'm lost where to put this: Paul Younan completed an interlinear of the Peshitta Syriac Gospels. As far as I know this was not published outside academia, and is only available online.

Is it original languages (there is a camp that declares the Greek to be a translation from the Aramaic.)
Is is a Parallel (since that is the closest match)
Is it an Interlinear (you have Green's Interlinear on the main english page)
Do we need a separate Interlinear list? (Parallels compare whole verses, Interlinears compare the individual words. This is a world of difference… especially when you are dealing with a language you don't have fluency in.)
Is it an Internet-only?
OR is it a foriegn Language?

I've listed it under the parallel's, but feel free to put it right.

Well, I just googled, and I see some evidence of people owning a hard copy, but not a listing for the book itself. Apparently the book coincides or was first. Still have the "where to put this listing" issue.

Re: Site Organization question

Bible_wiki 05 Feb 2009 16:23
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Site Organization question

Just a quick comment on Contents Abbreviations. I added a page (http://bibles.wikidot.com/contents) that tries to come up with a set of standard abbreviations. Take a look and see what you think.

Re: Site Organization question

Mike_y 28 Jan 2009 05:49
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Site Organization question

I don't see anything wrong with listing the works in multiple ways. That may be easier to suggest than to implement tho, if there isn't an easy way to verify all the pages are listed from a list page, and verifying that you don't have sort-of duplicates showing up under author listing and title-date naming (should I name that new page geneva or wittingham.)

In addition, I'd like to see more fields standardized, and Contents have some standard abbreviations.

Additional Fields: {Based On: used for work (other translations or original bibles listed here. It is important to know if a work is an update of KJV or a translation of the Vulgate, LXX or the Majority Texts, etc.) Obviously not all works will immediately be clear where they came from, but for the ones that are, having this catalogued is invaluable.}

Contents abbreviations: NT, OT, AP, CR (Cross References) FN (Footnotes) CM (Commentary), MP (Maps), SH (Section Headings), WOC (Words of Christ), GL - Glossary, DR - Daily reading (table or inline), SG (Study guides). For Non-standard works with missing books (Good As New - 2004 for instance) something Like NT (missing Revelation).

Re: Links to electronic and hard copies?

Mike_y 28 Jan 2009 05:27
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Links to electronic and hard copies?

All of the works I'm adding currently are available as free downloads on The Internet Archive Digital Library When Microsoft LiveBooks Closed up, Microsoft released any restrictions they had on the scans done during their sponsorship, and the Internet archive has no restrictions on their works, so these works are now in the public domain.

There are probably more works of scripture available on Google Books than on the Archive. However, the situation with the licensing of the works on google is not quite so clear. the works come with a plea to keep the works in a personal, noncommercial environment. I'm no lawyer so I can't say whether that allows for listing them on this (seemingly not-for-profit, but not clearly declared an IRS 5XX non-profit) or not.

For works that are not in the public domain, (including public domain titles that have been scanned by commercial entities who are restricting the output of their scan,) linking directly to the download would not be wise. That is posting a link here that pops up a save-to-location dialog. Linking to the top level site (whatever.com with no /somethingelse appended to it) is definitely OK and linking to the highest level which shows the work (but also allows the scanning site to get in some ads or sales-pitch) would be unlikely to raise any hackles, since it would increase traffic for them.

Re: Links to electronic and hard copies?

Mike_y 28 Jan 2009 05:15
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » Links to electronic and hard copies?

While Microsoft Live Book is gone, the Sources for most of the books that were part of Microsoft LiveBooks can still be viewed via The Internet Archive.

The CrossWire Bible Society and The SWORD Project

DFH2008 07 Dec 2008 16:21
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » The CrossWire Bible Society and The SWORD Project

The CrossWire Bible Society is an organization with the purpose to sponsor and provide a place for engineers and others to come and collaborate on free, open-source projects aimed at furthering the Kingdom of our God. We are also a resource pool to other Bible societies and Christian organizations that can't afford, or don't feel it's their place, to maintain a quality programming staff in house. We provide them with a number of tools that assist them with reaching their domain with Christ.

CrossWire is a non-income organization, which means that not only do we offer our services for free, but we also do not solicit donations to exist. We exist because we, as a community come together and offer our services and time freely.

For more information, please visit http://crosswire.org/.

Re: A word about valuation

Bible_wiki 24 Sep 2008 00:28
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » A word about valuation

One of the most frequestly asked question when I show someone a Bible is: "What is it worth?" and I am usually at a loss to answer them. I can tell them what I paid (which may be many years out of date or I may have gotten a book at an especially good or bad deal). I can tell them what the price is at sites like abe or greatsite or David Lachman or some other book dealer site. Or, I can quote a recent eBay price.

I realize that eBay can vary wildly - I have seen the exact same book go one time for $15 and another (just a few weeks later) for well over $150. It really depends on who sees it and what they are willing to spend at that moment. But, eBay does represent a real sale at a real price and that is valuable information. It would be nice to have dealers share actual prices for items sold (instead of just their asking price) but I realize dealers are usually unwilling to share such data. So, I will probably continue to include real sale prices from eBay when I see them (always noting the source).

In the end, the only thing that matters for me is "Am I willing and able to buy this book at this price today?" If so, I do, if not I must let it do. I have gotten some real bargains over the years and I have also over-paid at times. So, for me, dealer lists, eBay and even values on this site are only an guide to help me seize a bargain and avoid paying too much.

Re: A word about valuation

billch 06 Aug 2008 23:18
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » A word about valuation

I am new to this site and so here goes.

I have been collecting English Bible translations since 1968 and have seen a great increase in what you must pay for them. Yes, the dollar value has gone done but the difference is to large to be credited to that. However, I was a seller and a buyer on e-Bay. I believe that e-Bay is the cause for the increase in the price of Bibles. I agree with Ambrose completely for most people do NOT know what the real value of Bibles should be. They see a Bible 100 yrs old and say "wow, I have got to have that" and will bid up the price until they out bid others who don't know the true value either. Thus, inflated prices. The same can be said for the sellers.

Normally, Bibles are not considered old unless from the early 1700s and back. Normally speaking, there are a few translations done by individuals from the 1800s that have a high value. Most, but not all, Bibles with errors have a preminum value. However, only those from about 1830 back to 1530. (A list of these are in my book.)

Because sellers on e-Bay, no matter the reason, get high prices for their Bibles, professional book sellers are now pricing their Bibles based on e-Bay prices.

This is also true for most books today. An example would be my book. It's still in print after 17 years and sells NEW for $295. I just went to ABE.com and two were listed used. One priced at over $400 and the other for over $700. Both are forsale by professional book dealers. Now, who will ever purchased from them when the NEW is selling on amazon.com, B&N, and other places much, much lower than their price for used copies.

I have found that if you don't buy at the inflated price, you will never be able to buy what you want or and need. That is exactly why I have not been able to purchase any Bible translations in the last three years.

All of this makes it rather hard for me when I do an appraisel for a Bible.

A word about valuation

AmbroseSJ 03 Mar 2008 17:41
in discussion General Discussions / General Discussions » A word about valuation

I have seen some descriptions posting a dollar value for a particular edition. I think this is a fine idea. However I don't think using Ebay prices is useful at all. There are too many situations whereby an Ebay price may not reflect the actual price paid. Ebay sellers also may not be qualified to identify a book, or even describe it properly. It is for that reason, that I believe only reputable auction house prices should be quoted for value. This is a well documented type of price for which records are maintained. Otherwise, people may as well just stick in whatever price they feel something is worth, as ABE, Ebay or other internet sources are just not verifiable except for a short duration, and maybe not even then. Thoughts?

page 1 of 212next »