Download Nelson's Compact Series: Compact Bible Concordance fb2

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 like the Strong's Concordance, then this could be a useful supplement. I wanted something compact that I could carry with me when I travel [I don't care very much for the electronic concordances that I have tried in the past]. I purchased this to use when I simply want to look up a Bible verse...and that is the key in determining whether or not you will like this: it is only a reference tool for finding Bible verses; its compact size is due in large part to the fact that the Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries have been eliminated from the volume. The only reason that I rate this at four stars instead of five is because it also eliminates a number of words that the editors feel the reader 'is not likely to use in searching'; I can understand not listing words like 'a, am, an, be, do, in, is, it', etc.; however, I think that too many significant words have been excluded, such as 'fathers, children, hand, hundred' and so on. However, even with these shortcomings, this volume is still both useful and convenient.

Compact, meaning it doesn't have "dictionaries" and other reference matter: just the way to find the major words in the verses of the bible. As it turns out, some of the references don't exist in all versions of the bible, which is interesting.

I use this concordance in my prison ministry. The ladies often ask a bunch of questions and I use this to guide them back to Scripture. Buyer beware: the font is TINY as it says. 5 point font is small. If you have poor vision, do not go for this no matter how compact.

This is a great concordance in a paperback version.

Exhaustive and compact. Print is really tiny however it's still a great concordance. Really like Strong's!

VERY DISAPPOINTED!! The print is way too small so I have to use magnifying glass. Would not recommend.

I was looking for a small concordance, this really is a small one. I really like it, I can take it lots of places with me, it fits easily in my backpack and isn't super heavy at all.
Downside to it: The letters are real small, so if you have a hard time seeing small print, I wouldn't recommend it. However I have young good eyes, so for me it's no problem at all.