There was a long stretch where Logos Bible Software was coming out with some powerhouse academic resources in their prepublication program. Bunches of stuff on Josephus, Philo, the Pseudepigrapha, Ancient Near Eastern books, great original language items. One of the most amazing offerings of this period was Hermeneia. More recently, they have offered the Anchor Yale Bible series (83 vols). That is definitely now at the top of my list (if Logos would like to send me a review copy once it’s done–I would be happy to oblige!).

However, the Anchor Yale series seems to be an exception for their most recent offerings. Lately, Logos has been offering items from a more “conservative” (and maybe less “academic”) interpretive angle. Consider the Holman Reference Collection (13 Vols.) (recently mentioned on Nick’s blog), a bunch of books from Baker, commentaries from Cornerstone, a little while ago they added the WallBuilders American Foundations Digital Library.

From a business perspective, these sorts of things are most likely better money makers than some of the hardcore academic stuff. I can’t say I blame ‘em. There are a LOT of conservative evangelicals out there who are very passionate about their Bible study. But it does feed into the stereotype that Logos is the less “serious” Bible software, academically speaking (compared to BibleWorks and Accordance). And believe me, that perception is there. Many people in my academic circles (professors, fellow grad students) are surprised that Logos is my software of choice. For me, though, I believe Logos simply has more to offer of everything: the “serious academic” stuff, the more “conservative evangelical” stuff, even the fluffy junk (which shall remain nameless). You just put together the pieces that make up your ideal electronic library.

So, I would like to offer a suggestion for an academic item that might have some broader appeal than just those stuffy elitists stuck in their ivory acadmic towers: Academic Study Bibles. Currently, Libronix offers (or is developing) the following study Bibles: The NLT Study Bible (the recent SBC banning of the NLT doesn’t help ), The Apologetics Study Bible, Concordia Self-Study Bible Notes (a revised version of the notes written for Zondervan’s NIV Study Bible, emphasizing Lutheran themes), The MacArthur Study Bible, The Ryrie Study Bible, The Reformation Study Bible, and a few others.

To balance these out a bit, I think that Logos really should offer all the notes and resources of standards like the HarperCollins Study Bible, the New Oxford Annotated Bible, and perhaps also the New Interpreter’s Study Bible. I know plenty of layfolk who would love to have these perspectives so much more than all the currently Libronix offered study Bibles put together. Not only that, I think these could open a broad market for college and seminary students who are often required (or strongly encouraged) to buy HarperCollins or the New Oxford. So, Logos, have I convinced you yet?