I added a new poll to the blog this weekend. It asks which pew or pulpit Bible version is used where you worship. I’ve probably asked this question before, but I thought it would be interesting to ask it again, since it’s been awhile. I’m particularly interested to see if official usage of a couple of Bible versions has changed in the last year or so. I realize, of course, that results from a poll on this blog are not scientific. They never are with self-selecting polls like this on only one location on the Internet. But I hope that they display some basic trends among those who visit this blog.
The CBA* January 2010 figures for sales of Bible versions are available online. The lists for unit sales and dollar sales are identical, except for position 7, this month for rankings on the scale of the top 10 best sellers:
- New International Version
- New King James Version
- King James Version
- New Living Translation
- English Standard Version
- Holman Christian Standard Bible
- NASBU (dollar sales); Reina Valera 1960 (Spanish) (unit sales)
- GOD’S WORD Translation
- New International Readers Version
- The Message
It will be interesting to see if any of the sales rankings shift after Christmas present purchases.
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*The CBA list is based on actual sales in Christian retail stores in the United States through November 27, 2008 using CROSS:SCAN as the source for the data collection.
8 Comments
It might be significant to ask which country voters are in. I don’t think 6, 7, 8 or 9 are available in printed form outside the US. I’m not sure that 2 is either. Also, I’d imagine the Southern and South Western parts of the US are the only parts of the Anglophone world where there are Spanish speaking congregations.
Where does this count sales from? It says from Christian Retail Stores. Does this mean Bibles I got online from Amazon or Ligonier Ministries don’t count? Or do Bibles bought at secular bookstores not count?
Just curious.
I visit (officially) so many congregations during the year, that I really don’t have a “home congregation.” Of those I visit the usage seems to be:
1. (Tie) NIV and ESV
2. NRSV
3. NKJV
Rich
Dru–
You might be surprised at the number of native speakers of Spanish there are here in Illinois.
There are several Spanish-speaking Mennonite congregations in Canada.
Kratistos, I have added a footnote to my post explaining where the sales figures come from.
I wish that we had sales figures from secular booksellers as well as booksellers in other English-speaking countries.
Here are the top 5 fiction and non-fiction hardcover sellers on the NY Times list:
Hardcover Fiction
1. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown
2. U IS FOR UNDERTOW, by Sue Grafton
3. I, ALEX CROSS, by James Patterson
4. UNDER THE DOME, by Stephen King
5. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett
Hardcover Nonfiction
1. GOING ROGUE, by Sarah Palin
2. STONES INTO SCHOOLS, by Greg Mortenson
3. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom
4. ARGUING WITH IDIOTS, written and edited by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe and others
5. OPEN, by Andre Agassi
I am not tempted to read any of these books; neither do I think they will survive the test of time. I will be surprised if readers 50 years hence (or even 5 years from now) will take note of them, and I will be surprised if they influence the subsequent development of literature.
My advice to readers of literature — or of Scripture in translation — is to seek out quality, not popularity.
Dru,
I can assure you that 2,6,7 at least are very available outside the USA and in printed form no less. I have no idea about 8 as I haven’t checked.