Information about the NIV Bible In One Year with Commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel
He is best known for Alpha, the course that has led people from all over the world to Christ, but perhaps Nicky Gumbel’s second greatest legacy is in inspiring so many to read the Bible – the whole Bible – through his commentary, The Bible In One Year
Nicky was given a copy of Hodder’s NIV Bible in One Year by Revd Sandy Millar as a Christmas present in 1990, and he has been reading it daily ever since. In 2009, as he prepared to read through the Bible for the twentieth time, Nicky began to write comments on each passage and to note down ways of applying the Bible’s message to his life. Pippa Gumbel, Nicky’s wife, joined in and this is how the Bible in One Year project began. Originally an email to Holy Trinity Brompton’s congregation, the Bible in One Year notes now reach over two million subscribers each year via iOS and Android apps, complete with audio narration of the Scriptures by beloved Poirot actor, Sir David Suchet.
Hodder Faith published the commentary in print in 2019 and to date, that edition has sold over 15,000 copies. And now, to mark his final year of heading up Holy Trinity Brompton, Nicky Gumbel’s magnum opus is finally being published alongside the Bible text itself, in one volume.
For those unfamiliar with the content, the Bible in One Year is a devotional programme that was developed by Hodder & Stoughton in the mid-1980s. The Scriptures are arranged into 365 readings, one for each day of the year. The reader is presented with a Psalm or excerpt from Proverbs, and passages from both the Old and the New Testaments to read during their quiet times. In this way, the race is marked out for you – one can move through the Bible at a steady pace, confident that the challenge will be completed as the New Year’s Eve finish line comes into view. Yet the journey is not linear, and all the more interesting and invigorating for it, taking in – as it does – something from the beginning, middle and end of the Bible’s narrative arc each day. The forthcoming edition (editions plural, in fact, as there will be both hardback and leather-bound volumes), features both the Bible text and Nicky’s commentary, and for the first time in print, ‘Pippa Adds’, a short reflection on the day’s readings from Pippa’s perspective.
Getting the text design right for such a complex typesetting project was extremely important but I’m confident that we have arrived at something that not only copes elegantly and efficiently with the volume of words but also offers a pleasant reading experience. The Bible text is clearly differentiated from the commentary in two columns, whereas the Gumbels’ notes appear in red, set single-column. Short prayers follow at the end of each note, in bold. With a word count not far off that of War and Peace without the Bible text, customers may be curious to know just how big and heavy this product will be! At 1984 pages, it is approaching study Bible territory. However, by printing on Bible paper, we have kept the spine width to a minimum, yet ensured there is minimal showthrough. And we have not compromised on font size – both the commentary and Bible portions are 9.25pt text on 10pt leading. Published on 24 November, the NIV BBible in One Year with Commentary will be out just in time for the Christmas gift season, and ready for starting the Bible reading programme on 1 January. Perhaps you have always heard of others taking part and never had a go yourself. Could 2023 be your year of the Bible? If you find using digital devotional material on your phone too distracting, this print edition, which has everything you need in one place, would be ideal, and help you commit to finishing the challenge. The print version, especially the handsome leather-bound edition with ribbons markers, gold gilt edges and a presentation slipcase, would be a lovely gift, perhaps in particular for those who do not find it easy to access apps on digital devices. If you’ve benefited from the online version but would love to share it with a family member who isn’t tech-savvy, this edition would be perfect.
Also available in Hardback
Nicky & Pippa Gumbel led Holy Trinity Brompton from 2005 until stepping down from this role in July 2022. Before this Nicky read law at Cambridge and theology at Oxford and practised as a barrister. Nicky is the pioneer of the Alpha course and author of a number of popular books including, Questions of Life and Searching Issues
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