Book excerpt: Many of us would like to know more about the Bible, but don't know where to begin. A Beginner's Guide to Reading the Bible is a concise introduction that assumes no previous acquaintance with Scripture. The author provides an overview of the content of the Bible, a look at the kinds of literature it contains, describes how the Old and New Testaments were formed, discusses some commonly used English translations, and lists resources that can be helpful to beginning readers.