J.W. McGarvey, a famous Restoration preacher who was deemed “the ripest Bible scholar on earth” by the London Times, could be heard talking in his library with no one else in the room. McGarvey was not an insane person, but rather, he considered each of the books in his library to be more than a resource for his friends. These books were his conversation partners, and he enjoyed engaging with them on a daily basis. I consider books to be gems of truth that, when added to my library, become a part of my treasure trove of wisdom. Each book is valuable to me, and so I want the best books that I can add to my library, especially since I spend the majority of my time in conversation with these gems.
The first thing I do when I am looking for a good book is look at the title of the book. Normally, this is the first thing that piques my interest in a book as it captures my attention. The reason why this is important is because it's something that I may find interesting and useful for my studies. I have plenty of books in my library and I don't want to waste any space with the book that I may not deem useful.
The next thing I look for is the publication, whether it be from Zondervan, Baker, IVP, B&H, Oxford, Lexham, Cambridge, Kregel, Eerdmans, T&T Clark, P&R, Tyndale, Moody, etc. (there may be a few that I have neglected to list but most of these will be the publishers you see often pop up while glancing in book stores) since these are all notable publishers in the theological field. I am normally very weary of other sources that are not from these major publications, with the exception of an author who may be widely respected. The reason these publications are noteworthy is due to their authoritative nature and academic credibility.
Another helpful tip may be that I look at who the author of the book is. If I am unaware of who this individual may be, then I look further; otherwise, I may not be entirely interested. Usually, I like buying books from authors that I recognize are experts in their field or on a particular topic (Of course, I am constantly immersed in this field, so it is easier for me to identify good authors). Normally, if I do not know the author, then that may be a sign that I should not give them the time of day. However, before casting them aside, I look at their educational background, the school that they may teach at, previous writings, and the various recommendations from other notable authors. When glossing through the recommendations on the book, there may be an author that I do know who has recommended this book and encouraged me to look further into why I need this book.
I then look at the date of the book to see if the material is still relevant today. Usually, any book that dates over 50 years is irrelevant in light of current scholarship. The only exception to this rule is books that are classics like Calvin, Warfield, Augustine, etc. If the book exceeds its relevance and is “too old” or “out of date,” then there may be other books that address the same issues that are more recent. It is better to buy books that are up to date since they will give the most relevant or current information on the subject.
Next, I open the book and examine the table of contents. This is possibly the most important step of the whole process that determines whether or not I am convinced I need this book added to my library. When looking at the material, I try to see if it is going to be something useful for my local ministry, personal study, and Christian faith by determining whether it will complement my library or not. While glossing over the chapter titles and material, I investigate the contents of the book to see if the material appears to be something that I could have written myself (Donnie DeBord gave me this advice). If that is the case, then I would not purchase the book because there is no point in reading the material at all. When I am looking for a book, my criterion for every book is that it needs to: (1) Challenge my thinking. If it does not challenge me to move, then it won’t do me much good to read it. That is, if I agree with everything in the book, then I maintain a narrow view of truth and remain ignorant of what else is out there. I need to expose myself to books that teach me to think and challenge the thoughts in my head. (2) Convict my spiritual condition. If the book does not draw me closer to God, then it may not be the book for me. Additionally, if the book does not call me out for my mistakes or misgivings, then it may not be very beneficial for my spiritual life and (3) Construct my theology. If the book does not inform me, then it is worthless. I need to learn from the book that I am reading and grow in my understanding of God, Scripture, doctrine, culture, and self. However, if the content of the book addresses certain issues that may either be an excellent resource to consult or encourage me to think more deeply on the topic, then I may want to investigate the material further.
The next tip to finding valuable books is to find relevant and useful types of books in the field of theology. The following is a list of the various types of books: Commentaries. I need books that address every book of the Bible that offer me a vast array of interpretations on any particular book of the Old or New Testament. Apologetics. I need books that address the three most relevant topics of the 21st century: the Existence of God, Inspiration of Scripture, and Divinity of Christ. Systematic Theology. I need books that address all areas of doctrine: Bible/Bibliology, God/Theology Proper, Jesus/Christology, Holy Spirit/Pneumatology, Salvation/Soteriology, Sin/Hamartiology, Man/Anthropology, Church/Ecclesiology, End Times/Eschatology. Biblical Theology. I need books that address the Biblical story and trace the themes of the Old and New Testament. Culture. I need books that address current issues we face in the 21st century from a Christian perspective. Evangelism. I need books that advise me on how to share the gospel with the lost. Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. I need books that address important words and subjects located in Scripture and the field of theology. Introduction and Survey of Old or New Testament. I need books that highlight important features of Biblical books and provide critical background to the texts. Archaeology and Bible Background. I need books that address the current discoveries of the Bible lands to understand the Biblical world better. Hermeneutics. I need books that address the way I should interpret the Bible and offer the best tools for that task. Homiletics. I need books that address the best ways to preach the gospel. Philosophy. I need books that address the metaphysical and epistemological needs for reading the Bible and thinking theologically. Church History. I need books that address the history of theological interpretation and development of doctrine. Biblical Languages. I need books that address the original language so I may read the Bible in its original form.
The next thing that I do is examine the material. I tend to flip through the book and read some of the pages and possibly see if they engage with other academic material so I may glance at the footnotes and bibliography/endnotes as I make my decision on the book. I also may look at the summary on the back of the book to see if the subject matter is of any interest to me or meets any present needs.
Next, I consider the price of the book and see if it is worth purchasing at this location or at all. I normally look on Amazon and see if I can purchase the book for a cheaper price, or if it is the same price on Amazon. If the book matches the price online, then I normally save the item to my book list for later so I can buy the book at a later date. Additionally, if I think that the book may not be useful currently and is going to cost more than I would like to buy it for then I wait until a later time when I can find it at a cheaper price.
My final step and possibly the best advice for buying books that I could offer is to buy books that you will read. A lot of times, when we scour the bookstore and see all these books, we are tempted to buy whatever we are interested in, and so, we purchase a handful of books to add to our bookshelves, and there they rest to collect dust for years to come. Unintentionally, we may lie to ourselves and make promises we intend to keep by saying we will make the time to read these books, but instead, that time never comes. It is important to appreciate the resources you already possess in your library and know your limitations. Do not buy books that you will not use or will not take the time to read. Books are gems of truth that are valuable pieces of every library. The only way to truly value the wisdom we have in the palm of our hands is to open their pages and read them; otherwise, we are not only wasting our money, but we make the truths within those pages become vain since they were readily available in our library yet sadly ignored. Honestly, there is no point in finding good books when we do not take the time to use them.
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