Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina not only challenge but indeed obliterate much conventional wisdom about organizational growth and individual development. Those inclined to challenge them would be well-advised to consider the basis of their assertions: "Ten million customers and over two hundred thousand managers were surveyed. More than three million employees were interviewed from 1995 through 2001. Additionally, more than two million talent-fit/role-success reviews were tallied. More than 300, 000 business units, in hundreds of organizations worldwide, took part in the study....All major industries, from fast-food chains to physicians' groups, were represented. A wide variety of job types was included, as were all kinds of customers. Industry and organizations of all sizes were integrated....Employees from different types of organizations were measured in terms of their talent, engagement, and outcomes."

What about customers? "Similarly, customer data included purchase information: Volume, dollar amounts spent, repurchase intentions and behavior, brand ratings, product evaluations, opinions, and other complementary patterns of attitudes and behavior were all covered in detail." Who wants to step forward to challenge the validity of Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina's assertions? Not I.

The subtitle of this book, "How the World's Greatest Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing Human Potential," is somewhat misleading. In fact, according to Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina, cultures -- not organizations -- unleash human potential which, in turn, drives organizations. More specifically, emotion-driven, highly engaged employees ("associates" at Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney) continuously nourish and thereby sustain profitable relationships with (yes) emotion-driven, highly-engaged customers. Contrary to conventional wisdom, "Superior performance is not the exclusive product of the rational mind. no matter how appealing it is to business to believe this is so. Talent does intelligence one better, because it combines and utilizes the full circuitry (rational and emotional) of the brain's neural connections in the endless pursuit of productive outcome."

What about knowledge and skills? Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina duly acknowledge that they are required by quality performance. However, "In essence, talent and engagement are emotionally driven. In tough economic times, talent and emotional engagement are the only natural competitive advantages." Emotional engagement is thus the "fuel" that drives the most productive employees (approximately 20% of any workforce) and the most profitable customers. Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina seem almost surprised by the fact that there is an unlimited supply. "The most amazing thing about it is that it never runs out."

The word "path" in this book's title refers to a sequence of "steps" to be taken:

1. Acknowledge the role that emotion plays in driving business outcomes.

Comment: Keep in mind that emotions can be either positive (e.g. appreciation) or negative (e.g. resentment).

2. Acknowledge that all employees possess innate talents that can be emotionally engaged.

Comment: Workers generally do best what they enjoy doing most.

3. Understand that unique talent combinations lead to increased profits and growth.

Comment: Because needs change, different talents may be needed and in different combinations.

4. Understand and appreciate the power of the Q12 and accept what it can do for an organization.

Comment: Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina focus on the Q12 in Chapter 4 and explain how to manage the Q12 in Chapter 5.

5. Understand what it means to manage to develop and sustain engaged employees.

6. Understand the economic implications of engaged, not-engaged, and actively disengaged employees.

7. Acknowledge the role which emotions play in customer engagement.

8. Understand the eleven indicators of customer engagement and how they will impact on your brand, product, or organization.

9. Accept what managing to enhance and sustain customer engagement means.

10. Understand the economic implications of fully engaged, engaged, not-engaged, and actively disengaged customers.

NOTE: The chapter in which this step is examined, Chapter 10 ("Emotional Economics, Part 2") develops in much greater depth the material provided in Chapter 6, "Emotional Economics, Part 1."

Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina devote a separate chapter to each of the ten steps of The Gallup Path, explaining precisely how it can enable any organization (regardless of size or nature) to "drive growth by unleashing human potential." Taking each of these steps will fail, however, unless and until when doing so supervisors REALLY DO understand (a) that talent drives performance and supervisors are totally committed to engaging the talent of every employee, (b) that emotionally engaged employees are invariably the most productive employees, and finally (c) that emotionally engaged customers "always come back for more" and thus are the bedrock of any organization's sustainable profitably.

In their concluding remarks, Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina observe that "It's time to see your world in a different way." In fact, by the end of this book, they have urged their reader to see the world in dozens of different ways. It is important to supervisors to know that, once embarked on The Gallup Path, they will be guided and informed by Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina every step of the way.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out First, Break All the Rules which Coffman co-authored with Marcus Buckingham. Also, Hammer's The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate the Decade; Bossidy and Charan's Execution: the Discipline of Getting Things Done; O'Toole's Leading Change: The Argument for Value-Based Leadership; Collins' Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't; and Connors and Smith's The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual & Organizational Accountability.

This book puts it all together in a manner that you can actually put to practice. Many books are very theoretical but difficult to put into practice in your area of business. This book empowers individual managers to drive improved performance of their own unit. While some of it sounds like common sense (& isn't that usually the best!) I found myself anxious to apply the path outlined in the book. I absolutely believe that my business will perform better after reading this!
The authors are the most insightful business people I have ever read.! A must read!

There is a shortage of good managers all over the world. This is possibly the most tragic economic reality, since managers are a company's most valuable treasure. Thanks Curt and Gabriel -and Gallup! for showing us how to unlock our managerial ability and create the conditions that make our employees blossom and our customers to come back because the way our employees make them feel. I cherish the invaluable gift of your discoveries and most definitely your individual talent to show us how our companies can grow by unleashing human potential. Hey! This is the first time I see a blockbuster book co-written by a Hispanic! This is great!

I really loved this book! It's an amazing tribute to Jackie, and the pictures are incredible. I've never seen most of them, and so many of the ones with JFK and John Jr and Caroline are so touching. Most picture books have a smattering of photos, but this one seems to cover just about every month of Jackie's life! It's really something to see her as a lovely little girl, maturing into a young woman, and then going through all that she did. The captions are very interesting too, and well-written. If you remember Jackie fondly like I do, you will want to get this book!

In addition to containing many never-before-published photos of one of the most famous women of our times, this book has some very interesting biographical information (extended captions) about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Anyone interested in Jackie and her remarkable life will love this book.

I was captivated by this book. James Spada has compiled several well-known photographs with many photos I had never seen. He does not try to analyse or to delve into the behind the scenes. He presents the photos with a paragraph or two, and lets us glimpse into Jackie Kennedy Onassis's life. I was entranced by the pictures of her youth and the pure beauty and joy in several ungarded moments. A beautiful tribute.

I enjoyed this book and found it well worth the read. I especially enjoyed learning how the theory of human evolution in itself has evolved. I can recall reading books as a kid on this topic which showed the state of human evolution in the 1960s. Much has changed.

The DNA and fossil record point to multiple branches in our "family tree". This has lead to the the author speculating on the existence of multiple human species at various times.

The book seems to focus on the homo hablis and homo erectus part of the family tree. The cement is the Neandertal. If I got it correct, Neandertal's evolved out of homo erectus. But later, another species evolved and slowly replaced the Neandertal's.

Despite being a well writen story about the current state of human evolution, the story of the Neandertal is both interesting and tragic. It ends with them disappearing about 28K years ago, attempting to emulate our direct ancestors.

The DNA sections of this book are interesting and well written. Additionally, the interactions and ego collisions of leading scientists in the field is an interesting side bar. Our knowledge of human evolution hinges on their hard work and skeptical nature.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a meteorologist with an interest in evolution in general. The sections on DNA and how to trace our roots was fascinating. The book is written from a story telling perspective as the author attempted to put together a picture of how "we" evolved. The author showed how different scientific disciplines have converged on some key concepts about our evolution. What better way to improve and build upon a theory. Like all science, it pays to be skeptical at times. The author presented the case for our evolution from several perspectives. The center piece was the Neanderthal man, how like us, share a common ancestor in homo erectus, as I understood the book. As a kid I read about human evolution and was surprised how the theories of what species are in our lineage have changed. The fact that different species of "homo" co-existed is fascinating. The fact that our early ancestors co-existed for thousands of years was also interesting. I found it tragic to see how the Neanderthal's attempted to emulate us before flickering out of existence about 28K years ago. The DNA evidence suggesting an out of Africa evolution was probably a key underlying theme to the book.

I started this book with no interest in human origins whatsoever, and finished it with a keen interest in the field. This is due to the skill with which Shreeve presents the vast and confusing field of paleoanthropology.

What sets this book apart from others in the field is that Shreeve focuses on modern-day humans--the scientists involved in these debates--and lets us discover the ancient world through their eyes. It's easier to relate to the confusion, jealousy and occasional triumphs felt by these scientists than to a bunch of dusty, silent skeletons. The book doubles as both a great overview of paleoanthropology as well as a primer on how scientists really act. These are not cold, detached people in white coats--they really care about what they're doing, and really take it personally.

This is the best science writing I've read in many years.

This is the best novel of Revolutionary American history I have ever read. The story of the Clark family is incredible, especially that of two particular sons, George and William. Perhaps the main theme of this book is leadership. George Rogers Clark was a phenomenal leader. He almost single-handedly won the western frontier during the Revolution. In the end, he was ruined rather than rewarded, for his efforts. As his inner fire dies, it is momentarily rekindled by his young brother, who departs to co-lead the greatest adventure in American History. Thom's depiction of George's brutal marches on Kaskaskia and Vincennes, and the Journey of the Corps of Discovery, is a masterwork.

Although I'm not much of a history buff, I read this book at the advice of a friend. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked. Thom brings the adventures of the Clark family to life. The book is accurate from a historical perspective and leaves the reader with a new appreciation of the courage and sacrifice behind our country's westward expansion. A must read.

I have always enjoyed American history,but this novel as you read it makes it seem as if you are there with the Clarks through good and bad times both. I laughed alot and was at times to the point of almost tears throughout the book. If you are interested in American history this is a must read about the opening of the frontiers during and after the revolutionary war. You will not be disappointed.

This book gives a good explanation on Word 97 and how to use it. Ranging from general windows settings to visual basic for applications (VBA) users from almost any level can find useful advise in this book. Written in an enjoyable style it is an easy read for anyone with interest for word 97. Together with Bill Camarda's 'Using Microsoft Word 97' from QUE for reference/addition you should be able to create some fancy documents.

I would have given this book 6 stars if you'd let me! The fact that Woody refuses to tout the Microsoft party line and tell things as they really are is the most valuable aspect of this incredibly well-written book. I wish I had found this book two and a half years ago when we left the best word processor (may it rest in peace) for Word, a move which left me more than a little bitter. Woody's tongue-in-cheek, yet straightforward approach to Word's idiosyncracies (or is that IDIOT-syncracies?) was a refreshing breath of fresh air! It's saved my sanity on more than one occasion.

Woody and friends have done it again: a tour through the dark corners of the Microsoft creation called "Word." No parrots of the MS party line, this book tells you how to get Word out of the way when you want to get work done. I have just two minor quirks: 1. The book is too short. 2. Many of the procedures repeat basic information, such as backing up the Registry before making changes. Yeah, I know this is need-to-know information, but I read this book (like Woody's Hacker books) from front to back, so it got repetitive. But while this is a great book full of tips, tricks, and hacks to make you more productive with Word (and telling you just *why* that "feature" doens't work like you think it should), it's still not a "Hacker's Guide." Real Word users need a "Hacker's Guide" to this latest incarnation. Until that appears. "Word 97 Annoyances" is the best, most straight-up information you'll find anywhere on how Word works.

Desmond and Moore go beyond some of the "psycho-history" poularizers that seem to hang on to the fringes of evolutionary biology these days, but there is still a whiff of the analyst's couch in too much of this book. The title gives away the bias from the first, so we can't say we weren't warned, but it is odd that Desmond and Moore seem to ignore the enormous amount of evidence (often in his own words) of Darwin the Contented Naturalist, Darwin the Excited Traveller (I strongly encourage anyone really interested in Darwin to go look at Phil Darlington's delightful cartoon of "Chas" Darwin "Hanging Out" at Cambridge in Darlington's wonderful "Evolution for Naturalists") Darwin the Family Man (read Raverat's Period Piece, etc.) The chapters continue in the same vein (Paradise & Punishment, Mental Rioting, Murder, Ugly Facts, etc.) and while they draw heavily on one side of Darwin and darwiniana it is only the one side. For my money Janet Browne's biography is head and shoulders above this -if only she would finish it!

Having read a few Darwin biographies, I've decided that this one is my favorite. The account is objective enough to keep my skepticism from acting up, and I actually agree with most of the analysis that usually prompts reviewers' complaints. If you've read Desmond's biography of T. H. Huxley, then count on this biography of Darwin to present less of the analyst's perspective and more the reporting flavor for which one would hope in reading a book collaboratively produced by Mr. Desmond and James Moore, a self-proclaimed "Darwin Biographer."

The wealth of information in this book about Darwin's life lent a great deal of insight to my perception, as a student of natural science and as someone who is interested in the history of science, of Darwinism, its origins, and its large-scale effects on biological thought as a whole. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is interested in evolutionary biology and its history, and certainly to anyone who wants to better appreciate the life of a man whose work changed the way we understand life.

This is one hell of a riveting biography. I've often read biographies of really interesting people, but the writing is so turgid or lackluster, that I find myself wishing a better writer would tackle this story and do it right. Not so with this one, this is a phenomenal book.

The Charge of the Light Brigade on the 25th October 1854 was one of the three famous engagements that formed the Battle of Balaklava. The Charge, the most famous of all military blunders, was barely over before the process of transforming it into myth began. Accusations, counter-accusations, legal actions and patriotic poetry created more obscuring smoke and dust than the infamous Russian guns. Cecil Woodham Smith traces the careers of two of the major players: Lords Lucan and Cardigan, the brothers-in-law from hell, whose vanity, arrogance and (at least in the case of Cardigan) incompetence, inexperience and crass stupidity, contributed to the fatal Charge. Almost 40 years of peace, and the reactionary influence of the Duke of Wellington, had left the British army in a parlous state of unreadiness and bureaucratic confusion when the call came to defend Turkey against the Russians. The choice of the aged, gentle, inexperienced and unassertive Raglan, as leader of the expeditionary army, only made a bad situation worse. (For a rather more sympathetic portrayal of Raglan, as victim of an inefficient military system, criminally disorganised commissariat and unreasonable government, see "The Destruction of Lord Raglan" by Christopher Hibbert.) A more recent study, "The Charge" by Mark Adkin, provides a detailed and well-illustrated account of the events leading to the Charge of the Light Brigade. Adkin challenges traditional views , including parts of Cecil Woodham Smith's account. Particular attention is given to the role played by Captain Nolan (the messenger). Adkin suggests that Nolan may have deliberately misled Lucan and Cardigan as to Raglan's real intention. Whatever the truth, which is of course unknowable, "The Reason Why" is a genuine classic and an excellent introduction to a fascinating subject.

Woodham-Smith presents, in minute detail, the wages of placing social rank over experience, and even competence. British military history follows a disturbing trend. War starts, Brits get trounced upon, influx of fresh talent and new ideas comes (along with, sometimes, timely intercession by allies), British return to triumph. Woodham-Smith attributes this pattern to the notion in the higher ranks of the army (a notion espoused by the Duke of Wellington himself, pip pip!), that nobility ensures, if not competence, at least loyalty.

The price of this notion, is, of course, massive death, but because the massive death does not happen to the nobility, nobody important really minds. This is one reason the Charge of the Light Brigade, with which _the Reason Why_ primarily deals, was so different, and worthy of eulogizing in prose and song (Alfred, Lord Tennyson, by the way, appears absolutely nowhere in this text)--those dying, those paying the price for the Army's obsession with aristocracy, were aristocrats themselves.

Woodham-Smith manages to trace the careers of two utterly unsympathetic characters--Cardigan and Lucan--in a fascinating manner. This is no small feat, considering the reader will probably want, by the end of _the Reason Why_ to reach back in time and shake both of them, and maybe smack them around a bit.

Again, Cecil Woodham-Smith proves herself a master of the historian's craft, and produces a well-researched, thorough and driving account of what is probably the stupidest incident in modern military history.

The Crimean War changed so much about how war is waged--the treatment of prisoners and wounded being tops on the list of reforms brought about in the wake of the debacle. _The Reason Why_ is an excellent account, and should be required reading for anybody with even a remote interest in military history, or European history in general.

The Reason Why remains the classic study of the intriguing and sadly ludicrous episode in military history known as the Charge of the Light Brigade. The author, coming from an Army family and relying heavily on the writings of officers, largely neglects the experience of the private soldier and concentrates on the main characters in the drama. The story is dominated by these extraordinary personalities, serving as a reminder that war is an inherently human drama. On a second level, it is a criticism of the privilege system of the British Army of the mid-nineteenth century. In retrospect, one is hard pressed to believe such a purchase system could have ever won a victory at Waterloo. Intolerant aristocrats with no experience in battle, paltry leadership skills, and maddening unconcern for the soldiers under their command, bought their commissions. The Charge of the Light Brigade illuminated all of the faults of the system and proved that bravery alone was insufficient for victory. While human blunders led to the debacle that was the Charge of the Light Brigade, the British military system was intrinsically to blame.

The heart of this book concerns the relationship between society at large and the military. Military leaders feared nothing so much as public scrutiny, for widespread discontent could lead to political interference and, indeed, political control of the army. Whether in dealing with the incorrigible personalities of Lords Lucan and Cardigan or in covering up the series of blunders that resulted in the sacrificial ride of the Light Brigade, the military leadership acted with the overriding principle of preserving the Army from governmental control.

The embarrassments of the Crimean campaign proved uncontainable. A great source of difficulty was the incompetence of the Army staff; rank and privilege were held to be superior to actual experience. When these difficulties led to humiliation and defeat, the commanders' concern was not with the men they had lost nor the future of the war effort; to the exclusion of these, their main concern was that bad publicity would appear in Britain, that the public would hear of the lack of success, that the House would begin to ask questions of the military leadership, that the press would begin to criticize the Army. This great fear of political interference was realized in the aftermath of the Crimean War. The author portrays this as the one positive effect engendered by the War effort. A new era of military reform was born in Britain, Europe, and America. Experience now became a prerequisite for command, and officers were trained in staff colleges. The author's final point is that, above all, the treatment of the private soldier changed as the military system was humanized to some degree. Her assertion that at the end of the Crimean War the private soldier was regarded as a hero seems rather bold, but it is clear that he was no longer seen as a nonhuman tool of his commanders' designs.

Jim Masciarelli's book is great for those who are looking to improve the quality of their professional relationships. Not surprisingly, his advice spills over into personal relationships as well. I particularly like his ideas on cultivating and sustaining a "Nifty 50" - the fifty most important professional relationships in your life.

The most underutilized assets in business today are existing relationships. Masciarelli has created a simple framework to help you turn this asset into more business for your organization and more professional growth for you. Best of all, the book is fun to read.

Jim has captured the spirit of networking to its fullest. I had to read it with a pen in hand so that I could immediately start making lists of potential renewed acquaintances or simply an acknowledgement of key professional and personal relationships and why they are important.

I read this book many years ago, but it's impact on me was so powerful that I vividly remember it to this day. Yes it is long and the material is now dated, but the overall content is something every American citizen should read. It will open your eyes to what a farce the so called "war" on drugs really is in this country. It's understandable how our government caves into the corruption when you look at the staggering amounts of money and power plays involved. The now dissolved Centac organization (the focus of this book) is about the only U.S. government agency worth the tax dollars. Their approach was to go after the top men, unlike the DEA and police system making small/mid-level busts every now and then to get good news coverage, while they continue taking their kickbacks and ignoring the kingpins and tons of drugs coming in. This book will make you ripping mad and scare the hell out of you at the same time.

I have read this book twice. It is an amazing story of high crime. when i lend it it never comes back. The reason it is out of print is , as the book says, 'the names are not changed to protect the guilty' from the CIA to the whitehouse, politicians make conscessions with the bad guys. WAR on drugs? HA........ When the government puts its interests before the people it reads like this book. When criminals can operate with impunity, it reads like this book. Excellent......scary, and REAL

America was and is built and surviving on CRIME

Wow, this book should be required reading for an educated adult, this could be used as a university text. This book is hard hitting, realistic and well written about the illegal trade and alliances between Narco-trafficers and governments, whether willing or not. This book exposes the facades and uncovers startling and incredible truths about the impact of illegal drugs on America that the mainstream media just glosses over. I wish this book was still in print. There needs to be more investigative reporting like this to resurrect journalism.

This review refers to the LITV 4th Edition of 2001. It is available in hardback or leather, I have both. Some of the other reviews seem to be referring to the Interliner Bible which contains the Literal Version as a side column of the interlinear. Jay Green's Interlinear Bible is also very helpful as it shows the literal English meaning of each Greek or Hebrew word, along with the side column English (LITV and sometimes KJV/AV depending on edition).

This is the version that I use as a companion in my daily reading of the Authorized Version (see my review of the Cambridge Presentation Edition of the Authorized Version). It is also my normal choice for reference when reading books on Biblical and Theological topics. I also have a copy on my Pocket PC available from OliveTree for free. I have both LITV and AV/KJV on my Pocket PC along with a helpful BibleReader program (free). I believe this also exist in Palm format for free.

The print size is excellent for reading and is pleasing to the eye. All words added for understanding are italicized as in the AV/KJV. The aids are: helpful beginning of chapter outlines, top of page description of notable page content, along with New Testament cross references to quotes from the Old Testament.

I have not found true the "wooden" arguments of the detractors of a literal or word for word translation. Though at times the readings may not be "normal" English, it seems however that understanding is enhanced.

The following is an addition or correction to my earlier review of September 2002:
I wrote this initial review some time ago, however, I have found that it is becoming increasingly rare that I consult the LITV. The AV/KJV and earlier versions with the use of original language helps have been sufficient in my daily reading of both the Bible and other books. In addition, the harsh language contained in the introductory pages have made it difficult for me to give this version or recommend this version to others; even if the actual translation is often helpful to understanding.

"The Literal Translation of the Bible," as the name implies, follows a literal translation principle. This principle simply believes that EVERY SINGLE WORD in the original Hebrew and Greek texts should be translated. In addition, the grammatical forms of words should also be translated as they are in the original texts. So a noun should be translated as a noun, an adjective as an adjective, etc. Moreover, any words added for clarity should be offset in some way, usually by placing them in italics or brackets.

So a literal translation principle produces a very exact reproduction of what God originally said. And I do believe that this method of translating is the only one which concurs completely with the doctrine of verbal inspiration, i.e. the belief that not just the thoughts or ideas of the Bible are inspired, but the very words and grammatical forms of words themselves. It is for this reason that I have been using the LITV (for "Literal Version") extensively for the past 15 years. It is the ideal type for Bible to use for in-depth, personal Bible study.

If fact, I am so much in favor of a literal translation method that I produced my own literal translation of the New Testament, the "Analytical-Literal Translation" (ALT). But there are two main differences between my ALT and the LITV. First, the LITV is based on the Textus Receptus (TR) while my ALT is based on the Majority Text (MT). These two texts are very similar, much closer to each other than either is to the more popular Critical Text (CT), but there are some significant differences between them. And I favor the MT to the TR, but either of these to the CT.

Second, my ALT has "analytical" features included within brackets within the text to help the reader better understand the text.

I produced my own translation not because I thought there were any problems with the LITV. It is truly an excellent translation. But I wanted a translation with these two features that the LITV lacks.

Now an argument often made against using a literal translation method is that it would be too awkward to read. And yes, the LITV can seem a bit awkward when one first begins reading it, especially if one is used to reading a much less literal version like the NIV. But personally, I never found the LITV to be excessively awkward. And one of the comments I have received about my ALT is that it is surprisingly easy to read. This is probably because the analytical features help to explain difficult passages.

So I wholeheartedly recommend the LITV. Even if it takes a little getting used to, the effort will be worth it. It will enhance your Bible studies significantly. It is truly an extremely reliable and accurate Bible version. And if you want another literal translation to compare it to, I would recommend my ALT. And for further details on these two versions, along with additional information on different translation methods and Greek text-types and reviews of about 30 other versions of the Bible, see my book Differences Between Bible Versions.

Human understanding of Christian truth rests on the Bible. Unfortunately, the last century has seen a flood of translations by those who believe they have the gift of being better able to express what God intended than God.

This has proven to be the mechanism by which groups of humans insert their interpretations of what they think the Bible should say. Thus thousands of words are added, dropped, changed, or deliberately mistranslated, causing problems and confusion not present in the original language.

The corruption of Bible versions such as the NIV, NASB, RS, NKJV, etc., is analyzed in detail in the book "Unholy Hands on the Bible".

The Literal Version translation's reason for existence is to NOT add or subtract meaning from the original language texts. Of course, Hebrew, a somewhat pictoral language, and Greek, are not 1:1 compatible with modern English; punctation, capitalization, and paragraphing not present in the original are all interpretive.

Thus scholars often say that a literal translation would not make sense. While the Literal Version's exceptionally careful rendering into English sometimes results in awkward or grammatically fractured results, you will find the opposite is true; meaning often is more clear in the literal rendering than in the garbled, interpretative paraphrasings negotiated by self-selected committees of people more inspired by modern humanism or doctrinal agenda than anything else.

Chances are, you will end up preferring the Literal Version above all other translations. At least you should!

Note that the Literal Version DOES NOT include the original Hebrew and Greek. The same publisher has a separate Interlinear Bible which DOES contain the original Hebrew and Greek, a word-for-word translation underneath, Strong's numbers above (so you can look up the word in a concordance or lexicon and follow the translator's decsiions) with the Literal Translation on the side. The Interlinear is a big book, so the Literal Version by itself may be more appropriate for day-to-day usage.