Happiness comes in Amazon boxes! I bought a few books and decided I needed, at long last, the Good News Bible, also called Today’s English Version—now usually referred to as the Good News Translation (GNT) to communicate that it’s an actual translation, not a paraphrase.
It originally came packaged as “The Good News for Modern Man,” with several newspaper mastheads printed on it—for a “ripped from today’s headlines” feel. The publisher’s effort to make the Bible sound “relevant” and contemporary in its day seems hopelessly quaint today. (For one thing, no one uses the word “man” to refer to both men and women anymore.) I’m sure there’s a lesson there for those of us who plan and lead contemporary worship!
The GNB, while no longer popular amidst the glut of contemporary English translations and paraphrases crowding the shelves, is still a well regarded translation that has been widely embraced among Protestants of all stripes and Catholics. But I mostly wanted it for its famously beautiful line art, by Swiss artist Annie Vallotton. I read somewhere that she’s the most widely published artist in history, simply because of the popularity of the GNB back in the ’70s.
Vallotton’s work is a treasure, and I’m glad that even recent editions of the GNB continue to include it. These drawings have aged very well!