$395 or $19.99? The Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World for your iPad!

A few weeks ago I was alerted to the fact that the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World was available for the iPad—at $19.99.  This is THE best atlas of its kind and the hard copy edition sells for $395.00!

Cover of the $395 Hard Cover Edition

Often I have found that many books that I purchased for my iPad, especially Kindle books, are really “clunky” to navigate!  Try sorting through a Kindle version of any Bible Dictionary/Encyclopedia—an exercise in futility!

BUT the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World is DESIGNED for the iPad and I have found it a “joy” to use.  Instead of rewriting all of its features I have reproduced the AppStore’s description of the product.  One item that I really like is that it has a very accessible index—that really takes you to the place on the one or two maps where the place appears (not hundred’s of meaningless citations—as in a typical Kindle product).  The coverage is from the Scotland to Ethiopia to the Indian subcontinent!

Friends, IMHO this is a “no-brainer!”

—-  From the App Store’s Description with my emphasis in bold and color  ——

Hailed by the New York Times as “the best geography of the ancient world ever achieved” and deemed by classicist Bernard Knox to be “an indispensable tool for historians concerned with ancient times” as well as “a source of great pleasure for the amateur,” the unsurpassed Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World is now available in digital form as a full-featured app for the iPad. Including all the content of the $395 print edition of the Barrington Atlas, app makes this essential reference work more portable and affordable than ever before possible.

In 102 interactive [CR: detailed, with Roman roads] color maps, this app re-creates the entire world of the Greeks and Romans from the British Isles to the Indian subcontinent and deep into North Africa. Unrivaled for range, clarity, and detail, these custom-design maps return the modern landscape to its ancient appearance, marking ancient names and features in accordance modern scholarship and archaeological discoveries. Geographically, the maps span the territory of more than seventy-five modern countries. Chronologically, they extend from archaic Greece to the Late Roman Empire.

A must-have for scholars, this app will also appeal to anyone eager to retrace Alexander’s eastward marches, cross Alps with Hannibal, traverse the Eastern Mediterranean with Saint Paul, or ponder the roads, aqueducts, and defense works of the Roman Empire. Designed exclusively for the iPad, the app uses the latest technology and is available iPad 2 and above.

Features:
•Carry all the content of the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World on your iPad
•Explore and study on the go with interactive color maps and full-screen HD map images–all optimized for Retina Display
•Navigate maps with a finger swipe or tap
•Pinch-zoom up to 800 percent to see all detail
•Find more than 20,000 locations through an interactive gazetteer
•Bookmark locations for quick and easy access
•See all maps in proper orientation in both portrait and landscape modes through automatic “True North” rotation
•Look at maps in the same order as the book and move seamlessly between connected map plates without flipping pages
•View ancient borders or overlay modern borders for reference
•Examine maps in detail with an interactive map key
•Access maps through multiple, intuitive pathways provided by an easy-to-use interface
•Store all data locally on your iPad–no Wi-Fi or network connection necessary
Technical Specifications:
•Compatible with iPad 2 and above.

•Requires iOS 6.0 or later. •Size: 350 MB
•Rating: Rated 4+

Reviews of print edition:

“[The Barrington Atlas] is the best geography of the ancient world ever achieved. . . . [I]t reveals the world inhabit reached by the Greeks and Romans from 1000 B.C. to A.D. 640 in thrilling detail, and a color code lets us track changes through 16 centuries. The collective learning poured into this project is almost intimidating to contemplate and the fact that it could be completed testifies to extraordinary planning, dedication and courage. . . . [T]he cartography is luminous. . . . [M]agnificent.”

–D.J.R. Bruckner, New York Times Book Review

“The Barrington Atlas is a major contribution to scholarship, extensive in scale, reliable and up to date, and so laid as to be really helpful to the user.”
–Jasper Griffin, New York Review of Books

“Beautifully produced with an exquisite combination of scholarly precision and the highest level of cartographic art, this atlas is one of the greatest achievements in 20th-century Greek and Roman scholarship–and it probably will never be superseded.”
–Publishers Weekly

“This atlas is an indispensable tool for historians concerned with ancient times. But it is also a source of great pleasure for the amateur.”
–Bernard Knox, Los Angeles Times Book Review

70 FREE Aerial Views of Israel & Maps

Bill Schlegel, the author of the Satellite Bible Atlas, has made available to those who own his Atlas two wonderful teaching tools.

The first is a complete digital set of the maps that he produced for use in his Atlas.  One of the questions that I frequently receive is “where can I get maps that I can use in my PowerPoint presentations?”  Well, these certainly are useful for that purpose.

View of Caesarea Maritima looking east. In the foreground, protruding out into the Mediterranean Sea is the Herodian Palace. Behind it to the right is the theater and behind it to the left is the Stadium/Hippodrome/Circus. Courtesy of Bill Schlegel, Satellite Bible Atlas.

Recently he has also made available 70 Aerial Photographs of sites of biblical significance.  They are also free to download (for owners of his Atlas).  They are of good resolution and will be useful for personal use and (again) in PowerPoint presentations.  Each image is 300-400 KB in size.  He took them in very clear weather using a drone.

Along with the 70  aerial photos is a pdf document with an entry for each of the images.  Each entry, after naming the image, provides a short synopsis of the biblical importance of the site.  Most of the images are of sites that most travelers to Israel will have visited, but there are also a few of  not–so–frequently visited places, such as: et–Tell, Maqatir, Dothan, Timnah,  Wadi Farah, and Tel Serah (Ziklag).

He has also produced numerous teaching/learning videos that I have previously noted.

William Schlegel’s Satellite Bible Atlas can be purchased here.

Zondervan Atlas in Electronic Formats

I recently purchased the Kindle version of my Zondervan Atlas of the Bible.  I have a number of Kindle books on my iPad Mini and I wondered how the Atlas would look and work in the Kindle version.  When it first came out in Kindle format it actually cost more than the hard copy—over $25.00.  So I waited.  Well, when the price hit $9.99 I hit the “One click Buy Now” button!

I am pleased to say that it looks and works very well.  Because of all of the graphics—maps, charts, and pictures—the hard copy formating of the book is lost, but all of the above items are there!  And they are clear and very pleasing to use.  If you decide to purchase a copy, please be sure to read the “How to Use this Textbook” for it will provide very helpful clues on how to navigate through the book.  In addition, the book, and the extensive “Geographical Dictionary and Index” are hyperlinked and work very well.

Also note that OliveTree Bible Software is now offering an electronic version of the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible in electronic format for the following platforms:  Android, BlackBerry (with card), iPad, iPhone, and Symbian Series 60 v5.  It is also available from Accordance.