This condensed commentary can serve its purpose for casual reference. However, this is a reprint of the 1961 Harper's Bible Commentary which we have in our church library. The current Harper's Bible Commentary (see the text "this review refers to the hardcover edition") is a much expanded version.There is a need for a commentary that condenses or summarizes whole chapters or sections instead of verse-by-verse commentary, but don't assume, as I did, that this book is a condensation of the current Harper's Bible Commentary as the information on this page would lead you to believe.For an orientation to the books of the Bible and their themes, the Pocket Bible Commentary can be useful. However, I would recommend "Halley's Bible Handbook," 25th edition. Its summaries of the books are about as long and it has a lot of other useful information.