Suggested Resources for Basic Bible Study

My suggestions here are based on the following premises:

With these premises in mind, this site will help you answer the following questions:

Where should I buy these resources?

What Bible should I get?

What other study resources should I get?

What about Bible software and online resources?

Where should I buy Bibles and study resources?

I put this question at the top to explain my links below. From my experience, the best prices for books and other resources in this field are Amazon or Christian Book Distributors. (And yes, I do have affiliate links to their sites.) With that said, I provide links for you to do your own price comparison. Amazon Marketplace often has good prices on (nearly) new books. I also use Book Burro. It is a Firefox browser addin that searches WorldCat for nearby books in libraries as well as cheapest online prices at a number of other online book sellers (e.g., Abebooks, Alibris, Buy.com, Half.com). I have had only positive experiences with these online retailers, but as always, you will want to check sellers' histories. And don't forget to check out your local stores as well! Read my recommendations below, and then check out this page of shopping links.

What Bible should I get?

I wish this were an easy question to answer, but there are three factors you need to consider:

1) VERSION: There are so many English versions out there! Which one do I want?

2) FUNCTION: Do you simply want a Bible to read, or do you want the Bible text along with tools and information to enhance your reading? Do you want something you can use to take notes? 

3) FORM: Do you want a physical book or a digital edition?

The study Bibles listed in the previous section are all printed, hardcopy books, but you can obtain just about any Bible in a digital format depending on the software you choose. What are some dis/advantages of each?

  BOOKS DIGITAL FORMATS
  Pro Con Pro Con
Medium The printed book is a time-tested medium that should still be usable in another hundred years! Potential of print media applications is limited A new medium with lots of potential Will that same format work in 10 years?
Durability With care, books can last for hundreds of years They are susceptible to various forms of wear, tear, and loss Media should last for decades if not centuries; easy to backup media They are susceptible to various forms of wear, tear, and loss
Portability It is easy to carry a book around It is hard to carry a lot of books around Media is extremely portable Device needed to access media comes in various sizes
Ease of use You don't have to plug a book in or recharge its batteries You do need light Easy to quickly access a large amount of information Need power source; hardware imposes limitations
Personalization You can write in the margins or highlight or annotate a book in a variety of ways If you lose the book (or it gets too used) you also lose your notes Ease and implementation of personalizing tools varies but is highly versatile Will that same format work in 10 years?
Extensibility A book is a book... A book is a book... Variety in implementation, but books can be linked to each other and to other information Will that same format work in 10 years?

What other study resources should I get?

What about Bible software and online resources?