If you go with what most people are saying about the NIV Life Application Study Bible you can't really go wrong if you ever decide buying it.
It's without a doubt the most popular study Bible you can find on the market today.
But one good translation you might consider that is also popular is the NLT (the New Living Translation).
Those who have it, really love it.
And it is not coming too far behind the NIV.
You have also the KJ, the NKJ and the NASB.
But the NIV and the NLT remain the most popular versions.
You can have the NIV Life Application Study Bible in different formats like hard copy and leather-bound, as well as in normal or larger print.
The hard copy is published by Tyndale and the leather-bound mostly by Zondervan.
As for why this type of Bible is so popular I think that by taking a peek inside it is pretty obvious.
If you open the book on the Old Testament you will find - if you are familiar with the Bible - the first book called Genesis along with statistics about who wrote it, to whom it is addressed essentially, as well as where and in what time it was written.
And you are also introduced to whom are the most important characters in that particular book and in what period of times they lived.
Introductions to each book is common to almost all study Bible.
But what is unique to that Bible is the personality profiles it has on the major characters you will find with their strengths and their weaknesses.
You have also a blueprint of the different stories with references to what chapters and verses you can find them in the book in question to make your research easier.
You have a map of the regions to where those events took place as well as notes along with it.
Then you have the usual Bible text with cross references on the right margin and notes underneath.
That's only an example of what you can find in this particular study Bible.
If you go almost to the back-end of it you will find the index to the notes in alphabetic order, as well as maps and charts.
One thing that I like is the harmony of the Gospels incorporated in this Bible.
It really puts the life and story of the main and most important personality of the Bible - Jesus Christ - into better perspective.
So there you have it.
Of course this is only a pale view of what you can find inside, but you have a small idea.
The NIV Life Application Study Bible is found either in local Christian bookstores or with well-known online retailers like Amazon.
com at a fair price.