The Books and the Parchments is a classic text on the history and origins of the Bible, explaining the languages in which the Bible was written, how the books of the Bible were chosen, and the Bible’s transmission and translation from the earliest translations to the most popular English versions. Included are sections on the "Lost Books of the Bible", the Apocrypha, and other early Christian books. Written for non-specialists it bears in mind the questions which are most frequently asked about these matters.

The book had its beginning as a series of articles in The Believer’s Pathway, a small Scottish Brethren monthly. "As a popularization of material usually found in more technical publications," Bruce said in his understated way, it "appears to have been found useful."

The Aberdeen Press and Journal described The Books and the Parchments as "sound scholarship, comprehensive knowledge, and a rare instinct for what is relevant...there is not a single dull page."

F.F. Bruce (1910-1990), known as the dean of evangelical scholarship, had a passion for proclaiming the Bible as God’s guide for our lives. He was Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester in England. A prolific writer, his commentary volumes and other works are considered classics. His work New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable was selected by Christianity Today as one of the top 50 books of all time which shaped evangelicals. Bruce combined an immense contribution to evangelical scholarship with a passion for proclaiming the Bible as God’s guide for our lives. He used his great knowledge to explain the Bible simply and clearly.