Christian Mythmakers is a good overview of some of the thoughts and ideas of various Christian fantasy writers. While the chapter on John Bunyan is basically little more than a summary of Pilgrim's Progress, the rest of the book is interesting and thought provoking. The chapter on Charles Williams is a "must read" for anyone interested in or confused by Williams' work.

This book is a fascinating look at ten Christian mythmakers, that is authors who have used the power of myth to convey Christian truths in a new way. The narrative begins with John Bunyan and his seminal Pilgrim's Progress, continues through George Macdonald, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Williams, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and finishes up with Madeleine L'Engle, Walter Wangerin, Robert Siegel, and Hannah Hurnard.

Professor Hein begins with a short biography of the author, and then proceeds to explain the author's work, examining its theology and significance. I found this book to be quite fascinating, with the author giving me a look at these masterpieces of Christian literature in a way that I had never thought of before. If you are a fan of any of the authors above, then I highly recommend that you get this book!

I had the privilege of taking courses under Dr Hein in the early 90's at Wheaton. He is a very knowledgeable teacher and has great affection for the people he is writing about in this book. If you have any interest in these authors, this book is a must read. I wasn't aware that he had written this book when I came across it looking for books on George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis. As an Economics major, I somehow ended up taking four Lit. classes from Dr Hein because he is such a good instructor and passionate about his subject matter.

To Understand the Christian Faith we must understand the Gospel. Why did Jesus die and for Whom. J.C.Ryle provides an excellent commentary which is brief and very easy to read whether by yourself or in the company of others. In his commentary on John he gives his notes for almost all the words in the Gospel

The Bishop JC Ryle probably wrote these expository thoughts over a 100 years ago. But his comments on the text are timeless and very practical. He has a wonderful gift of being able to glean the messages and the points in each scripture. And he is a master at applying the scriptures to comtemporary life.

Having said that, like all other expositions of holy writ, you need to use Ryle's work judiciously. Every once in a while, he brings out points in a passage that may not be salient for the needs of your sermon. And he sometimes divides passages into smaller sections when you may choose to preach the larger section. But these are minor points. I can think of a number of times when my brain was fried and Ryle provoked my thinking and gave me some seminal expository thoughts. And that's exactly what the preacher needs.

Having very carefully reviewed J.C. Ryle's commentary on St. Matthew's Gospel...and I do mean carefully, I have found him to be matchless for simplicity and depth of insight. I have begun St. John's Gospel and am unsurprised by this classical, pan-Protestant exposition of the Gospels. Here and there is an evangelical Anglican note or two. He appears to be arguing against the ritualist and Oxfordian movement in the Church of England at points, but in no way does this mar or obtrude into the exposition. Their are Puritan elements in the exposition as Ryle explores the soul and its responses to the claims of a sovereign Redeemer. He is an old-school, evangelical, Calvinistic Anglican. I would travel far and wide to hear him, were he alive today. Fortunately, we have his expositions of the Gospels. I look forward to giving the same careful analysis to John's Gospel (already begun) that I did with his exposition of Matthew's Gospel. What a beacon of clarity and poignancy not often heard in American pulpits.

This is a beautifully produced book, with contents that really deserve to be read, Packer should be commended for re-presenting it to a readership it may not otherwise have received. Packer's has written a semi-autobiographical long introduction (longer than Ryle's text, hence the title of the book I guess) to the first (considerably shorter than the second) edition of JC Ryle's classic 'Holiness'.
The first half or so is a large number of short chapters by Packer, appreciating JC Ryle, his life, work, theology etc. You get a good feel of the man who was an amazing Christian, who stood firm for truth, and truly believed in the Church of England despite it's massive faults and so didn't take the easy way out but stayed to do great good. Although his life wasn't the most exciting story (no dramatic conversion, no physical persecution) I found this made him easier to see in my reality, although he was definitely a Victorian. This means that Packer's 'appreciation' isn't as riveting as it otherwise would be, and the fact that Packer does nothing other than 'appreciate' makes it a little unbalanced a look at the man. It was great to see his concern at the number of nominal Christians in the church with no concern for personal holiness, and that really hit home because although this is not quite as big an issue in the UK now as it was then, it is still common. Ryle pleads for these people to change, and for us Christians not to become like them.
Holiness, the actual book, is wonderful, and really outshines Packer's contribution (I think). Packer choose the much shorter first edition because it was more coherent, not as much of a random collection of essays like the more common second edition, and I think he made the right decision considering the purposes of this book.

The book is basically an exploration of the titles/topics of the chapters (Sin, Sanctification, Holiness, the Fight, the Cost, and Growth), which are all relatively self-contained, although, as Packer notes, the flow of thought is obvious.
Ryle does spend quite a bit of time in the book refuting and explaining the consequences of a error about sanctification prevalent in his day, though not so much now, but it is not much of a distraction and in fact challenges us to think of our responses to similar problems today.
Ryle's writing confronts you with your life, and I don't think you will be left unchanged, and so I cannot fail to commend this book to you. The language is not hard, only a hundred years old, and style has not changed that much, and the different context in which it is wrote does not distance you too much from the points he makes.
This book is well worth buying, and reading, especially at this incredibly [low] price.

"I only know it is far easier to be a Christian among singing, praying, sympathizing Christians in a public room, than to be a consistent Christian in a quiet, retired, out-of-the-way, uncongenial home."
As the other reviewers have said, this is an appreciation and should be read sa such. Appreciation or no, Packer reaveals the facts and this makes Ryle enjoyable to read about. Ryle was a man among men in his day and would be a demi-god among men in our day, with so little doctrinal preaching in our midst. What caught me about Ryle was that he was widowed twice and he outlived his third wife, and yet still proclaimed the Word of God.
To be honest, his book holiness is not easy to read. BUt as John Piper said, "Raking is easy, but all you get is leaves. Digging is hard, but you might find diamonds." Ryle stands in the old Puritan tradition. Maybe tough to read, but extremely edifying to the saints when read. His view on Holiness stands in direct contrast with the view of Finney. But that is okay because the Bible stands in direct contrast with Finney. THis book should be read by all denominations: Anglican/Episcopal so that they may appreciate one of their own. Baptists, becasue he preaches like one. Charismatics--so that they might be rescued from their erring ways.
This is a good introduction to Ryle's life and hopefully will accomplish the task that Packer hopes, that one may read more of Ryle, along with the other puritans.

Faithfulness And Holiness: The Witness Of J. C. Ryle by J. I. Packer (Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a superbly presented tribute to Bishop John Charles Ryle, a man who challenged his parishoners to seek greater holiness. Bishop Ryle's own testimony "Holiness," first published in 1877, is included in its entirety within the pages of Faithfulness And Holiness. A profound reflection upon Ryle's life, ideals, work, and legacy is a powerful and moving work of faith and joy, Faithfulness And Holiness is very highly recommended for Christian Studies reading lists and reference collections.

Nice follow-up to "Fields and Pastures New". As a Rural Southerner I particularly appreciated the way he delt with the issue of hunting. He is able to get away with "poking fun" at the rural South because he does so in a honest and respectful manner. You can tell he has "been there, done that".

I was raised about 60 miles from Choctaw county, Alabama. As a practicing veterinarian, I found so many of Dr. John's experiences similar to my own. This is a facinating profession and it is wonderful to see that it is the same most everywhere. Dr. McCormack seems to find the humor in most all situations that would be at the least frustrating for the rest of us. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good belly laugh. It pokes fun at the rural South, but I can say from experience, he doesn't exaggerate all that much!!!

I loved this book. I am an animal lover and John McCormacks detication to his work just amazed me. I loved a Friend of the Flock, and it made a great topic for the essay I had to write for my english class. I hope more people are able to read it. I also hope my review is helpful to them.

*Goodbye, My Little Ones* concerns a case of serial infanticide in New York state. A prosecutor was working on a case in which a father was tried and convicted for murdering one of his three children. (He was in fact suspected of having killed all three.) An expert witness brought the prosecutor's attention to an earlier case, in the late 1960s, in which several children in another family had supposedly died of SIDS (crib death); the witness believed those were homicides also. Eventually the prosecutor reopened that case, and the mother, Waneta Hoyt, was convicted in 1995. I particularly like true crime books with a medical angle. This one includes interesting information on the history of SIDS research. Two of Hoyt's children (identified only by their initials) had been included in a major paper on SIDS in 1972, but almost from the very beginning some physicians suspected that those cases were homicides. The authors' style is a bit more reportorial and brisk than the work of some other writers in this genre; Ann Rule, for instance, takes more time to develop the atmosphere of a setting. This book moves the reader right along without, however, slighting any points of detail or character

this book is full of information about Waneta Hoyt but it also is about another parent who killed his babies. Stephen Van Der Sluys also murdered his babies because they were in his way & he did not want to take care of them. Charles Hickey does know how to tell a story.

A very well written book. This is a story that needed to be brought to book to let people take a look at what happened in the family life a Waneta Hoyt and the deaths of babies; Eric, James, Julie, Molly, and Noah. Thanks should go to William Fitzpatrick, DA and to all the investigators for bring these murders to light. Also thanks to the author and contributors. This story will make you mad for what Waneta did, sad for the innocent babies and relieved for some justice. A must read!

This book is great and all, the only problem is, you have to make sure you know the words in shorthand already. This book doesn't waste any time and goes straight to the transcription, but that may not be so good for new users. Other than that, this book is great and really goes indepth with the way to transcipt your shorthand notes.

This book is VERY good for learning Gregg shorthand. It shows the forms clearly and has lists of brief forms. The sentences that are written in shorthand in the front of the book are written in English in the back for easy decoding. It explains shorthand very well, and is an all-around great book for learning to write in shorthand.

Years ago I went to secretarial school and learned shorthand. I use it to this day. It's a wonderful way to take notes when people are talking to you on the phone, reminder notes to do this or that, grocery lists, whatever.

Yes, it takes time, work, and drill to learn shorthand. Yes, it's worth your while! Once you know shorthand, you will never have to hide your gift list again .

This is a very genuine and accurate account of a subject that has always fascinated me. It is written by the person who would know the material best--a genuine Civil War soldier--in excruciating detail and a suprisingly lively, colorful style for a book of nonfiction, not the stuffy, pompous style of encyclopedias. It contains well-articulated, balanced, open-mided opinions that are probably as unbiased as is possible for someone so close to the source.

Be aware, though, that this book contains only the personal experiences of the author, and is thus a source of information only about the Union, not the Confederacy. Still, it is an extremely informative book that reads almost like a novel, and I highly recommend it to any intellectual who is curious about conditions for the common soldiers in the American Civil War.

Hard Tack and Coffee is a unique, entertaining. and informative book. Where most Civil War books write about a particular battle, campaign, or biograph a particular general or personality, Hard Tack And Coffee differs in that it covers none of these things but discusses the daily life of a Union Civil War soldier -- food, dress, duties, clothes, badges, bridges, mules, wagon trains, signal flags, etc... I found this very entertaining and a quick read.

If you are only going to read 1 book about the Civil War, I wouldn't choose this book. But if you plan to read a bunch, then you should include this book for sure.

Josh Billings served with the 10th Mass Battery of Light Artillery during the Civil War. After having written the Official "History of the 10th Mass Battery" he responded to numerous requests to write a book about daily life in the Union Army. "Hardtack and Coffee" is an unpretentious, humorous look at life in the Union Army, Particularly the Light Artillery During the Civil War. Mr. Billings paints a vivid picture of living life under canvas, in the field. He addresses such topics as Army food, The day by Bugle calls, Beats (people who "avoided work"), punishments and more. This book is not a comedy, but is written with a light and readable style that makes it interesting to the average reader, as well as to those interested in the Civil War. this book is a must read for all readers of Civil War literature.

Since I live in what might be called "Mosby's Back Yard" --- the Washington, DC suburbs of Northern Virginia --- I thought I should learn something about this man for whom several local streets, highways, and bridges are named. A friend recommended "Mosby's Rangers" by Jeffrey Wert; my wife suggested a new book, James Ramage's "Gray Ghost." But I opted to begin my study with Mosby's own account of his adventures: his own memoirs.

I know that old soldiers tend to exaggerate their war stories; and they occasionally ramble. But Mosby's Memoirs are still fascinating, and I think the exaggeration is kept to a minimum. The story does get a bit bogged down in Chapter 12 --- talking about events leading up to Gettysburg. The good colonel, like all soldiers, is also somewhat wordy discussing the merits and failures of various generals and officers in the war.

Still, all things considered, I found this to be quite interesting. I don't usually read military memoirs, but I enjoyed this. Now on to "Gray Ghost!"

Oh, another thing that made this book (and, presumably any book on John Mosby's exploits) fun to read: he mentions so many towns, roads, and places already familiar to me. Last weekend I took a drive to Beaverdam, VA just to see what was left of the train station near where the Yankees captured Mosby early in his career (he was shortly released). Couldn't find the station, but the tracks are still there! If you're familiar with Northern VA & the Shenandoah Valley, check out this book!

(submitted by Jeremy Richmond) Great book about Confederate guerilla cavalryman John S. Mosby(he says that he was termed a "bushwacker" by Union guys). He has great descriptions of what he did.

I read this book in less than 3 weeks! It was great, and for those who don't know the Civil War it's even better because you don't know what's about to happen. I really liked it, and you should check it out.

Please note that the review posted in 1999 by a Dallas reader is not written by that person, but was taken from my review in Scram magazine. -Kim Cooper, editrix

This is one of the more profound true-crime books I have read. A gripping, hair-raising tale of the life and thrill-killings of odd-ball Charles "Smitty" Schmid, of Tucson, Arizona, back in the pre-pot days of the mid 1960's. These people swelter in the desert, run amok and raise all holy hell. Author John Gilmore paints a painstakingly accurate picture of life in those Sixties times. It is a sad, stunning, brutal, and amazing tale. A knock-out book you will read more than once.

COLD-BLOODED by John Gilmore is a fascinating study of the 60's suburban nightmare. "Smitty" was a charismatic rich kid perpetually surrounded with adoring underlings. They didn't seem to mind his peculiar appearance (heavy Man-Tan makeup, a ghoulishly enlarged beauty mark, lace-backed boots stuffed with trash, so he'd look, uhm, taller) or his oft-confessed propensity for murder. These kids spent their time hanging out, racing cars, listening to rock and roll, and swinging. Probably they all would have grown up to become our parents had not Schmid felt compelled to pull a Leopold and Loeb on a neighborhood girl. Later he repeated the trick on a persistent ex- and her baby sister, his best buddy finked to the cops, and this so-called "pied piper" got shipped off to the big house, where he was himself murdered. Gilmore got in good with many of the key players, and lets them speak as length about their world: it's a strikingly amoral and enticing place. In his letters and speech Schmid comes across as a brainy baby nihilist; it's a shock to see his illiterate scrawl reproduced. On the down side, this oversized format with its dull twin columns is hard to read, the trial coverage is confusing, and characters sometimes get lost in the tedium of the layout. But Gilmore had great material to work with, and aficionados of juvenile delinqueny and youth culture will certainly want to seek this out.

This book is a job well done, and fits right up there on the shelf with the Classics of True Crime.

The text is a good introduction to fungi with several excellent black and white pictures and illustrations. The text also contains an extensive glossary of mycological terms. However, as other reviewers have indicated, the text appears to be written for people with at least a general biology background. As a microbiologist, I find this book to be a perfect reference for fungi.

This textbook is designed and geared towards individuals with already a basic understanding of fungi. Unlike the title, one should be acquinted with basic terminology so that the reading is more instructive and helpful. Once a basic understanding is established, this book can be a great aid when exploring the world of fungi either scientifically or for leisure purposes only. The figures are very useful and the book is well organized and easy to follow.

Last month I began browsing my 1962 edition of Introductory Mycology. Lo and behold I read through the whole book over a weekend. This book was our bible for the Mycology 100 course in grad school. I was noticing how good the narrative and drawings were in this classic. The book is not a glitzy tome so common in textbooks today. Each class of fungi is dealt with separately and there are extensive references at the end of each chapter. Of course because of the date of my edition some of the references are dated. However, the basic science here is solid and presented in a pedagogical manner. The chapter on class Basidiomycetes deserves special mention. The basidium development narrative is just superb. If you have an interest in fungi and want to delve deeper into this important living group then get this book. It will serve you well for years to come just as it has done for me.