The following review of _Encounters With God_ appeared in _Choice_ (Jun. 1999), published by the American Library Association. The reviewer was Bruce Stephens of Pennsylvania State University (Delaware County): "Winner of the Brewer Prize of hte American Society of Church History, this fresh approach to the theology of Jonathan Edwards avoids the narrow specialization of recent studies, yielding a sense of the whole rather than a glimpse of fragments. Twin themes of 'spiritual perception' and Edwards as Christian apologist open onto this larger vista. McClymond (St. Louis Univ.) argues that Edwards's genius was his capacity to delve into the fundamental principles of the inherited intellectual tradition of the Enlightenment and, through deft reinterpretation, to put it to work in the service of his own theology. This reworking of the Enlightenment tradition allowed Edwards to link idea and emotion, the cognitive and the affective, theology and spirituality. Setting major Edwards texts within their larger 18th-century context, McClymond reexamines Edwards's metaphysics in _The Mind_, his spirituality in the _Personal Narrative_ and _Diary_, his ethics in _End of Creation_, his view of history in _The History of Redemption_, and his apologetics in the _Miscellanies_. All of this in 112 well-honed pages, plus 46 pages of insightful notes and a judiciously selected bibliography. Recommended for a wide readership, from undergraduates to research specialists."

In Michael J. McClymond's book, Encounters with God: An Approach to the Theology of Jonathan Edwards, he seeks to synthesize all of Edwards' writing around 'spiritual perception' and 'apologetics,' or 'experiential manifestation' and 'integration.' Surveying Edwards's "reasoned" response to the Enlightenment obsession with reason (as opposed to faith), McClymond sees Edwards as "modern yet with a twist." In the Introduction, McClymond introduces a short historiography of Edwardsean scholarship. He also introduces a bit more, the 'spiritual perception' he sees in Edwards. 'Spritual perception' is the particular attention paid to defining and describing the subjective and objective realities of religious experience, for "Edwards contrasted with the later Romantics, who focused exclusively on the inner experience of religion." To this end, McClymond's comparison between Edwards and Schleiermacher provides a fascinating look into the nuances of religious experience perceived by both men. Furthermore, McClymond uses the introduction to stress the "apologetic orientations of Edwards's spiritual perception" and his "perceptually oriented notion of Christian apologetics." In other words, Edwards labored in his writings to 'teach' spiritual perception while all the while maintaining an 'apologetic' tone. As John Gerstner put it, Edwards was indeed a "rational biblical theologian." Chapter 1 is primarily concerned with defining further and offering examples of Edwards's sprirtual perception. McClymond 'exegetes' some of Edwards's writings, such as Religious Affections, and shows that "there is no dichotomy in Edwards between the spiritual sense of divine things and the philosophical, theological, and historical reflection that may be engendered by it" (p. 26). Chapter 2 shows the apologetic tone in Edwards's metaphysics. In contrast to the "anthropocentrism of the Enlightenment, his metaphysics were primarily theocentric in tone." For Edwards, the measuring stick for all reality is God. After discussing the 'theocentric motif' McClymond delves into Edwards's notions of "God and Being," "God and Knowing," and "God, Beauty, and Causality." Chapter 3 highlights Edwards's contemplation as spirituality and spirituality as contemplation. Expositing the Diary and Personal Narrative, McClymond paints Edwards as a contemplative, a Christian thinker. In contrast to the introspective contemplation of the Puritans, Edwards's "theocentric contemplation" provides a departure from the 'subjective' tradition of his forebearers. Chapter 4 is a look at the ethical strain in Edwards's corpus. Looking at End of Creation, McClymond concludes that, "it does not portray the inscrutable God of Calvinism, who eternally elects some merely for his own good pleasure and whose purposes and actions can be known only after the fact" (p. 58). This is the case because Edwards "anthropomorphizes God" by showing the Aristotelian notion of the "superior man" that is "not subject to the whims of popular approval yet does not ignore well-deserved and well-founded praise" (p. 61). In short, "the God of End of Creation resemebles an enlightened despot in the sense that God possesses unlimited power but uses it for the sake of others" (p. 61). Chapter 5, "Drama and Discernment in History of Redemption," looks at Edwards' view of the unfolding character of history and the "comprehensiveness of God's activity in history" (p. 69). Of course God's providential, paramount activity in history was the death of Christ whereby He secured salvation for His people. Additionally, an eschatological element is present within Edwards's view of history. Acting as a sort of 'contemplative prophet,' Edwards wondered if he would witness the Millennium, beginning in America after the Great Awakening, wherein Christ would reign on earth for 1,000 years. The sixth and final chapter looks at Edwards as Christian Apologist. McClymond charts the obfuscation of God that took place in the modern age and shows the "explicit" and "implicit" character of Edwards's apologetics. Before doing this, however, he looks at the apologetics of William Paley, Joseph Butler, and Frederich Schleiermacher. While these three thinkers took three different avenues in the defense of God, Edwards "is more encompassing than any of [them] yet shows affinities with all of them" (p. 84). The explicit nature of Edwards's apologetics rests with his arguing for the "credibility of Christianity, the existance of God, and the historical evidences for Christianity," just to name a few. The implicit nature of Edwards's apologetics is the subtle way in which he attempts to reinterpret the reigning genres and styles of writing in his own day. He attempted to use his critics' style to defeat them, turning it on its head. As McClymond puts it, "he "baptizes" every eighteenth-century idea and intellectual tradition he could lay hands on" (p. 101). In the Conclusion, "The Religious Outlook in Edwards," McClymond does another sort of historiography of Edwards' thought. In surveying Edwards' worldview, he concludes that "Edwards set for himself the prodigious task of rethinking the entire intellectual culture of his day and turning it to the advantage of God" (p. 112). In this sense, then, Edwards is indeed "modern yet with a twist." McClymond demonstrates his intricate knowledge not only of scholarship on Edwards, but the corpus of Edward's own writings. He articulates the main ideas in Edwards's writings and conveys them in a scholarly, yet readable fashion. He continually prompts the reader to turn the page. Encounters with God is a must for all students of not only American religious history, but American history in general. The quiet, yet profound Puritan from the eighteenth century speaks again!

I've read several dozen books about Wittgenstein's views, and although each has something useful or incisive to say, only Edwards' book hits the nail on the head. Finally, someone gets Wittgenstein right. I would recomend A.C. Grayling's book as an introduction, then Edward's book, and Genova's "Ways of Seeing" and then maybe books on Zen Buddhism and Native American/pre-agricultural beliefs to fill out variations on Wittgensteinian themes.

Edwards does a magnificient job in taking one from Wittgenstein's early work in the Tractatus through his later work in the Philosophical Investigations and On Certainty. It is the clearest and most accesible book to those who want to understand Wittgenstein. The book, while accessible to all, would probably be difficult for someone who has had no exposure to his writings. I recommend it as a must read to truly grasp his philosophy and to understand other philosophers as well, i.e., Derrida, Heidegger, et. al.

I had the good fortune to review this for _Library Journal_ and was dismayed to learn of the author's untimely death before I could send a letter of compliments. He tells us how the less scientific "soul" concept got transformed by scientific interests. But he goes by way of Mary Shelly's _Frankenstein_ (1815), which bootlegged a radical psychology that could not have been taught or allowed in church at the time. Frankenstein's creature was dispatched into a hostile world, abused, etc. and paid "humanity" back with monstrous acts. Mary S. was a teenager when she wrote it, and most popular retellings obscure the point that Reed brings forward.
Readers who like this may also want to read Otto Rank's _Psychology and the Soul_ (1930/1998).

This book is written as an essay, with no footnotes. A bibliographical essay in the appendix serves for documentation. The style is extremely lucid, in spite of the complexity of the intellectual history recounted here. Immensely instructive, original in the connections established and information unearthed, entertaining, marvellous. Can be read as a handbook or as a consecutive narrative (that will hold your attention)

Wistful, poignant and beautifully written, this is a touching and elegaic novel. Blending fact with imaginary events, Hamilton Paterson takes an extraordinary, but true, event from Elgar's life and constructs around it a simple but fabulous narrative about a man at a creative crisis. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Music lovers as well as those who enjoy fine writing will find Hamilton-Paterson's imaginary account of a voyage up the Amazon by Edward Elgar not only entertaining and thought-provoking, but also ultimately very revealing of the contradictions and conflicts in Elgar's character. Hamilton-Paterson's research has been as thorough as his sympathy for his protagonist is obviously deep. This novel won the Whitbread prize for best first fiction

This is a fantastic commentary. I'm not usually the motivated type who takes the time to review a book but, I've so enjoyed Mr. Edwards work that I wanted to share my sentiments. Anyone wanting to swim into the deeper waters of Mark's Gospel will enjoy the journey. "Here's to an ever increasing faith!"

I was surprised to see this commentary hasn't been reviewed, since it is of such high quality. I suspect it is because Edwards, unlike Carson or Blomberg or Bock, isn't a well-known scholarly name. Nevertheless, I rate this commentary "up there" with my favorite NT commentaries: Carson on John, Fee on I Corinthians, O'Brien on Ephesians. If you read and appreciated any of those, you will not be disappointed by this commentary.

The Association of Space Explorers is a unique group of individuals whose only requirement for membership is that one has to have journeyed into space. The goal of the ASE is to bring the excitement and wonder of space exploration to the general public. This book, "The Greatest Adventure" is their second book dedicated to this ideal, and is an excellent companion to their first book, "The Home Planet."

This coffee table book presents some of the best photographs taken of the Earth and a few of the Moon by both astronauts and cosmonauts, from the early days of the space race till the mid-1990's when this book was published. Due to the coffee table format of the book, the high resolution, color photographs are extremely impressive. Accompanying these wonderful photographs is a small piece describing each astronaut's voyage and impression of being in space which includes the entire range of astronauts, from commanders, pilots and mission specialists.

New printings of this book are common, so if it is listed as not being in print, check back frequently, because a new print might be out soon.

Ive read over200 books about Project Apollo to the Moon, and I have to rate this book as one of the best ever on moon landings, and all involved with this miraculous adventure of mankind! The book tells just about everything, covers it all about the missions and has many good excerpts from all the great astronauts from past to present! This is one of the few Apollo/Moon books that deserves an extra special place on anyones coffee table!This book deserves not to be merely looked at, but can be read many times over! I do not own it yet, but have read it twice, and cant wait to purchase it! Ed Gibson and The Association Of Space Explorers have done a wonderful job on this fantastic book of just what the title implies: Going to The Moon was in fact, and still is mankinds greatest adventure to this day, and probably will be for many years to come yet!

First published in 1956, this handbook is an indispensable, up-to-date companion both in the field and in the marketplace. Topics include the vegetable industry, greenhouse vegetable production, soils and fertilizers, water, pests, weed control, harvesting, storage, and seed production. Packed with quick-access graphs, tables, charts, and line drawings, the 4th edition offers new information on drip irrigation, seed germination, plant tissue and sap testing, windbreaks, and weed management. It also gives advice on allowable pesticide and herbicide use and on the latest worker protection standards. The appendix contains sources of vegetable information, providers of vegetable seeds, periodicals for vegetable growers, and U.S. units of measurement and the metric conversion factors. A change from the spiral-bound 3rd edition is a sturdy, flexible cover to help hold pages flat.

I use this book as my first reference work to answer disease and insect problems in vegetables for the public. The layout is extremely easy to use. Each section is very clear and concise. This work is also used for establishing small plot research design that is comprable to the large scale production fields. All the information one needs is in this handbook for vegtable trials and for large scale production. There is very little else on the market that is as comprehensive as this publication and as accurate regarding information provided.

This book was first printed in 1928, well after the trade first put on climbers. Since it's first printing it has been THE textbook for the lineman's trade. It has been used in virtually every apprentice program and was the companion of self taught linehands from the '30s on. Frequently updated, it remains the one place a linehand, beginner to veteran, can go for help. It has progressed with the technology of the trade, the regulations and codes, the materials, and the processes for doing very dangerous work in well thought out procedures that enable electric customers to maintain their service and even be unaware of the work of the power lineman.

This book is THE comprehensive guide that no Line man should be without. It is also an excellent source of information for anyone working with distribution and/or transmission system operation, construction, and maintenance.

This book is one of the best of its type that I have seen. A very handy reference for anyone doing documentation.

It has been the best company as I have been writing my Master's thesis in the computer science field. Whenever I vacillate about how to write or present something in the proper way, I consult with this amazing manual. The ideal answer is "always" there. It is still expensive, but surely I invested my money in the correct place. Thanks for all who participated to introduce such a marvellous product.

I attended a workshop by the author and read his book following the seminar. Both focused on the fact that one must have balance in ones life to be successful. It pointed out that to be mentally tough you must also work on physical fitness. As a result, I lost over 20lbs., ran a marathon, have more time and energy to accomplish more in my life than I ever have. This program is realistic and attainable for the busiest person.

This book was used in seminars at Apple to keep employees at peak performance mentally and physically. It outlines a detailed strategy for adjusting your body chemistry through a combination of diet, exercise, and laughter. I've just finished a weight-loss diet that dropped me 20 pounds to my ideal weight. Now I am going on the mentally tough program to maintain myself at peak performance