The Peters took their avocation of loving and studying Virginia architecture and combined it with their vocation as historian and photographer to create this great resource. If you are the kind of person who wants to know the real details behind Virginia public architecture, this is the text to have on your shelf. You get an insider's play book into Thomas Jefferson's inspiration and influence, and which of his builders worked on what projects and why. You also get the nitty gritty of what the battles were like leading up to the structures becoming a reality. The color photos by John Peters are calendar quality, and even if you are not a Virginian, they crisply illustrate how the Old Dominion influenced municipal and governmental architecture all over the country,and maybe even in your own town or state.

Are you looking for family devotions that are FUN...SHORT...and DO-ABLE?

If you want your family to grow in faith, then "Your Family Time With God" is an invaluable tool. This one-year devotional brings the whole family together for short, meaningful times of study, discussion, Bible memorization, and prayer. Each week's devotional is centered on one of fifty-two key foundational values to the Christian faith, such as forgiveness, patience, holiness, and attitudes.

Now the entire family will benefiit from John Maxwell's proven method of devotional study first introduced in "One Hour with God."

"A brief time of family devotion and prayer has proven to be the most powerful in cementing families together and building children's spirituality. The rub is how to keep those times interesting and challenging. John Maxwell has helped solve that problem with "Your Family Time with God," a most practical tool that lasts for a complete year." -- Dr. Tim LaHaye

I first saw this book on a friend's coffee table, noticing the narrow black and white image, and taking note of the title, I opened the book. My first words were "Oh, my God", the next sentence was "Jesus Christ this book is horrible!" I believe that an image can speak volumes, Without Sanctuary virtually screamed at me. I have an undergraduate degree in African American history and a master's degree in American history, I am extremely familiar with the subject matter portrayed in these pages, but to see that horrifying collection of gruesome images, in a postcard format was almost more than I could handle. In spite of the jarring effect the pics have on the viewer, I feel it is an excellent reference book and sheds valuable insight on the attitudes that formed the historical relationship between blacks and whites in America. I would highly recommend it to all people, especially white people, who often shy away from the more grusome parts of their past.

Once you see the pages, issues like racial profiling, proposition 209, Jasper, Texas, etc., and the continued discrimination of non-white people begins to make more sense.

The title of this book is appropriate too for it speaks to the fact that Black people were literally without sanctuary in the face of a lynch mob.

"Without Sanctuary brings to life one of the darkest and sickest periods in American history. . . . The photographs in this book make real the hideous crimes that were committed against humanity. . . .such atrocities happened in America not so long ago. These photographs bear witness to the hangings, burnings, castrations, and torture of an American holocaust." From the Foreward by Congressman and 1960's Civil Rights Leader, John Lewis. These lynchings are portrayed on picture postcards that were sent to friends and relatives of the lynch mobs. "At a number of country schools the day's routine was delayed until boy and girl pupils could get back from [viewing] the lynched man. . . .The degree to which whites came to accept lynching as justifiable homicide was best revealed in how they learned to differentiate between 'good' and 'bad' lynchings. . . .'The best people of the county, as good as there are anywhere, simply met there and hanged Curl without a sign of rowdyism. There was no drinking, no shooting, no yellings, and not even loud talking.' " The victims were Black and White, Male and Female, Young and Old. Some were burned after hanging, others were burned before hanging. California and Duluth, as well as Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina lynchings are all represented. Even the Jew, Leo Frank, is photographed. Only 4000 copies of this first edition have been printed. "We must prevent anything like this from ever happening again."

If you are a collector of early photos,and you also collect books on early photo collections,this book is a must as an extremely important part of your collection.It contains several pages of readable text on some noted lynching events in small but sufficient enough detail,descriptions of plates and their photo types in the back,and what other early historical photo collection book are you going such a wealth of this type of portrait?I rate this one up there with Stanley Burn's sleeping beauty(another important photo collector book).There is no doubt that this book is a must!Just get it!

The Annotated Alice provides a treasure chest of information on the two Alice books and on the man, Lewis Carroll who was responsible for their creation.

Martin Gardner provides annotations throughout the texts of both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Gardner's annotations help explain the inside jokes and mathematical and linguistic puzzles that fill the stories.

Reading the Alice books as an adult is quite a different experience than it was as a child. The books' complexity really stands out on a careful reading. In fact, what are generally regarded as children's stories can be amazingly frustrating to read due to the complexity of the language and the almost constant stream of puns that are sometimes lost on modern audiences. One must remember that the stories are told purely for fun. Unlike other Victorian children's literature one gets no morals, plot development, or character development here. Alice is a yound child who stays a young child throughout her adventures. She neither matures or learns anything from her adventures.

This is a very nice volume in its own right. It contains complete authoritative texts of both books and includes the supressed episode "The Wasp in the Wig." The original Tenniel illustrations are crisp and clear. The only difficulty is that the annotations are placed on the same page as the text in a small column that sometimes supplies more information than the text itself. The annotations themselves range from the definitional to the clearly eccentric. One can read all of them or only the ones that he or she is interested in.

On the whole this is an excellent volume well worth the effort to read if one has any interest in the world of nonsense literature.

I finally, and seemingly permanently, misplaced the 40 year old copy of 'The Annotated Alice' (which I had pilfered from my mother's bookshelf) for the last time. I can't go more than a month or two without it so I rushed to buy a new copy...just weeks before the more beautifully bound 'Definitive Edition' was published. No matter, now I have two (perhaps even three if the original turns up).

My point is that this book contributed more to my understanding of logic and wordplay than several semesters of college philosophy classes. If you've read this far then I am probably preaching to the choir but 'Alice in Wonderland' can hardly be classified as a childrens' book, dispite Disney's attempts to do so. The concepts Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner bring to this tale cover such areas as set theory, meta-language, Aristotelian logic, topography, game theory, several pre-Socratic logic paradoxes, and even quantum physics. Yet John Tenniel's original illustrations remain as an welcome tether to the original publication.

Gardner does a wonderful job of bringing all the various aspects of these two stories together as he illuminates layer upon layer of meaning that might not be evident to an American audience or, for that matter, a 21st century one. My favorite gems are the French and German translations of The Jabberwocky.

This book ranks in my top five favorite books of all time.

The title of this book says it all--more annotations than a Richard Posner book, and as definitive an edition as one can expect. It is a bit peculiar to imagine a simple children's story dissected to pieces, but the researchers and editors behind this volume from Norton (purveyors of some of the best academic editions) bring new light to the hidden humor and brilliance behind Lewis Carroll's works. Featuring original artwork from the first edition, as well as some abandoned passages, you will not find a more complete version of Carroll's Alice tales anywhere else. A must-have for the children's lit bookshelf in your home library.

I love these books. Travis McGee is one of all-time great fictional wise guys. He's witty, and pretty resourceful. The Florida setting makes a great backdrop and the books are full of action. The McGee brand of private eye was a masterstroke on the part of MacDonald. McGee is just a seemingly innocent beach bum that makes his money stealing money from those who have previously stolen it from someone else.

In this opening book of the series, McGee takes on an ex-con that stole some goods belonging to a friend of a friend of McGee's. That's all you need to know of the plot. The real enjoyment of these books are the journeys McGee travels.

There's a funny stream of misogyny that runs through this series that I have to comment on. McGee's exploits with women are much in the vein of James Bond, but MacDonald, I think, seems uncomfortable with the fact, because McGee is always rationalizing his behavior and the author's sympathies seem to be with him. One way or another, McGee always has some deeper reason as to why his constant use of various women is actually doing them a whole lot of good. Travis McGee is the sensitive womanizer. Now, I've never met such a person, but if one existed, I think that he'd spend the majority of his time on the analysts couch. This is just the first book, but when you're ten or twelve deep into the series, you'll no doubt laugh as McGee says something like, "All the women mean something" after one dies the sudden, yet requisite, death.

Anyway, these books are fun and their goal is to entertain, and they do just that. If you read one or two, there is a good chance you'll read all of them sooner or later. I usually take one on vacation.

After reading all of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books, I would say that The Deep Blue Good-By is the best way to meet the greatest character of the detective-story genre. Imagine the best qualities of Hammett's Continental Detective Agency Operative and Sam Spade, Chandler's Philip Marlowe, and Cussler's Dirk Pitt combined with a unique personality that is impossible not to love. MacDonald's characterization is unmatched in almost all authors I have read, and his story-telling skills are amazing. But most impressive are his social commentaries voiced by McGee in interior monologue; nearly all the nigh-cynical observations voiced by Mcgee were true in MacDonald's time as well as ours. If you love a good story, regardless of whether or not you like mysteries, you will love this book. One word of caution, though-- once you read this, you will be hopelessly addicted to the world of Travis Mcgee.

"Home is the 'Busted Flush,' 52-foot barge-type houseboat, Slip F-18, Bahia Mar, Lauderdale."

Is there any address in American literature so readily identified? Probably not. It's the home of Travis McGee, "knight in tarnished armor," and central character of the over-20 volumed series by John D. MacDonald.

With quite a following of readers around the world (my first McGee was while vacationing in Torremolinas years ago and needing something to read while soaking up the Spanish sunshine and absorbing the sangria deliciosa!), MacDonald's hero, along with his sometimes bizarre assortment of friends, enemies, and hangers-on, goes from one adventure to another. Each of the McGee books contains a color in the title, easily recognizable. And it's not purple prose either! MacDonald, a best-selling novelist for years, has more than just a storyline to carry his books. Certainly, McGee is his principal concern. He's "retired" most of the time--he only goes back to work when he sees he's running out of money. He'd rather stay aboard his houseboat and entertain his friends that work. He claims he's taking his retirement one day at a time!

"The Deep Blue Good-by" is the first in this series, published in 1964. It is amazing, too, that in reading it here in the year 2000, the book still stands as relevant now as it was then. McGee, as usual, finds himself befriending and then helping out Cathy Kerr, who has come to him in desperation. Her misfortune has been to meet up with Junior Allen, "a smiling, freckle-face stranger" with depravity on his mind and a more odious person you don't want to meet. There is also something about missing inheritance. McGee is unable to resist and from the moment he accepts the challenge, the reader is glued to the pages.

MacDonald's style is terse (some would say Hemingwayesque--one of MacDonald's favorite writes, incidentally) and moves rapidly, a pace easy to keep up with but one that if you blink, you might miss something. But who wants to blink when MacDonald is on a McGee crusade! The author's knack for piercing characterization, his ability to capture the landscape and atmosphere of "Lauderdamndale," and his penchant for a good story make this first episode one not to be missed. True, the McGee books ordinarily don't have to be read in sequence, it's still a good idea. Over the course of the series, naturally, an affinity toward complete understanding of Travis, and his good friend Meyer, keeps readers truly involved.

"The Deep Blue Good-by" is a "hello" to a great series!

Billyjhobbs@tyler.net

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most clever and entertaining books yet written. The author's use of language is extremely appealing to the younger readers. These young readers are attracted to this book because of the author's use of many songs. For instance the lullaby sung by the duchess to her child. The Mock Turtle also sang to Alice and the Gryphon a song about the Lobster Quadrille. The author also uses poems that are entertaining and fun to listen to. "You are Old Father William" is one of the many poems. Not only does the author use poems but she also uses commonly known poems and changes the words to fit the character saying them. For instance the Mad-Hatter sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in different words saying "Up above the world you fly, Like a tea-tray in the sky." If this isn't a unique way of writing I dont know what is. Another style of her writingthat is appealing is when she creates a picture, using words in a poem, about the poem. Yhis is used on page 37. The words in the book are nbot hard so the book can be enjoyable when it is being read, not stressful. The author brings animals to life which is an interesting style of writing. This is Lewis Carroll's style of writing. The main character in this book is a little girl with blonde hair named Alice. This child is full of fantasies and dreams, which is what the book is about. Alice is very curious and likes to know every little detail. She thinks she is very smart. For example, when Alice is listening to the Dormouse's story she asks questions like "What did they live on," and makes smart comments such as "They could'nt have done that you know, they'd have been ill." She is also a little bit bratty, especially to the Dormouse when she says: "Nobody asked your opinion." These characteristics pull together to make an interesting main character and to create a fabulous story. The theme of the story is sometimes you need to take a break out of every day life and dream of fantasize. This makes your life more interesting even if you dream about things that will never come true. Alice does this when she dreams about changing sizes and listening to talking animals. Dreaming doesn't hurt anyone except the people who don't do it. If nobody ever had dreams life would be extremely stressful and boring. The plot of the story is all about Alice trying to find the white rabbit, which of course is in her dream. Following the white rabbit takes ALice to interesting places, such as the Courtroom filled with animals, and the Duchess' house, along with meeting interestingpeople such as the Cheshire-Cat and the Queen. This amazing cat hes the ability to disappear whenever it wants to and it always smiles. In the end Alice finds the white rabbit and then wakes up from her dream. This is the plot of the story. The story is effective to the reader. This is so because after listening to such acreative dream and fantasy, it inspires people to take a little time out of the day and be creative and dream once in a while. All the parts of this five star story; the writer's style, the main character, the theme, and the plot; come together to create the overall effectiveness of the story. This is why I rated this book five stars.

I really like Alice in Wonderland and its sequel because it is so whimsical. The way Dodgson made fun of Alice so much makes one laugh until tears come pouring down. He based the character Alice, on his friend; a real life Alice. Throughout the book, he constantly makes references to her, or something related to her. For example, when a character asks her the exact day Alice replies May 4th. May 4th is the real life Alice's birthday. Alice walks through Wonderland, and she sees many strange things, but thinks otherwise. If you like poems, you will certainly like Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, for both books contain numerous poems. However, in the book Carroll takes the original poems and creates a parody out of them. Something interesting to know is that all the poems relate to the chapters. These are all minor details, but something to muse over. On the surface, Alice in Wonderland is a book where she meets weird creatures and walks away from them always feeling humiliated, as she thinks she is smarter than she really is. That is most of Alice in Wonderland.

Alice through the Looking Glass is similar to the prequel, yet glaringly different. The whole book revolves around a chess game, and so the character's actions correspond to moves on the chessboard. Alice joins in the game, starts out as a white pawn, and proceeds to move until she becomes a queen. At each square, she meets a new character, but in one chapter, characters from the previous book are in this one too. An important thing to know in this famous classic is that everything is backwards. It makes sense since Alice is on the other side of a mirror, yet she encounters difficulty sometimes in understanding this. But in the end, she manages to become a queen and to checkmate the red king. Both books are very enjoyable, and I strongly advocate both children and adults to read it. Enjoy!! Cheers!!!!! : )

When I was assigned Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass to read for my Victorian Literature class, I was excited. Even though I had heard Alice's Adventures in Wonderland referred to countless times throughout my youth, I had never read the story or seen the movie. I had never heard of Through the Looking Glass, but while reading, I realized that many people who think they are talking about AAIW are actually referring to TTLG. The two texts seem to be conflated in a way that makes them indistinguishable from each other. It is for this reason that I enjoyed reading this edition of the texts. There is only a page separating the two stories, which allows the reader to easily make the transition between them. This small separation also allows the reader to recognize the undeniable connection between the texts and to understand why many people combine them in their minds.
AAIW is about a young girl named Alice whose boring day with her sister is interrupted when a white rabbit runs by her saying, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" Alice's curiosity is aroused, but surprisingly not to a great degree. This is the first hint to the reader that Alice is not an average child, as she seems to believe that a talking rabbit is quite normal. She does become intrigued, though, when the rabbit produces a clock from his pocket, so she follows it down its hole and enters a world of wonder. I loved the story from this point on. It is filled with such unbelievable creatures and situations, but Carroll's writing style made me want to believe in a world that could be filled with so much magic and splendor. There was never a dull moment in the story, and each page was filled with more excitement. I will offer a warning, though. This story is not for those who like a neatly packaged plotline. It is written in a somewhat discontinuous nature and seems to follow some sort of dream logic where there are no rules. However, I enjoyed the nonsensical pattern. Without it, a dimension of the story would be lost. It offers some insight into the mind of a young, adventurous, fearless girl, and Carroll seems to be challenging his readers to be more like Alice.
The second text in this book, TTLG, is again a story about Alice. In this adventure, Alice travels through a wondrous world on the other side of her looking glass. As in AAIW, Alice again encounters absurd creatures, such as live chess pieces and talking flowers. The land she travels through is an oversized chessboard, which gives this story a more structured plot than AAIW. The chess theme provides Alice with sense of what she must accomplish in the looking- glass world, and it provides the reader with a sense of direction throughout the story. Alice's goal is to become a chess queen, so the reader knows that when she becomes queen, the story will be over. However, just because the story has some structure does not mean that it is not just as wild and marvelous as its predecessor. I enjoyed all of the characters. They seem to have an endless supply of advice that people in the 21st century can still learn from. My favorite example is when the Red Queen says, "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" Maybe what Carroll is suggesting is that if we read more nonsensical, unbelievable stories like his, we won't be so afraid to be adventurous and fearless like Alice; so that the next time a white rabbit runs by us, we might just see where it leads us.

I just completed review and reading of Porter's Bio. on Coltrane and I must agree with most of the positive comments on this book. I also found the comments regarding Dr. Simkins book to be a little unforunate, because I spent a lot time verifying much of Simkins work. However, I believe this to be the best book on Coltrane I've read. It compares with Bill Coles book which I also think is particularily good with respect to the musical analysis. As a musician, I was fascinated by the explanations on Coltranes' musical formulas and use of wonderful motifs. I have numerous transcriptions from Andrew White, but without the discussion of some of the mechanics it was difficult to understand how to apply the works. I wish Mr. Lewis would have included additional photos. I believe there is a wonderful opportunity for someone to issue a photo Bio. on coltrane which would be well received. I consider myself a Coltrane expert and own almost all legally published materials (some bootlegs too)on "Trane", but I actually learned some new "stuff". I recommend Lewis' book wholeheartly. This book will give you a real opportunity to appreciate Coltrane and understand how "bad" this "cat" really was.

Lewis Porter's bio of Coltrane is, so far, the best. After reading 4 bios of Coltrane, each new one more disappointing that the last, I've finally found a reliable source of facts. Mr Porter has done his homework: the chronology, at the end of the book, is worth the purchase alone. He does not get into interpretations, preferring to stick to the facts. He has also avoided the tendency to make Coltrane look like a saint, a tendency so common in other books about Trane. The musical analysis can be hard to follow if you're not familiar with musical theory, even though it looks as Porter has tried to make it as easy to understand as possible. This is the only biography of Coltrane worth reading.

And the layout is great too. With loads of musical examples, transcribed solos from Giant Steps, So What and more, plus some very fine pictures of Trane. It also has perhaps the most thorough analysis of A Love Supreme I've ever seen. And all material and things written in this book has a documented source, so that you know everyhting that stands there is true. All Coltrane fans shall rejoice over this book. And if you're not a Coltrane fan, you will be after you've read this book. Marvelous!!!!

I have grown up watching Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and knowing what liberties Disney is known to take in their movies, I wanted to read the original story for myself.

And I'm glad I did. Lewis Carol was such a wonderful storyteller, full of imagination and creative use of the English language.

This was two stories in one. The first, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, I thought had more imagination and he action seemed to flow faster with more scenes and challenges for Alice to deal with. The characters are fantastic and highly imaginative.

The second story, Through the Looking Glass, also had a lot of imagination, but it didn't seem to have as fast a pace as the first book. Still, I found it fascinating as the story was done as if Alice were a chess piece moving across a chess board to reach the other side as a pawn to become a queen. As she moved up the chess board, she encountered different characters and situations.

Highly recommended, even if it was written as a child's book.

I think this book is very imaginative and fun to read. In the first part where she's in Wonderland she goes through a world of nonsense and is trying to find a way out. In Through the Looking Glass she goes through a mirror into a backwards world. I would encourage anyone to read this book because it encourages people to use their imagination and to learn that stuff happens you just have to find the correct way to deal with it.

My favorite character was the Duchess in the first part because she was very annoying and didn't even know it also she has a very comical cook who's obsessed with pepper. My favorite part of the book was when Alice met the Mad Hatter and the March Hare at their tea party.

My mom first read this book to me when I was seven years old. Because I was only in first or second grade, Alice in Wonderland scared the heck out of me. I remember parts were pretty horrific and confusing. I kind of hated it. It was like Stephen King for a first grader- which, if you ever go to a website on Lewis Carroll, shouldn't surprise anyone because Carroll had loads of problems and was pretty much tripped out while writing this (I think).
Now that I'm older, I decided to re-read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. While reading it, it's hard to decide whether this is just a load of imaginative creativity, or a metaphor of something deeper that is true in society today, or true in the 1800's. Well, I guess you can read it either way- but there is definitely some deep stuff in here. Many poems will stop and make you think, and as the story progresses you can't help but feel like you are Alice (which is pretty amazing, because this isn't like Lord of the Rings or anything, it's basically a fairy tale on drugs).
Definitely, definitely, definitely do not hesitate to pick this book up and read. Another review said it was disturbing- well, in some ways it really is. But the characters and the plot line (or lack of!) keep you interested and keeps you reading. AIW and TTLG are must-haves in anyone interested in fantasy/sci-fi, along with Chronicles of Narnia and other great classics.

We've used this book since 1982 for individual studies and Bible study groups. It's an excellent resource for studying the Bible. It's just as valuable for new Christians as it is helpful for mature believers. The book contains 52 vital doctrines of the Bible, the cardinal doctrines that are essential for the understanding of Christianity and for a Christian's growth. It features chapters on "The Bible," "God the Son," "God the Trinity," "God the Holy Spirit," "Satan," "Man," "The Church," "The Second Coming of Christ," and so much more. Each chapter concludes with a short test which will be very helpful in Bible study groups. Everything is explained in an easy-to-understand format. This book is very helpful and we highly recommend it.

We've used this book since 1982 for individual studies and Bible study groups. It's an excellent resource for studying the Bible. It's just as valuable for new Christians as it is helpful for mature believers. The book contains 52 vital doctrines of the Bible, the cardinal doctrines that are essential for the understanding of Christianity and a Christian's growth. It features chapters on the "Bible," "God the Son," "God the Trinity," "God the Holy Spirit," "Satan," "Man," "The Church," "The Second Coming of Christ," and so much more. At the end of each chapter it has a short test which will be very helpful in Bible study groups as well as for individual studies. Everything is explained in an easy-to-understand format and it also discusses various viewpoints of a certain doctrine. This book is also helpful as a quick reference guide. We highly recommend this book!

This book does a nice job of surveying 52 themes of the Bible in a devotional, easy to underatand style. The chapters are only 5 or 6 pages long, and they are saturated with Scripture references, which saves the Bible study leader lots of time in preparation. But the busy beaver who spends the time to look up the scripture references will be richly rewarded by what he discovers. The chapters on the Bible and the ones on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are well written and say much about the character of God. But the chapters that deal with end times events are not quite as strong, mainly because of the false assumption of the authors that anyone who doesn't agree is simply guilty of not interpreting the scriptures literally. But other than that minor quibble, I love the book. After all these years, this is still of the best books to use to introduce people to the major themes of the Bible. I recommend it highly. But make sure you also buy "The Rapture Question Answered" by Robert Van Kampen to balance out the errors in end times thinking.

In this work, Peter Kreeft portrays a meeting of C.S. Lewis, John F. Kennedy and Aldous Huxley in the afterlife (all three died on November 22, l963). C.S. Lewis engages first Kennedy and then Huxley in a debate on the divinity of Christ. The conversation goes on for 114 pages with C.S. Lewis clearly making his points -- that Christ was either divine or a charlatan or insane. Lewis goes on to debunk any possibility of Christ being a charlatan or insane, ergo Christ is God. Kreeft has wonderful ideas and constructs nice logical proofs. However, I was expecting something deeper than an argument that could be summarized in two sentences.

My strongest criticism of this book is that it completely misses the point where the real-life Lewis's teachings overlap with those of the real-life Huxley: that the one true God is no respecter of persons and that God is equally accessible to all, regardless of culture, upbringing or background. Both men taught that all of mankind comes to God on equal footing; that no religion, culture or class of men has an advantage over the others. At one point in BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL, Kreeft's Lewis actually shoots down arguments that the real-life Lewis propounded.

I felt that Kreeft glossed over some of the greatest religious controversies faced by modern man. In doing so, Kreeft unwittingly undercut the points he was trying to make. I'm turning back to my studies of C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley. I strongly recommend Lewis's MERE CHRISTIANITY (upon which Kreeft based his Lewis arguments) and a collection of 28 essays by Huxley called HUXLEY AND GOD. By the way, Kreeft's Kennedy has very little to offer either intellectually or where matters of faith are concerned in this book.

One final note: the last page and a half of this book is stunning in its beauty and truth. Kreeft's epilogue is also worth reading.

John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley all died on November 22, 1963. What if they all met after death, somewhere between heaven and hell? That's the premise of this engaging and intriguing book by philosophy professor Peter Kreeft.

Written in the form of a Socratic dialogue, Kreeft's book casts Lewis as a Christian theist, Kennedy as a modern humanist and Huxley as an Eastern pantheist. The three interact and challenge one another's worldviews, examining and testing each other's beliefs to see what is true about life after death and the meaning of life.

This book is ideal to read with a few other friends, be they believers, skeptics or seekers. It will provide lively discussion and ample food for thought.

Between Heaven & Hell has a subtitle which reads, "A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley". Yes, this is a fictional trialog in "limbo" of the most important question in human history - Who is Jesus Christ? Many people are unaware that JFK, Lewis and Huxley all died within hours of each other on November 22, 1963. It seems the assassination of President Kennedy from either the grassy knoll or from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository somehow managed to overshadow the deaths of the other two men. Go figure!

Much of the fictional discussion between these three characters revolves around their own writings although Kreeft employs a bit of literary license for the sake of argument. The fact that Kreeft is a Catholic doesn't affect the content of this book since the argument is essentially Lewis' straight, or "mere" Christianity. The position of JFK is that of a humanistic Christian in the sense of emphasizing "horizontal" social activity rather than "vertical" religious experience...religion without revelation. Kennedy portrays his view of Christ as that of a man become god. Huxley doesn't get the air time that Lewis and JFK get, but his contribution is significant. He represents the eastern pantheist position and reinterprets Christianity as a form of the universal philosophy of pantheism. In this view, Jesus was one of the great sages of history along with Buddha, Socrates, Confucius, Mohammed and the rest. Employing the Socratic method of question and answer, Kreeft slowly but surely uses Lewis' arguments to refute the views of Jesus being a lunatic, liar or just a great moral teacher. Once this is done, He argues that Jesus was God in the flesh, just as He claimed to be. Approximately the last third of the book focuses on the reliability of the gospel accounts which record the claims of Christ.

I found this book to be a very enjoyable read, especially the Socratic method that Kreeft employs. Although I don't criticize Kreeft for making the most out of the historical situation, I'll just say that the only theological disagreement I had with this book was the immediate destiny of the three men being "limbo" which I'm sure is only used by Kreeft as a setting for the discussion. The argument from Lewis was very thought-provoking and required honesty with the end result being much clearer thinking concerning the person of Christ, not to mention his inescapable conclusions which were drawn. I found it very interesting how he would ask of the opposition very pointed, yet fair questions. I was glad to find that the rabbit trails were quickly discounted so the reader can follow the arguments more easily. Throughout the discussion, Kreeft continually reminds the reader that as Christians, we don't try to win arguments for ourselves (I use "argument" in the technical sense of presenting evidence in favor of one's position). It doesn't matter who wins or loses. Truth is what we all must submit to, not someone's ability to debate.We present evidence in favor of the truth and truth must win the battle.