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Book reviews for "Stephens,_James" sorted by average review score:

The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age
Published in Paperback by Trinity Pr Intl (01 June, 2000)
Authors: Stephen J. Patterson, Hans-Gebhard Bethge, and James M. Robinson
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Early Christian History
This book is a printing of the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of the sayings of Jesus found with Gnostic writings in a collection known as the Nag Hammadi collection. The title of "Gospel" is rather shaky as there is no narrative and no retelling of the story of Jesus as can be found in the Synoptic Gospels.

Most of the book consists of two very scholarly articles written by Stephen Patterson and James Robinson. Both are heavily involved in biblical research and have worked extensively with the Nag Hammadi writings. The first article discusses the origins of Thomas by looking at where it may have been written and what influence it may have had. One interesting point is raised when the author goes so far as to suggest that it may have been Jesus' twin brother Judas who wrote this Gospel. He is totally speculating of course, but can you imagine the implications of this? It makes the article more interesting to read. The second article discusses how the Nag Hammadi writings were found and the enormous effort that scholars undertook to get the writings published.

The first part of the book is the actual Gospel of Thomas. Some of the sayings are pretty mysterious. One of them is, "Jesus says: Be passers-by." Passers-by to what? Sin? Pharisees and Sadducees? It is fun to contemplate what the saying means. A large amount of the sayings are recognizable from the Synoptic Gospels, although most seem to be very simplified versions of these sayings. They lack the embellishments that the Gospel writers gave to them. It is also important to note that the Gospel of Thomas is written in Coptic, a form of Greek with letters added to mimic sounds of the Egyptian language. The Coptic version is a translation from an earlier Greek source, so errors abound. Also, when the writings were found, the Egyptian tore them up to give to some of his companions. As a history student, I still cringe when I think of the damage he caused.

This is a good book with obvious implications for Christians as well as New Testament scholars. Be aware that this is a VERY scholarly work. You will find huge footnotes with titles of books written in German. The second article could be very wearisome to the non-scholar, who probably doesn't care about the numerous academic bodies that were convened to gain access to the writings. The Gospel itself is still worth reading.

Truly Has Come of Age
It does seem curious to me that the early Church saw fit to leave this Gospel out. It seems to me that it should now be included in the Canon of the official Gospels. Thomas truly has come of age and more accurately describes the mission of Christ for humanity and is more relevant for today.

Gospel of Thomas comes to life
A wonderful translation! The footnotes themselves are worth the cost of the book! Written for use by both scholars and laypeople. Anyone interested in the early roots or the future of Christianity would appreciate this book.


Follies (Playwrights Canada Press)
Published in Paperback by Theatre Communications Group (2001)
Authors: Stephen Sondheim, James Goldman, and James E. Goldman
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great help for sondheim lovers
It is really nice to be able to get a hold of some of the songs from follies that aren't available somwhere else. Many a time I wanted to go on an audtioned armed with Buddy's Blues from follies, but alas, it was nt available in it's entirety until this book! Follies is one of Sondheim's best and it contains songs for every type of singer and actor from the comic to the chanteuse. Not to mention some of the best songs ever written for the theater. Of note: "Losing My Mind", "Buddy's Blues", and the classics "I'm still here" and "Broadway Baby". This book is also great for the non singing musician, the arrangements are quite nice and quite challenging. enjoy!

A special piece of Music. A Masterwork of art.
Stephen Sondheim is one of the greatest composers in our time and it is a pleasure to play and read his music. Follies is a great musical and the score is simply perfect. The interesting sound and the incredible musicality is more than perfect. This piece of music should be very important for every lover of musicals. Thank you, Stephen.


The Gnome from Nome
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (1999)
Authors: Stephen Cosgrove and Robin James
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wonderful
The story is sweet and the illustrations are fun. This very short book is great to have on hand for visiting kids.

The Entire Series is a must have!
Long ago I purchased the original run of these books when I was a kid (1974) - then, they carried a cover price of $1.00... Now, my son, aged 2 1/2 loves them and we read Morgan and Me, Wheedle on the Needle, Gnome from Nome and Serendipity.

I am SO DELIGHTED that these books are still in print and available for all to have. Mr. Cosgrove and Mrs. James have written and illustrated some wonderful books. I look forward to other books.


Great Minds of History: Roger Mudd Interviews: Stephen Ambrose, Gordon Wood, David McCullough, Richard White, James McPherson
Published in Audio Cassette by Simon & Schuster Audio (1999)
Authors: Roger Mudd, Stephen E. Ambrose, Richard White, Gordon Wood, David McCullough, and James McPherson
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Easy U.S. History on the Ears
This audiobook is an excellent addition to the U.S. history-buff's glove compartment. There are basically four tapes of interviews by Roger Mudd done for the History Channel. Mudd asks questions to the featured historians and they respond with stories and factoids to keep you thinking. I can listen to them many times and still learn things that I didn't catch the last time around. This is also a great way to brush up on your U.S. history while enriching what you already know.

A MUST for All Americans--not just history buffs
This is the very best audio tape I've ever listened to. While some interviews are better (Stephen Ambrose) than others (Richard White), each one offers important insight and perspective on the most important events of our time. Through the eyes of these men, our nation's history is told so clearly and succinctly, and with such passion, that you can't help but be changed and moved by the experience. I guarantee you'll come away with a better grasp of who we are and where we're headed as a nation.


Memily
Published in Paperback by Price Stern Sloan Pub (1995)
Authors: Stephen Cosgrove and Robin James
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You are perfect no matter what your size
Memily is one of only three giraffes in the Jasmine Jungle and has a hard time finding friends to play with. No one wants to play with her because she is so tall. She is embarrassed of her height and even walks funny trying to be shorter until she meets another giraffe who tells her why it is great to be tall. "Some creatures are tall, some creatures are small, but all have their place in the Jasmine Jungle".

perfect as you are.
the message of this book is whether you're short,tall,medium,your perfect as you are. The pictures by Robin Ames are so endearing, you can not even look at Memily and not smile it is that good. A perfect melding of words and pictures for a fabulous story. no child or adult can resist the magic of this book.


Nemeton: A Fables Anthology
Published in CD-ROM by Silver Lake Publishing (23 December, 2000)
Authors: Jason Brannon, Nora M. Mulligan, David Bowlin, Stuart Jaffe, Lawrence D. P. Miller, Bill Vernon, Stephen Crane Davidson, Lloyd Michael Lohr, Kate Hill, and Terry Bramlett
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A cool mix
This is collection of short stories that offers a wide mix of speculative genres. Fantasy, SF, horror, and just plain weird. The stories run the gambit and most are good. "Jeo Defined" and "Moon Warrior" were excellent stories and well worth purchasing the book. Even just the so-so stories were enjoyable and all the authors are names to keep a look out for. In the end, this is a book of up and coming writers and a few of them will no doubt be big names someday.

A Great Read
I didn't know what to expect from this collection of short stories but I was happily surprised. The stories cover a wide range from fantasy, science fiction, and horror to those hard to classify strange stories. Each one is worth reading. My favorites were the one about a radio personality who was singing the Siren's song and the one about a criminal who is forced to undergo "augmentation" to control him. Some wild stuff for a great read.


Nietzsche, Henry James, and the Artistic Will
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (1985)
Author: Stephen Donadio
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Bling Bling
I have searched far and wide to find a book that examines Henry James in such vivid detail. I especially enjoyed Donadio's examination of James' vivid Tie collection. Donadio's own illustrious break dancing career makes him the perfect man to document Nietzsche's own prolific moves. While Donadio's style is dry at times, he quickly remounts his literary horse, drawing the reader into a trance-like state of literary ectasy. If that isn't the artistic will, I don't know what is!

Any true student of American literature would love hiding away with Donadio and a six pack, ready to appreciate approach life with renewed vigor.

Where Has This Book Been All My Life?!?!?!?
How do I condense pure genius into written form? Look, I'm not saying you should read the work of Stephen Donadio, and I'm not saying you shouldn't read the work of Stephen Donadio. All I'm saying is that if you do read this unqiue encounter with American literary genius, you should do so with an open mind and a vast hunger for knowledge.

What the novel lacks in physical beauty is made up for with equisite dressing of large themes. Donadio accentuates the boring side of life with skillful ear hair. One might compare Donadio to literay great William Faulkner, who so avidly described hunting for a bear without a compass.

Stephen Donadio, we live in your shadow.


Sunday in the Park With George (Applause Musical Library)
Published in Paperback by Applause Books (1991)
Authors: Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine, and Andre Bishop
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Interpretation
Sondheim and Lapine wrote an excellent musical about the pointillist painter George Seurat. I really started to love the musical when I read Marc Bauch's "Themes and Topics of the American Musical" (Marburg: Tectum Verlag, 2001. ISBN: 3828811418), which I recommend to get to know how intertextually Sondheim worked. Bauch put Sondheim in the tradition of the American Musical with reference to his themes.

Pulitzer and Seurat put together by Sondheim and Lapine
This show is like a work of the main Character Georges Seurat. Point and point are putted together to a great piece of art. Stepehn Sondheim who recieved the Pulitzer Prize for this astonishing work of American Musical Theatre puts all the points together to one brilliant composition of story and storytelling his co-author James Lapine who wrote the book while Sondheim wrote the lyrics does a great job, too. It is the most beautiful kind of lyric I ever had seen in this masterpiece: Children and art. I really enjoyed to read this book and it is essentially for everybody who is interested in the Musical Theatre.


Doctor Who the Handbook: The Second Doctor
Published in Paperback by London Bridge Mass Market (1997)
Authors: David J. Howe, Mark Stammers, and Stephen James Walker
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Another good effort
These authors are well-established as the premier non-fiction authors of "Doctor Who". Here, we are presented with another familiar book in a familiar format, which works without being outstanding.

Howe/Stammers/Walker continue excellence in series
The pentultimate volume in the Doctor Who Handbook series contains exhaustive detail about all of the adventures of the Doctor as portrayed by Patrick Troughton. Since so many of this era's episodes are lost, the detailed summaries are invaluable to modern day lovers of sixties' Doctor Who. As with previous Handbooks behind the scenes and production information is presented along with the often diverse opinions of the three authors on each of the stories as televised.

Dr. Who: The Handbook is back again, and its about time.
The second Doctor handbook is invaluable to Dr. Who fans. It continues with the way the other volumes in the Dr. Who handbooks have always been. But this one is ever more so different than the others. It's production details of how the second Doctor was concieved is very interesting, because such a thing had never been done before on changing the lead actor in a TV series with a completely different actor, but yet as the same character (with a new persona than the previous Doctor), was completely unheard of. A huge risk at the time for the BBC, unsure if the regular viewers of the show would accept this change. Reading about this is very unique to know. The usual handbook format is here, and this book's story production focus is on the sixth season story "The Mind Robber" (1968).

The one aspect that is very much priceless is the episode story summaries. These are very good, as I could almost imagine that they were on TV again. Also, the fact that almost all of the Patrick Troughton era of Dr. Who episodes was virtually wiped out from the BBC archives, makes these story summaries ever more so good to read about.

Another great book in the Dr. Who handbook series. The author trio of David J. Howe, Mark Stammers, and Stephen James Walker continue with their reputation as the definitive research team on Doctor Who's history. This was the sixth volume in the series, published in 1997.


Midnight Graffiti
Published in Paperback by Warner Books (1992)
Authors: Stephen King, James Van Hise, Jessica Horsting, and Jessie Horsting
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A gallery of styles
This collection of horror short stories is exceptional because of the wide range of styles and stories it contains. The reader will not be lost in a jungle of imaginations because the book is organized in five chapters that are each dedicated to one type of atmosphere and plot. Hence when you start one chapter you know what continent of horror you are entering and you will get variety within that landscape. Some stories are absolutely stunning and fascinating. I found « Say hello, Mister Quigley » by J. Michael Straczynski too gentle on the incestuous father. Of course the victim has to forgive, but most of the time this forgiving is impossible because of the damage caused by the incestuous parent. I loved « Bob the Dinosaur » by Joe Lansdale because it shows how kids live on the illusion of a dream that is shattered by reality when it becomes true, when it gets satisfied. It is better to live on dreams even if they are disturbing, particularly for the parents' everyday life. Finally « Dark Embrace » by James Van Hise is a refreshing vision of vampires associated to a sickening vision of child molesting. Vampires become, in a way, gentle and lovable, even if they are monsters, when you compare them to child molesters who kill to cover up their tracks when their pleasure is satisfied. Vampires are also very human and long for company and love. Which a child molester never long for. He longs for brutal contact (rape) and absolute solitude that makes him kill his victim because he is entirely enslaved by his desire, his perverted passion for kids.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan at Mende.

Very good stories. Well categorized, and a great preface
I'm a big fan of Horror anthologies, and this is one of the best I've ever read. From the terrific introduction by the editor, to the last page, it was very satisfying. The stories range in intensity from the sheer grit of "Bad Guy Hats" to the quirky "Bob the Dinosaur Goes to Disneyland." There is something in here for everyone. Everybody gets a chance to be scared by something in here; all bases get covered. If you like horror anthologies, this is a must-read.

Mama

My mama told me...you better shop around. THESE VOICES ARE KILLING ME!!!


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