My brother-in-law handed me this book one day and said it was worth reading. I had no idea who Colin Fletcher was or what the book was about. I learned a lot about Colin Fletcher, the guru of walking, but even more about a remarkable man who's life would have passed unnoticed had Mr. Fletcher not stumbled on a very remote cave south of Las Vegas Nevada in the late 1960s. This man had come to live in the cave for part of a year and Mr. Fletcher decided to find out who and why a person would choose to live there. Through tough detective work the author develops some leads about when the habitation of the cave occurred and what sort of person lived there. The man in question turns out to be a very colorful prospector and through amazing luck and perseverance Fletcher uncovers his life story. He finds this man to be much like himself. Mr. Fletcher portrays him as both saint and sinner at times, but always makes him human. Quite a good read.

In my opinion, this is one of the more fascinating of Colin Fletcher's very enjoyable writings. While pursuing an on-going project of walking the length of the Colorado River, Fletcher discovered a lonely cave in Nevada with evidence that a remarkable individual had called it home sometime in the early part of the century. Fletcher wondered who this could have been, and what had led him to this very out-of-the-way location (as Colin Fletcher himself had been led there). Years of research and discovery, aided by a not inconsequential amount of dumb luck, led Fletcher to the most probable identity of the cave dweller, and he also learned much about American history along the way. This book is a real-life mystery; it is a biography of "Chuckawalla Bill" Simmons and of Colin Fletcher himself; and like all of Colin Fletcher's books, it is also a work of philosopy. Not surprisingly, the "Man From the Cave" proves to be a man very much like Colin Fletcher himself.

This is the first full commentary set that I have purchased for myself. Before turning away, keep in mind that I have used many other sets from libraries (public, academic and church) as well as from other Christians. My beliefs are strongly Reformed (Christian Reformed Church), so this set is one of the few that very closely fit with my beliefs. My prior favorite was the "Interpreter's Bible" set, which has recently been updated (I was using the older versions from local public libraries). Now, this set is my favorite.

The format between the two authors is very similar, intentionally, but I still prefer the newer format (slight improvements in keeping a flowing reading). The text has clearly been proofread very well.

As for content, I prefer Kistemaker's presentation. Part of that may be due to the fact that most of his books are later than Hendrickson's. The changes in society values does not have much impact for me, but the amount of biblical knowledge unearthed in the past 50 years is astounding. However, the impact is mostly felt in just a few chapters, so don't let that deter you. I compiled the list of books with information on book, year, author, and approximate length:

Matthew,1973,Hendricksen,1015
Mark,1975,Hendricksen,700
Luke,1978,Hendricksen,1122
John,1953,Hendricksen,507
Acts,1990,Kistemaker,1010
Romans,1981,Hendricksen,533
1 Corinthians,1993,Kistemaker,649
2 Corinthians,1997,Kistemaker,495
Galatians,1968,Hendricksen,260

Ephesians,1967,Hendricksen,290
Philippians,1962,Hendricksen,218
Colossians,1964,Hendricksen,208
1 Thessalonians,1955,Hendricksen,150
2 Thessalonians,1955,Hendricksen,214
1 Timothy,1957,Hendricksen,215
2 Timothy,1957,Hendricksen,117
Titus,1957,Hendricksen,70
Philemon,1964,Hendricksen,35
Hebrews,1984,Kistemaker,460
James,1986,Kistemaker,190
1-3 John,1986,Kistemaker,235
1-2 Peter,1987,Kistemaker,348
Jude,1987,Kistemaker,70
Revelation,2001,Kistemaker,635

My priorities were 1 Corinthians, Romans, Galatians and Ephesians. The 1 Corinthians volume won an award and it was warranted. Revelation is also appealing, especially from a Reformed perspective, and it also won an award.

Hendriksen and Kistemaker's set is simply an amazing set to have. It is directed for educated laymen, Bible students, and pastors. Each volume consists of their own translation of the text. Here are what I take to be the nice features of this set:
1. The books contain introductions to each of their commentaries, discussing the who wrote it, where, why, when, etc.
2. The back of the books contain an index that lets you do a search fairly easy if you're not looking something up by the text reference (i.e. you're doing a search under "Pilate" instead of by verse citation).
3. Before gettting to a text, say, Acts 19:21-22, there is a brief statement of what is to come. Quite often, after the exposition of each of the passages, there is a section on the practical considerations for that section; and there is often notes to follow on the greek words, phrases, and constructions. Also, these authors are aware of those certain "problem" passages raised as possible errors or contradictions. Many of these are addressed thoroughly. I have found them to be extremely useful in this area.

In any case, this set is staunchly reformed (paedobaptist, coventant theology, eschatologically it is amillenial), and so it is a really nice set to have, disagreeing with them or not. Both Kistemaker and Hendriksen really know their languages and even demonstrate to be knowledgable when it comes to discussing textual variants and the manuscripts for them. It is nice to see that this set finally has been reprinted. I highly recommend this to the people that this work was made for (noted above)!

This book contains the great old country-western songs, from back when country-western was truly country-western and not just another rock n' roll mutant. These are the songs that are fun to sing, and that you CAN sing, with simple yet fun arrangements for the musically challenged. After only one exposure to this book, I was belting out a fairly good rendition of "Back In The Saddle Again," and a couple of friends even joined in, looking over my shoulder at the pages. The most fun is being able to read all the words that you didn't always catch when you first heard the song. Great for singing around the campfire, piano, or even the dinner table. I hope Readers' Digest decides to bring this one back, because it's a valuable reference and a lot of enjoyment.

Unfortunately, this terrific book has been out of print for a while, but it is prime time to bring it back. Old time and classic country bands are experiencing a huge resurgence. If the Reader's Digest Publishing Company is listening... Please reprint!

I thought that this book was excellent resource for a number of different reasons. First, Mr. Dunmore, a director himself, provides a list of monologues which are far too frequently used (I found this list invaluable). It not only has some of the monologues you would expect to see on a list of this type (Hamlet, Hal/Henry V, Iago etc.), but also some other characters you wouldn't think would be used that frequently: Clarence, Aaron, Launcelot Gobbo and others. Also, I think that Dunmore provides a nice introduction for actors who are new to Shakespeare with a resource guide in the beginning of the book discussing some of the inricacies of speaking Shakespeare. Lastly, I thought all of the monologues (which I thought might have been edited a little more precisely; I didn't like some of the punctuation) were well laid out and gave a nice (but brief) insight into the characters and some of them give suggested age ranges (though I would have loved to have seen this throughout the book). A terrific resource, nonetheless, for any aspiring classical actor who doesn't want to be the hundredth actor to do Puck at an audition.

you've seen the herzog movie now read the participants' own account! available at all good libraries (about the only place you'll find this book unfortunately). one of the most bizarre journeys ever undertaken during the golden age of exploitation. i get lost with words trying to describe this book. i guess you could describe it with all of the usual superlatives about 'testimony to the human spirit', 'indominable willpower of men' but this quest for god, glory and gold rapidly descends into an exploration of greed, power and survival. it's well worth reading the original text of the journey, it's endlessly fascinating as the journey moves through the andes with hope and then down the amazon with horror. march on.

Riding on the hype and legendary "Lord of the Rings" resurgence, I was skeptical about purchasing this book, thinking that it may be a quick exploitive means to cash in on the fantasy regrowth. While this book has many of the recurring fantasy themes found else where, the contributors to this graphic novel have produced a fun, can't-put-it down comic.

The story centers around the person Robin Drake as he journeys to warn the other inhabits on "earth" of the return of the Beast, a villian the others thought had died fifteen years ago. Many of the superheros are cleverly introduced and united under the banner of saving the "world." Some heros take more proding than others, which aids in the story telling. It was interesting using Robin as the central character - considering he has always been a sidekick (even on his own, Nightwing has never really broken out of Batman's shadow).

This move gives the story more force and gives a "Frodo" of the Lord of the Rings" trilogy feel to the book, without copying the material too much. The formula also works well, so why change a genre that works so well - an unlikely hero, who saves the world.

The art is outstanding and many great artist contribute their unquie talents to provide pertinent images as the story progresses. A must for graphiic novel fans, who just want to read a good story, view some great art, and have a nice evening.

This book is an invaluable source of perspective on understanding the subtle linkage between driving world class manufacturing and human relations. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld is clearly one of the pre-eminent scholars in the field of labor relations today and this book demonstrates his ability to diagnose and explain complex scenarios and relationships with ease and clarity.

Palfrey gives such a fresh insight into the late plays that I found myself rushing back to the texts. The book fizzes and crackles with ideas and is often breathtaking in its vision and ambition. It is written with intelligence and wit and is clearly the work of a really original thinker. A refreshing change from most scholarly texts. Highly recommended.