Bibles Books

Book Synopsis"The chequered story of the Kings, a matter of nearly five centuries, had ended disastrously in 587 B.C. with the sack of Jerusalem, the fall of the monarchy and the removal to Babylonia of all that made Judah politically viable. It was a death to make way for a rebirth." So begins Derek Kidner in this introduction and commentary to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah which chart the Jews' return from exile to Jerusalem and the beginnings of that rebirth. As the drama unfolds, we see how international politics, nationalist pride, wise leadership, political intrigue and opportunism, internal dissension and compromise all shape events. But above all and through all we see the good hand of God at work. The original, unrevised text of this volume has been completely retypeset and printed in a larger, more attractive format with the new cover design for the series.

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Book SynopsisThe King James Version of the Bible (KJV) is a foundation stone of the English language. The KJV was composed as a collective project and written to be spoken. Sixty-Six Books has been created, in the spirit of the original, in the same way. Pulpit to print; stage to page; mediated through many forms oral and written this is a work that has travelled to every continent of the globe. It has been shared as a melodic instrument of inspiration, illumination and mutual understanding; and it has also been wielded as a tool of colonial oppression. Sixty-Six Books is a fresh interpretation of the KJV for the new millennium, celebrating and challenging the traditions and achievements of this great work on the occasion of its 400th anniversary. The curators of this project have gathered together a formidable and inspiring line-up of the best established and emerging writing talent to respond to create a new a book of the KJV, speaking back to the KJV with untrammelled inventiveness of the imagination. The voices of Sixty-Six Books, drawn from across five continents, innovate, transmute, transpose, reinvent and talk back to four hundred years of history. Authors include: Kwame Kwei-Armah, NeilBartlett, Billy Bragg, Laura Dockrill,Carol Ann Duffy, Stella Duffy, David Eldridge, Naomi Foyle, Nancy Harris, Jackie Kay, Neil LaBute, Nick Laird, Stewart Lee, Kate Mosse, Andrew Motion, Paul Muldoon, Anya Reiss, Tim Rice, Michael Rosen, Wole Soyinka, Enda Walsh, Rowan Williams, Jeanette Winterson and many more.Trade Review“Nothing short of miraculous. The written word has turned into the flesh of living theatre.” – The Times “It’s a confection that embodies the ethos of the Bush, drawing together the talents of a fantastically wide spectrum of creative artists… Intelligently conceived... This is truly "event theatre”...this colossal homage is deliciously varied and inventive.” –Evening Standard “It’s a tremendous idea… You get intensely felt pieces; stories told from a new perspective; and thoughtful personal interpretations, such as Neil Bartlett’s lovely little monologue from a middle-aged man who recalls reading from Numbers as a child” – Financial Times “It’s a fantastically ambitious project, proving the Bush has lost none of its chutzpah” – Time Out “It’s a heroic, slightly mad enterprise… Neil Bartlett’s ‘The Opening of the Mouth’ is a moving masterclass in how to incorporate the old within the new” – Independent “Scattered with gems: some richly poetic, some delicately capturing the inarticulacies of modern-day speech and bewildering pain at cruelties human or divine.” –Independent on Sunday “Fantastic, mesmerising, funny, unsettling, bewildering… an impressive collection which says much about our 21st century world.” – Magnet “a big, bold enterprise.. it makes you want to go to the book” – The Guardian “such a welter of writers and styles in short 15-minutes-or-less slices…. All were brilliantly performed. As Rourke remarked, in 24 hours we had seen more writers, directors and actors pass through the stage than we would see in four years. Seeing only one play in a night is going to seem very small beer after this.” 4 stars – The Arts Desk “a memorable achievement.. a major piece of work… not only celebrates this great piece of English literature [King James Bible] but is a wide ranging comment on our own times.” – British Theatre Guide “In the beginning was the Bush and the Bush created Sixty-Six Books, an epic act…this was a thing you would remember being part of…. [an] appropriately hefty playtext” 4 stars – Exeunt Magazine "Sixty-Six Books is an incredible achievement and a one off experience that it would be sacrilegious to miss." 4 stars – What’s on stage “Whether on stage or page, this is a mighty work. When it played at the new Bush Theatre and Westminster Abbey, the "evening" lasted a full 24 hours. Read on the page, it will give an equal quantity of enjoyment… a good read and in terms of play script pricing, excellent value for money.” – British Theatre Guide“Nothing short of miraculous. The written word has turned into the flesh of living theatre.” – The Times “It’s a confection that embodies the ethos of the Bush, drawing together the talents of a fantastically wide spectrum of creative artists… Intelligently conceived... This is truly "event theatre”...this colossal homage is deliciously varied and inventive.” –Evening Standard “It’s a tremendous idea… You get intensely felt pieces; stories told from a new perspective; and thoughtful personal interpretations, such as Neil Bartlett’s lovely little monologue from a middle-aged man who recalls reading from Numbers as a child” – Financial Times “It’s a fantastically ambitious project, proving the Bush has lost none of its chutzpah” – Time Out “It’s a heroic, slightly mad enterprise… Neil Bartlett’s `The Opening of the Mouth’ is a moving masterclass in how to incorporate the old within the new” – Independent “Scattered with gems: some richly poetic, some delicately capturing the inarticulacies of modern-day speech and bewildering pain at cruelties human or divine.” –Independent on Sunday “Fantastic, mesmerising, funny, unsettling, bewildering… an impressive collection which says much about our 21st century world.” – Magnet “a big, bold enterprise.. it makes you want to go to the book” – The Guardian “such a welter of writers and styles in short 15-minutes-or-less slices…. All were brilliantly performed. As Rourke remarked, in 24 hours we had seen more writers, directors and actors pass through the stage than we would see in four years. Seeing only one play in a night is going to seem very small beer after this.” 4 stars – The Arts Desk “a memorable achievement.. a major piece of work… not only celebrates this great piece of English literature [King James Bible] but is a wide ranging comment on our own times.” – British Theatre Guide “In the beginning was the Bush and the Bush created Sixty-Six Books, an epic act…this was a thing you would remember being part of…. [an] appropriately hefty playtext” 4 stars – Exeunt Magazine "Sixty-Six Books is an incredible achievement and a one off experience that it would be sacrilegious to miss." 4 stars – What’s on stage “Whether on stage or page, this is a mighty work. When it played at the new Bush Theatre and Westminster Abbey, the "evening" lasted a full 24 hours. Read on the page, it will give an equal quantity of enjoyment… a good read and in terms of play script pricing, excellent value for money.” – British Theatre Guide

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