Not Just Books Books

Book SynopsisA celebrated translation of this masterpiece of Chinese literature, in an updated editionTrade ReviewAn example of the southern, or chuanqi, genre of opera from Ming dynasty China (14th to 17th centuries), The Peony Pavilion, completed in 1598, was Tang's masterpiece and, according to Birch's preface, a profound meditation on the nature of love. Selected scenes have become near necessities of any traditional Chinese opera repertoire. The tale concerns a cloistered girl and young scholar who fall in love in dreams. After the heroine pines away from longing, their devotion transcends death, resulting in her resurrection and a happy union. Birch (Univ. of California, Berkeley) has captured the beauty and elegance of Tang's original drama, conveying even the humor of subtle puns. With such titles as Stories from a Ming Collection (1958), Scenes for Mandarins (CH, Feb'96), and Mistress & Maid (CH, Jan'02) to his credit, Birch has long been a leading translator of Chinese literature. This second edition of the Birch translation (first edition, CH, Mar'81) includes revisions of the translation; a preface in which Birch provides a general introduction to the drama; and a fascinating introduction by Catherine Swatek (Univ. of British Columbia), in which she introduces three recent productions of Peony Pavilion. All levels. -- C. D. Smith * Choice *Birch (Univ. of California, Berkeley) has captured the beauty and elegance of Tang's original drama, conveying even the humor of subtle puns. . . . October 2002 * Choice *Table of ContentsPreliminary Table of Contents: [to come]

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Book SynopsisA work that questions - What is the nature of God? What is the nature of being? What is the relationship between God and being? And what is the meaning of forgiveness, faith, piety, or transcendence? - that define the terrain of contemporary philosophy of religion.Trade Review. . . The Weakness of God is a bold attempt to reconfigure the terms of debate around the topic of divine omnipotence. Caputo has a gift for explaining Continental philosophy's jargon succinctly and accurately, and despite technical and foreign terms, this book will engage upper-level undergraduates. Includes scriptural and general indexes. . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: A Theology of the EventPart One. The Weakness of God1. God without Sovereignty2. St. Paul on the Logos of the Cross3. The Beautiful Risk of Creation: On Genesis ad literam (Almost)4. Omnipotence, Unconditionality, and the Weak Force of GodHermeneutical Interlude: Two Keys to the Kingdom5. The Poetics of the Impossible6. Hyper-Realism and the Hermeneutics of the CallPart Two. The Kingdom of God: Sketches of a Sacred Anarchy7. Metanoetics: The Seventh Day, or Making All Things New8. Quotidianism: Everyday, or Keeping Time Holy9. Back to the Future: Peter Damian on the Remission of Sin and Changing the Past10. Forgiven Time: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector11. "Lazarus, Come Out": Rebirth and Resurrection12. The Event of Hospitality: On Being Inside/Outside the Kingdom of GodAppendix to Part Two: Newly Discovered Fragments on the Kingdom of God from "The Gospel of Miriam"A Concluding PrayerNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisA book that rigorously interrogates the language of body politics in the context of neo-colonialist dominationTrade Review"Thomas offers here one of the most provocative and consequential analyses of empire and sexual politics in recent years. His work provides new ways of conceptualizing sexuality, race, and empire which makes the case for rethinking all of the ways in which these fields are studied. His erudition is vast and the acuity of his analysis, unparalleled." —Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot Professor, University of California, Berkeley"This book is an amazing intervention into a range of related contemporary discourses as it provides important and informed critiques of imperialism. As we witness new formations of empire and sexuality via incidents like Abu Ghraib, it is important to recall these old manifestations of imperialism. This is perhaps the only text now that one can read about pan—Africanist projects and the particular conjunctions of sexuality and colonialism. Greg Thomas, a leading member of a new generation of scholars, advances well the activist intellectual work of the best in the black radical intellectual tradition. This is a scholar whose stunning intellectual energy already challenges, troubles, bothers entrenched, fixed positions as it clearly stimulates new discussions and reverberates in a range of related fields. —Carole Boyce Davies, Professor of Africa" —New World Studies and English, Florida International University"I found this book to be not only a stimulating and thought-provoking read, butalso one that was impressive for how accessible Thomas made such a thoroughgoing analysis of a broad range of fields. This review can only hint at the richness of the text and the powerful nature of the argumentation. Thomas must be commended for his ability to so clearly capture such an in-depth critique in ways that are always already reconstructive at the same time as they are deconstructive." —Body & SocietyTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Pan-Africanism or Sexual Imperialism: White Supremacy, Hellenomania, and Discourses of Sexuality2. The Madness of Gender in Plantation America: Sex, Womanhood, and U.S. Chattel Slavery, Revisited3. Sexual Imitation and the Lumpen-Bourgeoisie: Race and Class as Erotic Conflict in E. Franklin Frazier4. Sexual Imitation and the "Little Greedy Caste": Race and Class as Erotic Conflict in Frantz Fanon5. Colonialism and Erotic Desire—in English: The Case of Jamaica Kincaid6. Neo-colonial Canons of Gender and Sexuality, after COINTELPRO: Black Power Bodies/Black Popular Culture and Counter-insurgent Critiques of Sexism and HomophobiaConclusionNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisFocusing on a single Malian textile identified variously as bogolanfini, bogolan, or mudcloth, Victoria L. Rovine traces the dramatic technical and stylistic innovations that have transformed the cloth from its village origins into a symbol of new internationalism.Trade ReviewWell-organized chapters, extensive notes, an excellent bibliography, and beautiful color and black-and-white illustrations make Bogolan a pleasure to read. It is highly recommended to all those interested in the arts of Africa and in the social and economic transformations that have influenced them during the past decades. * African Studies Review *Rovine has given us a thorough and authoritative account of the adaptability of a given textile to a wide range of local and international modalities. * Textile *. . . [T]his is a very good read for anyone with a passion for textiles and the many stories it can tell.No. 93, 2009 * Textile Fibre Forum *I would recommend Rovine's book to anyone interested in West African culture, negotiations between tradition and modernity, or material culture in general. Her book provides a wealth of information on Bamana artists, markets, clothing, and bogolan. * Folklore Forum *Table of ContentsPreface to the second editionAcknowledgments1. Introduction: Bogolan's Biography2. The Rural Roots of Bogolan3. The Tourist Art Market: Commerce in Authenticity4. Tourist Market Bogolan: Changing Demands, Changing Forms5. Fine Art Bogolan: Between Categories6. The Fine Art Market: From Bogolan to Le Bogolan7. Culture through Clothing: Bogolan as Fashion8. Making It Modern: Bogolan Clothing's Dual Directions9. Bogolan Abroad: Reverberations in the United States10. Conclusion: Making the Traditional ModernNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisPresents a portrait and intellectual history of novelist and filmmaker Ousmane Sembene. This book offers a comprehensive biography of Sembene and contributes a critical appraisal of his life and art in the context of the political and social influences on his work.Trade ReviewThis is the first biography of one of the most important African writers and filmmakers, a man who remains, as Gadjigo (Mount Holyoke College) puts it, 'an unknown celebrity.' The author intends to rectify this situation by retracing Sembène's trajectory from 1923 to 1956, the formative years in which Sembène (1923-2007) became a militant artist. By Gadjigo's own account, this is a careful 'reconstruction' of the artist's life: because of the scarcity of written information about Sembène, the author has relied on first-hand oral testimonies. He provides numerous insights into Sembène's personal development by recalling little-known episodes of his life--episodes that reveal Sembene's major concerns as he expressed them in his work. In placing Sembène's experiences in their larger context, Gadjigo also re-creates a time period: for example, the reader gets a glimpse of what life was like for African dockworkers in post-WW II Marseille. This book is lively and the many quotes and personal testimonies make for an enjoyable read. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- ChoiceS. Vanbaelen, Butler University, Jan. 2011"Very well documented, this biography is of critical importance and unquestionable value to students, teachers, and researchers of African literature and cinema." —African Affairs Advance Access, September 2, 2011"[T]his narrative that reconstitutes the world that shaped one of the greatest African artists is a significant contribution to the fields of African, Film, and Francophone Studies." —French Review"This is the first biography of one of the most important African writers and filmmakers... an enjoyable read.... Recommended." —Choice"Samba Gadjigo's book is both biography and demystification. It exposes the situations and historical moments which created Sembène the artist. Concisely and convincingly written, this investigation of the life of a man who inhabited various intellectual, artistic, and political spaces is an eloquent duty of memory." —Sada Niang, author of Djibril Diop Mambety"Samba Gadjigo has undertaken a very important task, that of writing the first biography of one of the best-known and most influential African writers—and the founder of the continent's cinema—Ousmane Sembène." —Christopher L. Miller, author of The French Atlantic Triangle"Gadjigo's admiration of Sembène along with the intellectual earnestness with which he has documented the life of one of Africa's most gifted artists yields a fine and welcome first biography of a formidable man." —Research in African Literatures, Vol. 42.2, Summer 2011Table of ContentsContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart 1. On the Banks of a Mighty River: Ousmane Sembène's Childhood 1. Casamance 2. At the Crossroads of Cultures 3. Youth and Its Discontents 4. Colonial ViolencePart 2. Dakar: The Turbulent Years 5. The Lebu Ghettos of Dakar Plateau 6. The World of Labor 7. The Experience of Racism 8. "Here We Come, Marshal!"Part 3. Dakar in the Postwar Period 9. The Winds of Change 10. The Moment of TruthPart 4. The Making of a Militant-Artist 11. "The Village" 12. The Docker 13. The Militant 14. The Fire-GiverConclusionBiographical LandmarksNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisDiscusses extinction as a force shaping socio-cultural and biological lifeTrade ReviewIn an age of academic interdisciplinarity, it is often worth reading well outside the confines of one's discipline, for one can find valuable and unexpected insights. This volume of essays explores the connections, similarities, and sometimes interactions between biological and cultural extinctions. It emphasizes the nuances of language used to define extinctions and pending extinctions, drawing on each of the main sub-fields of anthropology. Genese Marie Sodikoff, the volume's editor, has drawn together an eclectic group of authors, resulting in a very loose-knit set of ideas, but a set that provocatively makes one think about extinction in novel ways. * Biological Conservation *If extinctions are seen as unfamiliar, faraway events, we often fail to think about them, let alone take conscious action to prevent them. Future studies in extinction discourse will do well to further interrogate the relationship between extinctions in 'local' and 'foreign' contexts, while interrogating the assumptions that undergird these very designations. A valuable step in this direction, The Anthropology of Extinction gives us the tools we need to bring us closer to the discomfiting, disorienting, destabilizing real. * Make Magazine *The Anthropology of Extinction offers compelling explorations of issues of widespread concern. * The Birdbooker Report *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Accumulating Absence—Cultural Productions of the Sixth Extinction \ Genese Marie SodikoffPart 1. The Social Construction of Biotic Extinction 1. A Species Apart: Ideology, Science, and the End of Life \ Janet Chernela 2. From Ecocide to Genetic Rescue: Can Technoscience Save the Wild? \ Tracey Heatherington 3. Totem and Taboo Reconsidered: Endangered Species and Moral Practice in Madagascar \ Genese Marie SodikoffPart 2. Endangered Species and Emergent Identities 4. Tortoise Soup for the Soul: Finding a Space for Human History in Evolution's Laboratory \ Jill Constantino 5. Global Environmentalism and the Emergence of Indigeneity: The Politics of Cultural and Biological Diversity in China \ Michael HathawayPart 3. Red-Listed Languages 6. Last Words, Final Thoughts: Collateral Extinctions in Maliseet Language Death \ Bernard C. Perley 7. Dying Young: Pidgins, Creoles, and Other Contact Languages as Endangered Languages \ Paul B. GarrettPart 4. Prehistories of an Apex Predator 8. Demise of the Bet Hedgers: A Case Study of Human Impacts on Past and Present Lemurs of Madagascar \ Laurie R. Godfrey and Emilienne Rasoazanabary 9. Disappearing Wildmen: Capture, Extirpation, and Extinction as Regular Components of Representations of Putative Hairy Hominoids \ Gregory ForthEpilogue: Prolegomenon for a New Totemism \ Peter M. WhiteleyList of ContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisLists nearly 1,000 solo piano compositions for the left hand, as well as solos for the right hand alone, and concertos and chamber pieces with piano parts for one, three, and five hands. This is a useful source for pianists, teachers in need of challenging one-hand materials, and players who have sustained injuries to either left or right hand.

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Book SynopsisA biography of Ignaz Friedman that offers the reader the behind and the between of the life and career of this extraordinary pianist. It examines Friedman's life as a cultured Jewish musician in Poland; his studies in Leipzig and Vienna; his relationship with Manya Friedman; and, his performing career, teaching, and retirement in Australia.Trade ReviewAllan Evans's biography of Ignaz Friedman . . . is a beautifully written and marvelously researched book about one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the twentieth century. . . . This is a book to savor, to read and reread. April 1, 2011 * Clavier Companion *This book is a must read, above all, for those interested in Ignaz Friedman, and for those interested in the musical world of his time. September 8, 2009 * www.classicalmusicguide.com *Evans packs so much into these pages that it is not just an interesting biography but more an immersion into the entire piano world of the first half of the 20th century. The book includes a number of interesting photos; the appendixes are a rich source, meticulously documented, of Friedman's concert repertoire, recordings, compositions, and editorial work on the compositions of Frederic Chopin. This volume is a true labor of love. . . . Highly recommended.January 2010 * Choice *This distinguished study brings back to the forefront a great artist who was in danger of being forgotten. November 2009 * Gramophone *Ignaz Friedman is thoroughly researched and offers readers new insight into the life and activities of this pianistic giant.Vol. 25, 2010 * Music Research Forum *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Musical Traditions That Hide in Shellac2. From Poland3. "Music begins where technique leaves off"4. 2,800 Concerts5. From Old Russia6. Encroaching Modernism7. From Beethoven to Hitler8. In Safety, Down Under9. Exile10. Chopin on the Nile11. The Piano According to Tiegerman12. The Piano According to FriedmanAppendix A: Friedman's RepertoireAppendix B: DiscographyAppendix C: Friedman's and Tiegerman's CompositionsAppendix D: Friedman's Edition of Chopin's Piano WorksNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisDescribes over 2,000 years of warfare in woods and forestTrade ReviewAny military history collection needs this fine survey. * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsForeword by General Charles Guthrie, former Chief of Defence Staff (UK) Preface1. Introduction2. Warfare before Firearms3. Early Modern Warfare 1500-17134. The Eighteenth Century. New Irregular Challenges5. 1815-1914 Towards Later Modern Warfare6. The First World War 1914-19177. The First World War 19188. The Second World War 1939-19459. Post 1945 and ConclusionSelect BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisDelivers a stimulating quartet of essays on the four cardinal virtues. Josef Pieper demonstrates the unsound overvaluation of moderation that has made contemporary morality a hollow convention and points out the true significance of the Christian virtues.Trade Review“Dr. Pieper, with his grounding in Scholastic thinking, especially Thomas Aquinas, brings to the reader an interpretation of this classical tradition that has things to say about the human person today. He attempts to make what could become a list of requirements for ethical behavior into a human quest for the wisdom that enables one to become the kind of person one strives to be.” —Studies in Formative Spirituality

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Book SynopsisFusing philosophy and theology, this work assigns both Judaism and Christianity distinct but equally important roles in the spiritual structure of the world, and finds in both biblical religions approaches toward a comprehension of reality.Trade Review“Franz Rosenzweig’s The Start of Redemption is one of the few lasting books of our century, a work whose originality transcends the disciplinary limits of philosophy and religion and which must be read by anyone whose concern with the meaning of daily life is urgent and abiding.” —Maurice Natanson, Yale University

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Book SynopsisPresents a critique of the deceptive character of the modern notion of freedom, retrieving an alternative view through a new interpretation of the ancient tradition. This book seeks to penetrate to the metaphysical roots of the modern conception by going back, through an etymological study, to the original sense of freedom.Trade Review"This is a brilliant, incredibly erudite, and rigorously argued book. D. C. Schindler's fundamental contribution is the working out of autonomy described as the flight from reality. Nobody has defended this account of the trajectory of modern liberalism more ably than he has. It is a huge and complete accomplishment by one of the most magnificent thinkers of our time." —Peter Lawler, Dana Professor in Government, Berry College"D. C. Schindler is probably the best Catholic philosophical theologian of his generation in the Anglophone world. In short, this book is an account and diagnosis of the rise of a modern concept of 'liberty' . . . and of an alternative vision drawn from classical and Christian tradition. It makes a better and more controlled case than any other book I know of dealing with these issues, and opens new perspectives on Locke and whole heritage of modern moral and political history." —David Bentley Hart, Templeton Fellow, Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study"Among the sacred cows of the modern age, a certain idea of individual freedom and political liberty has pride of place. D. C. Schindler unravels its genealogy in John Locke, exposes its self-defeating character, and pleads for a retrieval of a fuller conception, rooted in classical Greek philosophy. He thereby contributes to the healing of our intellectual, cultural, and social diseases. A daring and necessary enterprise." —Rémi Brague, University of Paris–Sorbonne and Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich"Schindler’s book is a brilliant tour de force of political and moral reasoning. A most timely and stringent analysis of modernity’s confused and calamitous dissociation of freedom and the good, Schindler’s book will be ranked with similarly intentioned, highly influential works by Polanyi, MacIntyre, and Gadamer." —Thomas Pfau, Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of English and professor of Germanic Languages & Literatures, Duke University"As a critique of deep currents of modern thought, Schindler’s masterful study does just what it should: it brings us into a position to understand and assess divergences at the level of fundamental principles, and to recognize their consequences. His lucid explication of 'the diabolical'—the mimicry of truth that plunges us ever deeper into unreality—sheds much-needed light into the abyss of inescapable contradictions Locke bequeathed to liberal society in his revolutionary re-conception of liberty and the will. Schindler is one of the best guides available to a revivified classical philosophy that restores the soul and reality to the communion they were made for." —Mark Shiffman, Villanova University"This book critiques modernity’s prioritization of the concept of freedom over the good in philosophical thought. Schindler . . . argues that modernity delinks the good from freedom and substitutes the latter for the former. Paradoxically, this substitution leads to contradictions and even to fragmentation of society. As a solution, the author proposes a return to the classical conception of the good central to the thought of Plato and Aristotle. There, the good is symbolic—from the Greek sym-ballò meaning 'to join together'—whereas the modern is diabolical, from the Greek dia-ballò meaning 'to divide.' . . . the scholarship is superb." —Choice“Many decades ago, Scottish-born philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre published After Virtue, a spirited defense of traditional virtue-based ethics. It was an enormously important book and has had a major influence in the area of modern moral philosophy. Schindler’s book is [of] similar significance.” —News Weekly"I thank Schindler for this backfiring book that left me overwhelmed by Locke’s brilliance." —National Review"Freedom from Reality belongs in a certain upper echelon of contemporary philosophical works, sitting on a bookshelf somewhere between After Virtue and Modernity in Crisis. . . . [I]n helping us to remember our place within the larger symbolic order of reality, the book makes itself a symbol of that same order. It contains the very wisdom that it expresses." —Public Discourse“Truth be told, David C. Schindler has made a signal contribution to our understanding of Locke.” —Law & Liberty“This book will appeal to students and scholars of political philosophy (especially political theorists), philosophers in the continental or historical traditions, and cultural critics with a philosophical bent.” —Law and Religion Forum“D.C. Schindler’s Freedom from Reality provides both an assessment and a path forward, and with great dexterity. . . . Schindler has done a great service in pointing the way forward and thinking about how we can fruitfully recover the best of the classical tradition and present it to the modern world.” —New Oxford Review"Schindler’s study of the contrast between classical and modern freedom is a fascinating and much needed account to understand our predicament and our possible futures. . . . Whether we chose a 'symbolic' or a 'diabolical' account of freedom in our political, cultural, and economic life is yet to be determined. Reading Freedom from Reality will help us make this choice." —VoeglinView"A sophisticated and penetrating study of modern liberty, comparable to Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue or George Grant’s English-Speaking Justice." —Reading ReligionTable of ContentsPreface: What is Good? Part 1. John Locke and the Dialectic of Power 1. Locke’s (Re-)conception of Freedom 2. The Political Conquest of the Good in the Second Treatise Part 2. Modern Liberty as a Flight from the Real 3. The Basic Shape of Modern Liberty 4. Symbolical Order and Diabolical Subversion 5. “A Society of Devils” Part 3. Retrieving the Origin as the Essence of Freedom 6. Starting Over and Starting After: A First Foundation in Plato and Aristotle 7. Plato: The Golden Thread of Freedom 8. Aristotle: Freedom as Liberality Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDivine Scripture in Human Understanding addresses the confusing plurality of approaches to Christian Scripture by articulating a traditionally grounded, constructive systematic theology.Trade Review"This book is a rich meditation on the theology of scripture. Its thoroughness, variety of interlocutors, clarity of expression, and irenic results make it suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in doctrine or biblical interpretation. The substantive contributions it makes to the constructive articulation of scripture make this rewarding reading for systematic theologians and biblical scholars as well." —Reviews in Religion and Theology"Due to the trenchant work displayed by Gordon, his theology of Scripture is required reading for any scholar doing work on the nature and purpose of Holy Writ and it is worth wrestling through and interacting with for the serious student of theologies of Scripture." —Criswell Theological Review“Gordon uses a wide range of sources from the patristic thinkers to the present day to make arguments that will resonate with and challenge readers across denominational lines. He challenges those seeking security in the text, to seek encounter through its pages with the living God to whom Scripture points. Scholars of systematic theology and biblical studies will find this book essential reading for the ways that it speaks to both theological doctrines about the nature of Scripture, and the practical implication of these beliefs on those who read Scripture in faith.” —Religious Studies Review"On the whole, Gordon makes an important contribution in this work to thinking about questions of revelation as well as to Lonergan studies. As a systematic theology of the Bible, it is impressive precisely because it makes clear systematic arguments. Indeed, the work proceeds outward from the Bible to articulate a theology of God, human beings, and God’s self-communication to people through revelation." —Horizons"Although Gordon repeatedly stresses the indefinite article in his book’s title, insisting that his work represents merely a systematic theology of scripture, this act of humility sells his work short. For those seeking to reconcile a Christian view of holy writ with contemporary advances in philosophy and science, or with the seemingly infinite number of methods and interpretations that have only multiplied with the advent of digital communication, Divine Scripture is quite possibly the most important work on the subject in decades." —Reading Religion"Divine Scripture in Human Understanding delivers on its promise. It is, in fact, a systematic theology of the Christian Bible in Lonergan's refined sense of systematics. It advances multiple conversations at the same time (biblical studies, systematic theology, hermeneutics, patristics, and even studies of Henri de Lubac . . .). It is a major contribution to Lonergan studies." —The Lonergan Review“Joseph Gordon here undertakes the demanding task of setting out a detailed account of a Christian doctrine of Scripture in the fullest context of systematic theology. Through six closely-reasoned chapters, he situates Scripture with relation to formal doctrinal teachings, to the manifest material properties of Bibles, to questions of meaning, to the development of doctrine, to ascribing divine characteristics to material entities—to any number of other relevant topics. . . . A commendable achievement . . . Gordon’s project brings a markedly fresh perspective to problems that sometimes seem as though they have been done to death.” —Modern Theology“[Divine Scripture in Human Understanding] is much more than a book on doctrines surrounding Scripture (unity, authority, inspiration, inerrancy, etc.), although its interventions there are valuable. A systematic theology of Scripture demands, Gordon says, that Scripture be understood within a comprehensive vision of the divine economy (a ‘rule of faith’), a theological anthropology, & detailed knowledge of the Bible's material history. Tall orders each, but Gordon delivers on all three, giving both general systematic accounts of admirable sweep & adjudications on many particular questions. . . . [R]ichly compendious . . . deep, wide, & rewarding.” —Nova et Vetera“This volume reflects the impressive depth and breadth of Gordon’s reading. The great strength of this volume is synthetic, systematic pulling together of various positions & arguments into a systematic theology of scripture. . . . [Divine Scripture in Human Understanding] does extraordinarily important synthetic work.” —Scottish Journal of Theology“It is possible that this is the book that we need at just this time, helping us to read the Bible with both learning & integrity. . . . This is a book to be read by anyone who has an interest in knowing how to read the Bible in the context of religious faith.” —The Heythrop JournalDivine Scripture in Human Understanding addresses the confusing plurality of contemporary approaches to Christian Scripture―both within and outside the academy―by articulating a traditionally grounded, constructive systematic theology of Christian Scripture. —Englewood Review of Books"Biblical scholars and theologians alike will find Gordon’s approach of seeing everything, from the human authors and readers of Scripture to the nature and purpose of Scripture itself, through the lens of systematic theology as a useful addition to the scholarly conversation about Scripture." —Journal of Theological Interpretation"Divine Scripture in Human Understanding does service to Christians who want to interpret Scripture faithfully by showing that theology is integral to interpretation." —Journal of Theological Interpretation“This is a book of real significance, bestriding as it does two rather different worlds. There has arisen a tendency for a scholarly standoff between critical study of the Christian Scriptures and a so-called theological approach to biblical studies, often underpinned by Barthian assumptions. Joseph Gordon’s book recognizes this shift and tackles the underlying issues head-on.” —The Living Church“This wide-ranging, informative, and readable study offers the reader ‘a systematic theology of the Christian Bible,’ intended to assist contemporary Christians in the ‘perennial challenges’ of ‘determining the function and role of Scripture in Christian life and thought and articulating the precise parameters of interpretation of the Bible.’” —Christian Studies“Joseph Gordon’s first book achieves something truly impressive. For Divine Scripture in Human Understanding is straightaway a major contribution to the fields of biblical interpretation and the doctrine of Scripture, combining influences and areas of research in novel and sometimes unique ways.” —Anglican Theological Review“Gordon’s work is successful in what it sets out to do. It is technically precise, extensively researched, and gracious in tone. ...His book models the way that the theologian can successfully integrate insights from history and historical-critical scholarship into a systematic theology.” —Journal of Anglican Studies“The merits of Gordon’s project are profuse and fruitful for both scholars who identify in the traditional categories of Biblical studies and systematic theology. The most commanding element of Gordon’s work is his insistence upon the relationship between Scripture and the hermeneutical act.” —Toronto Journal of Theology

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This third installment of The Red Wheel, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's narrative of the events leading to the Russian Revolution, is remarkable in its complexity. The novel presents a polyphonic kaleidoscope of people, places, and events, some real, some fictitious." —Society Journal"In The Red Wheel, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn produced a masterpiece, and proved himself a worthy companion of Dostoevsky and rival of Tolstoy." —Law and Liberty"Marian Schwartz's new translation is the first time the expansive and resonant March 1917: Node III: Book 2 has been published in English. . . . Solzhenitsyn captures the chaos of the time, when a centuries-old order fell and the factions that would fight to replace it were still forming." —Foreword Reviews"Here we see how a millennium-old nation ruled by a monarchy that had lasted a good three centuries fell apart in three days. Book 2 of March 1917 powerfully reveals how a decent if flawed political and social order collapsed 'with incredible alacrity,' as Solzhenitsyn writes elsewhere." —The New Criterion"Of all his novels so far, this one feels the most immediate, the most current. The freneticism, violence, confusion, and disorientation of Russians in Petrograd from March 15 through March 17 of 1917 can also be seen in minds and actions of Chinese in Hong Kong, right now. . . . No one surpasses Solzhenitsyn in conveying a sense of what it feels to live at and near the center of this kind of vortex." —Law and Liberty"March 1917 is haunted by 'what-ifs.' Indeed, Solzhenitsyn suggests, the revolution was less likely than other outcomes, and all retrospective attempts to describe it as inevitable are fallacious. In his view, events might just as easily followed a different course. As we contemplate what transpired, we regret the Russia that might have been." —The American Scholar"March 1917, Book 2, covers the three days of the February Revolution, which is shown as an immense national unraveling that corrupted public morality and destroyed social cohesion, often with sadistic brutality, and that inevitably led to the Bolshevik takeover eight months later. This historical catastrophe, Solzhenitsyn believed, was due to the fecklessness of the imperial elites all the way up to the terminally mediocre Czar Nicholas II; the revolutionaries’ blind lust for destruction; and the estrangement of the bulk of the people from God and country." —National Review"[B]ook 2 of the March 1917 node . . . dramatizes the tumultuous events of the March Revolution—a workers’ strike in Petrograd; abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and house arrest of the Romanov family; establishment of a provisional government to rule over Russia. Although The Red Wheel is fiction, Solzhenitsyn prided himself on the historical accuracy of his work. He spent ten years writing the March 1917 node, adding psychological depth, descriptive details, and, occasionally, his own views to bring well-known personalities and events to life." —Choice

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“There simply is nothing like The Eucharistic Sacrifice available in English.” —John Behr, author of John the Theologian and His Paschal Gospel"Mark Roosien’s work here is a model in theological translation.... His introduction places the text not only in the context of the author’s life, but also in the context of Bulgakov’s unfolding eucharistic theology, of which this text is the final expression. With this translation, we have another key piece available to the English-speaking world of the work of one the most creative theological authors of the previous century, and one whose vision is only now entering into the main currents of ecumenical and systematic reflection." —Modern TheologyTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Eucharist as Sacrifice 2. The Special Character of Old Testament Sacrifices 3. What is “Remembrance” (anámnēsis)? 4. Heavenly and Earthly Sacrifice 5. The Eucharist and its Institution 6. Eucharistic Transmutation 7. The Divine-human Sacrifice I 8. The Divine-human Sacrifice II 9. The Atoning Sacrifice (The Eucharistic Memorial) 10. The Eucharist and the Mother of God Conclusion

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of American philosophy, connecting the work of such thinkers as Thoreau, Emerson, Dewey and James with Native American beliefs and practices. Bruce Wilshire's search is not for exact parallels, but rather for fundamental affinities.Trade Review“Bruce Wilshire is an original. His perceptiveness and his passion combine in his writings to create a magical world of present grief and future possibility. This new book is a unique amalgam of scholarly reflection, private soliloquy, emotional release, and spiritual self-cleansing—a prayer offered up to what Wilshire calls ‘the female archetype of a decentralized, pluralistic, and noncontrolling ground of being.’ Contrary to much dull philosophy, these essays are written for the human voice; for full impact, they need to be spoken as the eyes take them in. . . . This is a very good book, though by no means what is nowadays considered a standard work in philosophy. I consider that a strength and not a failing, for it sets an exhilarating paradigm for what philosophers can do. Wilshire appeals to experience, not only argument; to feeling, not only reason; to insight, not only discursive understanding. He requires that in reading his work we do what he recommends and place ourselves in contact with the healing energies of a deeper universe.”—John Lachs,Vanderbilt University“In this book, Bruce Wilshire continues on a fearless path beyond traditional philosophical abstractions and what passes for ‘common sense’ in our culture, opening up new vistas on reality and the renewal of the spirit. He guides the reader step by step toward a new vision of existence that resonates with what he calls ‘primal philosophy,’ the mythic, and modern physics.”—Glen A. Mazis Parabola“Wilshire celebrates the heart of a revived American philosophical tradition construed as marking a way of life, a healing reabsorption in what Emerson called the ‘always circular power returning into itself.’ Philosophy as a path of wisdom, a way of life, links up to ‘existential’ ways of marking time and timelessness, of finding ecstatic experience, of finding one’s way with others. It aims to ‘re-enchant’ a distinctly ‘disenchanted’ world. . . . American philosophy and culture may not reform itself tomorrow, but it is not absurd to find hope for such reform in Wilshire’s book. In these straited times, it breathes fresh air into our lungs.”—Edward F. Mooney Journal of Speculative Philosophy

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Book SynopsisOur understanding of the rise of the nation-state is based heavily on the Western European experience of war. This text challenges the dominance of this model, looking at Latin America's much different experience as more relevant to politics today in regions as varied as the Balkans and Africa.Trade Review“Blood and Debt is much too rich in concepts and supporting descriptive events to give deserved justice in a brief review. Clearly, it is an outstanding study, destined to be the standard work in the area for some time to come.”—Robert Looney Journal of Political and Military Sociology“However, Centeno’s path breaking book will stimulate a wealth of follow-on studies.”—Robert Looney Journal of Political and Military Sociology“Miguel Centeno (a sociologist) has taken a hard and detailed look at relationships between war, the military, and the state in Latin America in a most incisive work.”—Frederick M. Nunn Latin American Research Review“Meticulously researched, Miguel Centeno’s provocative study presents a comprehensive account of Latin America’s proclivity to go to war over the past 200 years and the consequences of that proclivity. . . . Centeno’s ambitious study will undoubtedly provoke much debate and further research. Its unique perspective and impressive breadth represent an important contribution to Latin American political sociology that will challenge researchers in a variety of specializations for some time to come.”—Philip Oxhorn American Journal of Sociology“Amid today's impenetrable postmodern jargon, it is a joy to discover a sociologist who not only writes good English but who opens up important questions previously neglected by scholars. . . . Based on wide historical reading, Centeno has broken much new ground in this major contribution.”—Foreign Affairs “Centeno's book balances shrewdly between identifying distinctive properties of Latin American national patterns, on one side, and integrating Latin American histories into international comparisons, on the other. Ingeniously piecing together fugitive evidence on wars, military organization, commemorations, taxation, and state structure, he thereby challenges two extreme tendencies: to treat Latin America as a failed Europe, and to stress the utter particularism of Latin America.”—Charles Tilly,Columbia University“Miguel Angel Centeno's trailblazing book sheds much new light on Latin America by paying proper attention to its distinctive ways of making war and the connections of warfare to state development, to national identities, and to the nature of citizenship.”—John Markoff,University of Pittsburgh

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