The Haunted Doll's House and Other Ghost Stories (The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James, Vol. 2)

Book Description

Stories by a visionary master of supernatural fiction

The second volume of the only annotated edition of M. R. James's complete writings currently available, this book brings together tales from James's final two volumes, A Thin Ghost and Others and A Warning to the Curious. I n these stories, James continues his transformation of the ghost story from its nineteenth-century heritage.

Customer Reviews:

Great Victorian Ghost Stories.......2007-01-10

If you like the style of Victorian ghost stories, in the best English tradition, you'll greatly enjoy this collection of stories by M.R. James, and it's companion volume, Vol. 1. In most of the stories the horror is oblique, but present and able to deliver delicious shivers on dark stormy nights (or on bright, sunny afternoons, for that matter). If you like Arthur Conan Doyle's ghost stories, you'll definitely enjoy this collection.

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Uplifting!

A Haunted House and Other Short Stories
Virginia Woolf , and Leonard Woolf
Manufacturer: Harvest/HBJ Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0156028034

Book Description

Virginia Woolf's intention to publish her short stories is carried out in this volume, posthumously collected by her husband, Leonard Woolf. Containing six of eight stories from Monday or Tuesday, seven that appeared in magazines, and five other stories, the book makes available Virginia Woolf's shorter works of fiction. Foreword by Leonard Woolf.

Customer Reviews:

Uplifting!.......2000-07-18

A friend tried to explain what Virginia Wolfe is all about ("She ties it all together in the end.") by letting me read the first short story in this book. What a lovely, lovely story it is! I cannot say more without giving it away, but I will only tell you that I re-read it several times to grab all of its nuances because she makes every word count. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Garfield's Haunted House and Other Spooky Tales

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Garfield's Haunted House and Other Spooky Tales
Jim Davis , Mark Acey , and Jim Kraft
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Garfield | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0816734836

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A Haunted House & Other Short Stories
foreword Leonard Woolf Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace, NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JD3MTY

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Haunted House and Other Short Stories
Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A haunted house and other short stories
Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: HARCOURT BRACE & WORLD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

A Haunted House and other Short Stories. Third Impression.

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A Haunted House and other Short Stories. Third Impression.
Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: Hogarth 1944.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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"A Haunted House and Other Stories
Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: Grafton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Haunted House and other stories
Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace & World Inc. New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

Virginia Woolf, at the time of her death, had planned a volume of her collected short stories. the only book of her short stories which had appeared during her lifetime was Monday or Tuesday, published in 1921. Leonard Woolf has now carried out her intention in this volume, which includes six of the eight stories from Monday or Tuesday, seven which have appeared in magazines either in England or America, and five hitherto unpublished stories.

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A Haunted House: And Other Short Stories
Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: Harvest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Download Description

With Elspeth, the heir to the throne of Valdemar, come of marriageable age, Talia, the Queen's Own Herald returns to court to find Queen and heir beset by diplomatic intrigue as various forces vie for control of Elspeth's future. But just as Talia is about to uncover the traitor behind all these intrigues, she is sent on a mission to the neighboring kingdom, chosen by the Queen to investigate the worth of a marriage proposal from Prince Ancar. And to her horror, Talia soon discovers there is far more going on at Prince Ancar's court than just preparation for a hoped-for royal wedding. For a different magic than that of the Heralds is loose in Ancar's realm-an evil and ancient sorcery that may destroy all of Valdemar unless Talia can send warning to her Queen in time!

Customer Reviews:

A big let down.......2007-08-10

I first started on Mercedes Lackey with The Obsidian Trilogy and was astounded with the quality of the writing, more specifically, the amazing pacing and how story-line could be so tightly woven without seeming convenient. These elements are completely missing from this whole series! The stories drag, the plot-line seems to be a compilation of incessant problems with oh-so-convenient solutions, and even the truly climactic points are ruined by the terrible pacing. Almost the entire story is narrative-style (This happened, then this, then this... ya da ya da ya.), so the reader never quite feels "in the action." Rarely was I engaged in the story. And the ending... the ending was terrible! It left the true climax of the story out to hang without conclusion and sidelined over into her "lifebond" with Dirk (Don't even get me started on how lousy the handling of this was throughout the story.). So a queen is really going to pack up in the middle of a war she's running to go to a WEDDING? Are you kidding me?

The Best Was Saved For Last.......2007-05-07

This was by far my favorite because it was so much more realistic. Lackey does not shy away from what happens to women who are held captive by those bent on harm. The 'far fetching' was exactly that, a little too good to be true, but who wouldn't like to have an ability like that and horses like those Companions?

The first trilogy holds its own.......2006-04-14

The original Valdemar trilogy holds a special place in my heart. While it is true that she didn't have many books under her belt at the time of the writing, the characterization and plot development are well-handled. Some of her later books suffer from overly condensed or elaborated plot points - an element that she maintained masterful control over in the earlier books.
The characters face challenges that thrum with urgency and have a realism to them all too lacking in much fantasy. She made some effort to make this a real world with a complex political situation, and it shows. And at the same time we never stop caring for Talia or lose sight of her plight in the midst of political machinations.
The relationship between Talia and Dirk rings most true when they are struggling toward each other; the final union is sweet but could have used more development.

Happy conclusion.......2006-02-16

In this third volume of the series, Mercedes Lackey switches direction. Unlike the first two volumes, the focus moves away from the growth of Talia as a person and as a Herald and shifts to a more action oriented story of intrigue, betrayal, and good winning over evil.

In this volume, Talia has just concluded her training as a Herald and comes back to the capital to assume her full role as a member of the governing council of Valdemar. She now must deal with court intrigues including finding ways to deal with her nemesis - who happens to be the most senior councillor AND the uncle of her good friend Kris. While in the capital she must also deal with her budding romance with Dirk.

The switch in direction becomes apparent almost immediately as the author starts telling the story from three different directions. We get a few paragraphs told from Talia's point of view, a few from Kris's, and a few from Dirk's. I did not like this. I find this mechanism to be very artifically done and not to have aided the story much.

The bigger storyline is that a marriage proposal has arrived in Valdemar proposing to hook up Elspeth with the son of one of Valdemar's few friendly neighbors. Talia and Kris are dispatched to check this out in advance of the Queen's arrival at the other land. One thing leads to another and many dark secrets and evil magic are encountered along the way as this task is not as simple as it looks. However, the end of the book resolves the main points of the crisis, brings out the best in many of our heroes, and brings the young lovers (Dirk and Talia) to their senses and has them married off!

In addition, the story line evolves to allow for many future directions. Dirk has been adopted by Kris's family and Talia may be introduced to them; The revelation of new uses for the old and terrible magics leads to many possible future volumes; the companions find new ways to be helpful; etc.

I downgraded this book because the ending was too pat and the storyline was way too predictable. It was too easy to see who were the real evildoers in this book. Also, too many fortuitous connections to previous volumes in the series were being made. As an example: just when Talia is at the end of her rope (apparently), she comes across an individual whose life she saved in a previous volume in a totally different land. And, it turns out that not only can he help her immediately, but he is almost immune to the bad forces, AND he is the head of a clan. I mean, come on!!!

So, while there were many intriguing moments and emotionally gut wrenching moments in the book, there were also too many problems for me to rank it higher than just average. Sorry.

Talia grows up.......2005-10-19

Although these first books in the Valdemar series lack a certain maturity (especially when compared to the Vanyel series or "Storm Warning" and "Storm Rising") they're still a must-read to truly appreciate the series.

Herald Talia has grown up, earned her whites, and faces triumph and tragedy (with much stronger violent content) that may shock younger readers who began with the milder "Arrow's Fall" so be warned.

Queen's own: Arrows of the Queen ; Arrow's flight ; Arrow's fall (Heralds of Valdemar)

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Queen's own: Arrows of the Queen ; Arrow's flight ; Arrow's fall (Heralds of Valdemar)
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: SFBC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

ASIN: 0739435248

Product Description

This is the 3 in 1 book of the Queen's Own trilogy. It contains Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, and Arrow's Fall. These books were only released originally as paperbacks. This is the only way to get them as a hardback edition!

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Fall of an Arrow
Murray Peden
Manufacturer: Dundurn Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

On February 20, 1959, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker announced to the House of Commons the cancellation of the CF-105 Arrow. Its development costs to that time were $340 million. The Arrow was to be the world's unsurpassed interceptor aircraft. Yet within two months of the Prime Minister's announcement, six completed aircraft were dismantled and all papers and documents associated with the project were destroyed. Here is the history and development of the Arrow - the plane that would make Canada the leader in supersonic flight technology. The Arrow was designed to fly at twice the speed of sound and carry the most advanced missile weapons system. Here are the stories of the men and women who were in the vanguard of the new technology - who had come from England, Poland, and the United States to make aviation history.

Achebe's spatial temporalities: literary chronotopes in things fall apart and arrow of god.(Chinua Achebe) : An article from: Critical Survey

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Achebe's spatial temporalities: literary chronotopes in things fall apart and arrow of god.(Chinua Achebe) : An article from: Critical Survey
Harry Olufunwa
Manufacturer: Berghahn Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Arrow's Fall
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: DAW #UE2255 (#732)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KKCKL2

Complete Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy: Arrow's of the Queen + Arrow's Flight + Arrow's Fall

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Complete Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy: Arrow's of the Queen + Arrow's Flight + Arrow's Fall
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: Daw
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000SIGBIY

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FALL OF AN ARROW
Murray Peden
Manufacturer: Canada's Wings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0920002064

Suicide, The Explosion Within: A bullet through his head, pierced an arrow through my heart

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Suicide, The Explosion Within: A bullet through his head, pierced an arrow through my heart
Kathryn S. Carrington
Manufacturer: Outskirts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1598004883

Book Description

The silence of pain created havoc in my mind and sickness in my body Suicide is a non-fiction, based upon the experiences of a love in the life of a woman who seemed to have searched for love in the wrong place and at the wrong time. He was tall, handsome, intelligent and a definite ladies man. He was everything that she dreamed of. He had taken her heart with one look and she was ready to surrender all. This is a real and moving story of love and lost to a terrible fate, of suicide. Suicide is genuine and authentic, to those person's that suddenly find themselves in the middle of its horror; as if being caught up, in a tornado's wind storm, that had come, too soon. Suddenly, one finds him or herself standing, such as the old oak tree, statuesquely tall, durably solid and gallantly strong; after the tornado has past, never realizing that much damage has occurred, on the inside.

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Where the Arrow Falls
David Wevill
Manufacturer: Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0333148312

Arrows of the Queen; Arrows Fall [Heralds of Valdemar I & III]

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Arrows of the Queen; Arrows Fall [Heralds of Valdemar I & III]
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: DAW Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000J5KZY2

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Entertaining, but not great fantasy

Large-Scale Fantasy Novel Reaches, But Doesn't Quite Make It

Boring and overwraught

Disengaged, and the adversity questionable

Beautiful, lyrical, and ridiculous

Tigana: 10th Anniversary Edition
Guy Gavriel Kay
Manufacturer: Roc Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Kay, Guy Gavriel | ( K ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Song for Arbonne

The Lions of al-Rassan

The Wandering Fire (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 2)

The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1)

The Darkest Road (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 3)

ASIN: 0451457765

Book Description

With a new introduction by the acclaimed bestselling author, this is the spectacular deluxe tenth-anniversary edition of a fantasy classic--the sweeping tale of sorcery, magic, politics, war, love, betrayal, and survival...

"A richly sensuous fantasy world, full of evocative history, religions, folklore, local customs, and a magical rites...a bravura performance, nearly impossible to put down."-- Kirkus Reviews

"Kay's brilliant and complex portrayal of good and evil, high and low, will draw readers to this consuming epic."-- Publishers Weekly

"A brilliant single-volume epic fantasy, rich in intrigue and subtlety. Memorable characters and cultures add depth to a gracefully plotted story."-- Library Journal

"Massively satisfying...startlingly new." -- Toronto Star

"The heir to Tolkien's tradition."-- Booklist

"One of the best fantasy novels I have read."-- Anne McCaffrey

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining, but not great fantasy.......2007-10-08

"Tigana" is an ambitious novel; it is a big hefty tome that is immediately appealing to lovers of the fantasy genre, it has a land which has been cursed in battle, never to be spoken of with its riches despoiled and its people killed or scattered, and it has brave heroes fighting forever an evil despot for its renewal and independence.

At least that's the premise, and an entertaining one at that. But somehow the premise just doesn't have that ring of truth and "reality" that makes a good fantasy novel a great one. There are really only two really interesting characters in the entire book - the evil despot Brandon, who has the potential to be really, really bad, but he is painted as simply too wise and even handed to carry off the evil that is supposed to emanate from him. This is a major flaw in the book - we readers really shouldn't like him. And then we have Dianora, a senior member of his "harem" who is Tiganan (but is pretending not to be), and who originally came to kill him but grew to love him. She is interesting yes, and painted as a strong woman who battles constantly with her conflicting feelings for Brandon, but in reality we know little about her, or Brandon for that matter.

And here I guess we come to the crux of my issue with this book. We know so little of the characters who strive for the return of Tigana, in fact we know almost nothing of them, good or bad. A great novel of any genre encourages us to identify with the characters, yearn with them as they yearn, grieve with them over their losses. Frankly I didn't care anything about them, and I knew so little of Tigana that I couldn't really identify with what they had lost.

This is an entertaining novel nonetheless, but only mildy so. The writing is fluid, but the story lurches along without much detail (which seems a rather funny thing to say about such a lengthy novel). You can enjoy it, but it will leave you wondering what it was all about, and who were these characters that you had just spent so much time with.

Large-Scale Fantasy Novel Reaches, But Doesn't Quite Make It.......2007-09-21

I ordered _Tigana_ because it was highly recommended by a friend I respect, whose tastes I usually share. I can see why she recommended it: this tapestry-like novel is set in a world that is supposed to feel much like Reanissance Italy, and deals with the political struggles of the heirs of a defeated city-state to re-establish their kingdom. As in many fantasy novels, magic is a real force in the peninsula of the Palm, and one of the terrible effects of the tyrant's power is that people can no longer hear or speak the name of Tigana, the defeated kingdom. All this should make for an excellent read, but somehow it falls short. The author's attempts to deal with magic and create a world in which it is real are not quite convincing; there's no explanation of how magic power is acquired, how people learn to use it, and why some have it while others don't. The characters are colorful and interesting, but their development falls flat at times; this is particularly true of the women characters, whose motivations occasionally remain a mystery to the reader. And apparently none of the male characters have ever heard of foreplay, and none of the female characters seem to want any. These may seem like small criticisms, but overall _Tigana_ didn't convince me, and ultimately that's the test of any fantasy novel.

Boring and overwraught.......2007-08-21

This guy can not tell a story to save his life. The first 20 pages are so convoluted, told from so many irrelevant perspectives, and handle the shoehorning in of the myth so awkwardly, it's almost unreadable. I struggled through, but didn't find any of the characters believable or even engaging. Especially Brandin, the so-called "evil" ruler who is actually a great, honorable guy and supposed to be sympathetic except for the little fact that he's exterminated an entire nation. None of it hung together. This is one of those books that whenever you see a "myth" you gotta say, "uh-oh, now who is going to find that enchanted rock/sword/ring in about 25 pages, hmmm?" Also found there to be something vaguely onanistic about an imaginary coutnry named "The Palm."

Disengaged, and the adversity questionable.......2007-07-20

This is a book that many do, can and will greatly enjoy, but not me
The reason is the following two misgivings:

1. This book was like a beautiful, peaceful, pool of water. One can glide their fingers across the water and watch the pretty ripples and observe the nice scene. But one does not and cannot jump into this pool and immerse themselves in it.

Same with this book the reader always feel as an observer and never gets fully attached or sucked into its world. Never falling into the story, submerging and falling into the core of its plot and happenings.

The writing is lyrical and the author writes beautifully, but that's about it. There is just no special spark that ignites the reader with interest and emotion. My impression of it, anyway. This made the reading boring and slow.

2. Also the MAIN turmoil and unbearable, unthinkable, travesty/pain and conflict of the story was that an entire nation of a people were forced to forget the existence of their beautiful country/home. Simply, Tigana was no more, did not exist and all memory wiped out and it was forbidden to even mention it's prior existence, it was destroyed and it's people forced to renounce and forget it.

Well, that is sad and unfortunate, also nationality and one's origin is a very significant thing for a lot of people. However, while loosing one's home and country is bad, there are far, far worse fates that can be bestowed upon a person or group of people. And the adversity inflicted on those in the book, did not qualify in my eyes as something that unbearably awful, that the characters where just simply emotionally/spiritually dying of said pain and awfulness. Once again loosing ones home and even memory of it, is bad, but pales next to some of the harsher, evil destiny's that exist. It felt like the author was utterly pounding his personal opinion of the above into the writting, making it seem exagerrated and unwarranted . This killed it for me.

But to each his own, since I can see why others would truly like the book. The author can really depict emotion and is very original, so the verdict- borrow from library if unsure, something I regret not doing.

Beautiful, lyrical, and ridiculous.......2007-05-26

To begin, I should note that I loved Lions of Al'Rassan, am quite fond of Fionavar, and while I enjoyed a good amount of Sailing to Sarantium, felt dirty reading part of it, and detested Lord of Emperors - made me feel the need to bathe.

In other words, I am thrilled with GGK's ability to breathe life into characters and build an emotional reality for them. The gratuitous violence and sex disgust me. As does the repetition of phrases. As does the repetition of phrases. As does -

So basically, I was wildly disappointed with what I interpreted GGK's intended emotional tugging in Tigana. Here we go: There is NO WAY I could feel sorry for Brandin. I don't care if he knows about Fionavar (cute reference, though), and poor silly tragically beautiful Dianora is more torn than a credit card bill in a paper shredder.

So, let's see if I've got this straight: Daddy sends child to go to the neighboring kingdom and BEAT THEM INTO SUBMISSION. Child goes, and oops! the kingdom FIGHTS BACK. And oops! THEY WIN. So you hack the wrists off CHILDREN and many of the people in the kingdom, hideously torture the Prince (who was Just Defending His People) for 20 years and wipe out the whole populous because YOU (read: Brandin) are incapable of taking responsibility for sending your child to the battlefield to begin with...and because Dianora finds you endlessly sexy and clever and loveable we're supposed to feel bad for you?!? Because your men are loyal to you? Alberico may be twice as evil, no question, but that doesn't justify Brandin at all. Blech.

As for Devin of vaunted memory, whose memory means so much, to whom memory is so very important, am I repeating myself at all about Devin and his memory...who's vaunted memory fails figure out that Dianora is Dianora. Why play up his memory? In comes in useful when? A remarkable disappointment.

And the gratuitous sex, incest, and violence. I do not mind tasteful romance in the novels I read, but the overload just seemed to be there to titillate and nauseate the reader.

GGK writes fabulously well, conveys tortured emotions well, wrote a touchingly sweet final scene, and repeats himself incredibly well (how many times can Devin reflect on how burdened Alessan is? It's like counting the number of times "saddest tale of all the long tales told" appears in the Fionavar Triology...)

Ah well. He captures the essence of exile so very well, but it wasn't worth the slog to get through it.

In my opinion.

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Tigana

Manufacturer: Roc - Viking
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IGAYWK

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Tigana

Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000CDAS5C

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Tigana
Gavriel Kay
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NRAPNW

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Tigana
Guy Gavriel Kay
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Tigana

Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H98HX6

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Tigana
Guy Gavriel Ray
Manufacturer: A ROC Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U2HU88

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Tigana
Guy Gavriel Kay
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

Product Description

BRAND NEW LEATHERBOUND BOOK ACCENTED BY 22 KT GOLD. Personally signed by Guy Gavriel Kay.

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Tigana

Manufacturer: Zysk i S-ka
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Polish | More Languages | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 8371501811

Product Description

Polish translation of Kay's science-fiction/fantasy novel 'Tigana'.

Average customer rating:

complex web of personality

Tigana
Guy Gavriel Kay
Manufacturer: Earthlight
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

complex web of personality.......2006-04-23

Tigana falls under that genre labled fantasy but where most fantasy is a story told about a fantasy world, Guy Gavriel Kay writes about people who happen to inhabit a fantasy world. If you think the difference is academic you really need to read this book along with "A Song for Arbonne" and some of this authors other works.

Kay writes fantasy based on medieval times in Moorish Spain, southern France, and Italy which is slightly refreshing compared to all the Arthurian and Roman based fantasy out there. Still the most important part of this book are the characters. How to describe them? They are humans who make mistakes and misunderstand the true situation with tragic results as happens in real life- yet they are also somewhat mythic because the tragedy in their worlds is on a scale few people could ever experience in real life.

I really enjoyed this book even though I didn't connect with a single character and to me more than anything else that is an indicator of the quality of writing here. If you are bored with the overly trite and tired books populating the shelves today, yet enjoy the fantasy setting, this book with satisfy you.

Book Description

An Annotated Guide to Biblical Resources for Ministry evaluates over 2,000 books that were chosen because of their usefulness for the theological interpretation of the Bible within the context of the faith of the church, significance in the history of interpretation, and representation of evangelical scholarship.

This is one of those rare bibliographic guides that every student of religion, seminarian, and minister will want to have on his or her bookshelf. The focus of this guide is on biblical studies. It contains entries on 2,200 books written by 1,300 scholars. Annotations describe and evaluate books that are highly recommended. Virtually every topic in biblical studies is noted: commentaries on each book of the Bible; biblical histories, theologies, and ethics; books on the canon, archaeology, early Judaism, and interpretive methods; and technical books such as grammars, concordances, Bible dictionaries, and atlases. The great strength of this guide is not only that it provides the reader with a wealth of information but also that the format it follows is eminently reader-friendly. The Guide is invaluable for assisting the student, seminarian, or minister in building a personal library. I highly recommend it!
Â—Jack Dean Kingsbury, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia

Customer Reviews:

An must have in any Christian's theological library.......2007-07-03

I received this book as a gift when I graduated from a Christian college going on to become a pastor. It has proven the most useful book in my library. Navigating the maze of commentaries through the whole theological spectrum can be daunting and a guide is absolutely necessary. Dr. Bauer highlights the best commentaries/dictionaries/whatever ese you want and highlights their strengths so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. I have found the books purchased on the recommendation of Dr. Bauer to be the best resources in my library and invaluable in my own study,teaching, and preaching. I really can't recommend this book enough if you've ever wondered "Which commentary would be right for me and my purposes?"

Very helpful bibliography on wide range of exegetical aids.......2006-07-16

Dr. Bauer's collection of significant works is very helpful to the student of theology and exegesis. He states his focus as being for the seminary student, but this will help anyone find the most well-regarded (or "standard") books on the topics covered.

His selection is split into 4 major topics:
The whole Bible, the Old Testament, Early Judaism and the New Testament. Within these topics are 118 subtopics dealing with commentaries on each book of the Bible, atlases, concordances, lexicons, histories and theologies. An author index helps tremendously when trying to find information on a specific book.

Dr. Bauer's introduction states his presuppositions in selecting these books. They are:
1) Biblical interpretation is the foundation of ministry and discipleship and should be pursued with all seriousness.
2) Direct study of the text should be primary, with secondary sources being considered.
3) There is value in encountering interpretations from various periods and theological traditions.

He has a 2-tiered rating system consisting of HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and ALSO SIGNIFICANT. Those that are highly recommended include a short paragraph describing the book's contents, strengths and weaknesses. Those considered also significant merely list the citation of the book without the descriptive text. While a one-liner about the also significant books would be helpful, it would also turn this list into a massive size unsuitable for easy transportation. In its current state, it can easily be carried to your local new or used bookstore for reference while buying.

As he stated in his introduction, any list like this will draw criticism, as everyone has a different opinion. But, in consulting other similar lists, and in looking at reviews of many of the books, Dr. Bauer's list is very credible and worthy of purchasing.

His list focuses on scholarly works rather than homiletical books, since the latter is a vast criterion.

I used this book (and a list compiled by a friend) in helping to purchase individual scholarly New Testament commentaries and it did not lead me astray once. I was guided through the maze of outdated, repetitive and topical commentaries to the titles routinely cited in scholarly writing.

While perusing journal and new publication bibliographies is a superb way to find good sources for study, this book compiles a wealth of information in one source and will save you a great deal of searching. I recommend this for anyone who plans to build a theological library in the near future for self-study, ministry or seminary study.

The Resource for buying commentaries.......2003-10-11

Over the years I have purchased a lot of books which recommend bible resources. This to my way of thinking is the best of the lot. First, Bauer spends more space describing the resources he recommends. He does not try to be exhaustive. Take the Gospel of Matthew for example: Bauer lists 33 resources, but he describes in detail 5 of those resources he feels to be the best. His picks on commentaries focus more on exegetical or semi-detailed type commentaries than on preaching commentaries. Bauer is a moderate Methodist seminary professor. I feel his recommendations are more balanced than you get from John Glynn's book for example. Bauer will recommend the entire theological spectrum, from conservative to liberal. He also has an author index in the back which is very helpful. Save yourself some wasted money on commentaries you don't really need. Get this excellent reference.

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