Lutterworth Press – serie

A collection of the legends surrounding St Joseph of Arimathea and his association with Glastonbury and other parts of England.Reprinted by popular demand, this book tells the story of St Joseph of Arimathea and the legend of his journey to Britain as a metal merchant seeking tin. Tradition states that on this journey he was accompanied by none other than Jesus, who at this stage was a young boy. This title reveals the events of St Joseph's time at Glastonbury, and explores the legend behind this intriguing story. Britain is proverbially rich in monuments of the past, but of all the ancient places with outward and visible links with antiquity this little Somerset town is unique. For it is not only bestowed with visible evidences, wrought in stone, of generations long departed, but it is also steeped in fascinating legend and tradition. One of these later traditions states that Glastonbury was the very cradle of English Christianity, where an infant church was planted by those who personally knew Jesus. This is a truly fascinating and innovative perspective on the story of St Joseph of Arimathea, which promises to enthral the reader.

Drawing inspiration from C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia as a resource for children's character development at home and in school.In this engaging and practical book Mark Pike and Thomas Lickona show how C.S. Lewis' wisdom for nurturing good character, and his much-loved Chronicles of Narnia, inspire us to virtue. Drawing upon the Judeo-Christian virtues of faith, hope and love and 'Narnian' virtues such as courage, integrity and wisdom, they present an approach to contemporary character education validated by recent research. An introduction to C. S. Lewis' thought on character and faith is followed by practical examples of how to use well-known passages from the Narnia novels as a stimulus for rich character development at home and in the classroom.

A short study of the effects upon design, principally architecture, of the Reformation and the associated rejection of imagery in worship.A study of the effects upon design, principally architecture, of the Reformation and the associated rejection of imagery in worship. The Plain Style examines both the development of aesthetic theory and its practical applications in a number of different environments. The Author traces the way in which ideas about simplicity, clarity and lack of ornamentation expressed themselves in art and architecture, and uses an extensive range of examples, from the British Isles, and particularly Northern Ireland, and from North America. In doing so he shows how Protestant, and especially iconoclastic Puritan, ideology influenced design. The external impact was reflected in an inner change in the psychic landscape, and its applications were therefore to be found well beyond the visual. The book, heavily illustrated with examples, shows how the effect can be found in areas like machinery design, and the impact of ‘the Plain Style’ on Puritan ideas and, for example, on Shaker furniture design.The study is divided into six chapters, moving from broader issues, such as an imageless worship and thought, to more specific areas. In his discussion of Ulster Protestant culture, Brett dismantles the conception that deep cultural contrasts exist between Protestants and Republicans. The author does not just depict the differences between Protestant and Republican cultures, but more importantly, the ways in which the seeming contrasts are manipulated. Indeed, it is through such a wide scope of topics that Brett emphasises a more creative Protestant lineage, in order to break down what Brett views as self-destructive models of thought within Protestant and Republican communities.While the literary and rhetorical aspects of the Plain Style have been studied, the author breaks new ground with this important book on the visual aesthetics of the Plain Style and makes a valuable contribution to cultural history and to the history of ideas.

Essays analysing the development of 18th-20th century children's literature, and the role played by the Religious Tract Society and the Lutterworth Press.A collection of essays based on the Children's Books History Society study conference marking the bicentenary of the Religious Tract Society and the Lutterworth Press. The book analyses the children's literature it produced, charting the development of the genre from the evangelical tract through to the popular school story, spanning the period from the late eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. It shows how publishing worked within the context of a missionary society with a global reach. The book details the nature and development of the tract genre both in Britain and America, before looking at the range of RTS and Lutterworth output of children's titles, including its movement into magazine publishing. The work studies the two great magazines for which the RTS and Lutterworth were known to generations of children, the Boy's Own Paper and the Girl's Own Paper, as well as other magazines, such The Child's Companion. There are also chapters on popular tracts, such as The Dairyman's Daughter, and successful authors, from Hesba Stretton and Mrs Walton to W.E. Johns and Laura Ingalls Wilder. These essays explore how, in order to reflect an increasingly secular age, the subject matter widened, providing more non-fiction in its periodicals as well as an increasingly broad range of fiction, mostly secular in nature. It was also necessary for the Society to alter its didactically religious tone in order to present its Christian values with more subtlety. With chapters on subjects as diverse as American religious tracts, boy's school stories, secular publishing for girls and the presentation of gender roles, this collection is a major contribution to publishing history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Contributors include Brian Alderson, Mary Cadogan, Aileen Fyfe and Anne Thwaite.

A study of the art and poetry of one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, exploring the nature and the origins of his use of symbolism.Dante Gabriel Rossetti is amongst the most famous figures of the Victorian era. An eminent artist and a founder member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, his art and life have fascinated scholars for decades. However, despite an existing acknowledgement of Rossetti's use of symbolism, specialists have neglected to analyse its nature and its sources, as well as its content. In The Stream's Secret, Rodger Drew highlights a facet of the artist's work that has hitherto gone largely unexplored. By offering a comprehensive analysis of Rossetti's paintings and poetry, Drew shows that the artist widely employed themes and motifs drawn from the Hermetic magical system which later developed into Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. The author connects this symbolism to a comprehensive European tradition dating from Plato and Pythagoras, through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance and later periods. This deep insight into Rossetti's works allows the reader to gain a better understanding of the existing bond between Rossetti's paintings and his poetry, as well as to appreciate the importance of symbolism as a language in the artistís ouvre. More generally, Drew gives his reader an overall view of the use of symbolism in the art of the Aesthetic Movement. Drew's work is a fully original study of Rossetti's Symbolism, and an essential resource for teachers, researchers, and Art History students, and for anyone interested in the Pre-Raphaelite Movement. This is a fundamental guide to a proper understanding of late 19th century art.

A thought provoking study exploring the nature of Anglican identity from the Middle Ages to the present through the lives of 16 influential men and women.The worldwide Anglican movement is a vibrant and flourishing, if sometimes troubled, international phenomenon. In recent decades it has experienced exponential growth, especially in parts of Africa and Asia, where dynamic evangelism and church planting are often seen. Yet for their historic roots, Anglicans across the globe continue to look back to one small but long-established province, the Church of England. The Anglican movement, at its best, has always been about people rather than structures or institutions. So this book introduces sixteen influential men and women from the Church of England, spread over the centuries from the early middle ages to the present day. They range from the celibate monk (Bede) to the married mother of eighteen children (Susanna Wesley); the innovative scientist (Robert Boyle) to the captivating poet (Frances Ridley Havergal); the urbane scholar (C.S. Lewis) to the popular preacher (Richard Sibbes and David Watson); the visionary bishop (Thomas Cranmer and J.C. Ryle) to the tenacious politician (William Wilberforce and Lord Shaftesbury). All sought to be faithful followers of Christ within the Church of England. But what were their theological passions and convictions? How did they understand their Anglican identity? These vignettes are not mini-biographiesbut fresh and thought-provoking explorations of the heart of faith.

A re-examination of the First Book of Samuel and its treatment of Saul, shedding new and unexpected light on the character of the first King of Israel.A thorough re-examination of the First Book of Samuel and its treatment of Saul, showing that Saul's central role in the development of the kingdom of Israel has been misunderstood by generations of scholars. Spurred on by a childhood fascination with the Tanakh, which brought to his attention the discrepancy between the English rendering of Samuel 21:19 and the original Hebrew, Green builds upon recent research to show that later authors revised 1 Samuel with the specific intention of defaming Saul. In the process, these revisionist authors glorified the character of David, and have significantly distorted the true nature of events.Green systematically works through the Biblical text, highlighting its illogical chronology, and drawing attention to apocryphal incidents, before reconstructing a more plausible sequence for the story. Both a fresh analysis of a maligned figure and a comprehensive guide to the First Book of Samuel, Green's interpretation returns Saul to his rightful place as the first "Lord's Anointed", true King and one genuine messiah of all Israel.

A challenging and timely examination of the philosophical and ideological assumptions that underlie modern Western culture and politics.In his new book, John Elsom considers the drama of international politics from the viewpoint of a theatre critic, someone who sits in life's stalls and takes notes in semi-darkness. He relates how grand narratives of human behaviour grew from the insights of Darwin, Descartes and the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, to become "the unacknowledged state religion of the West, High Modernity". He argues that the primary aim of most European ministries of culture, together with Western media companies, is to promote aspects of this faith.With a dazzling range of examples, from George Bush's New World Order to the war in Iraq, the Peace Process in Northern Ireland and John Birt at the BBC, Dr. Elsom describes how the faith in High Modernity has permeated Western habits of mind. High Modernity may alarm those who do not share its Enlightenment beliefs, but it reassures others who want to believe that the future is something that "we can, and must, control", according to the mission statement for the Millennium Dome.Essential reading for anyone willing to open their minds to the realities of international differences in modern politics, this book will challenge readers' perceptions of the world they live in and the role of High Modernity in Western politics and culture.

An extensively illustrated and detailed biographical dictionary, providing an invaluable source of information on the contribution of female British artists.The most comprehensive volume of its kind, Gray's Dictionary of British Women Artists offers extensively-researched biographies of some of the most significant female contributors to British art.This volume will make a valuable contribution to the study of art history. It will also provide readers with significant insight into a long-neglected aspect of history - the lives and achievements of women artists. Each entry provides key biographical information, as well as (where possible) commentary on the artist's studies, lifestyle, travels and family. Entries also detail significant works, exhibitions and membership of societies. Gray's introduction provides a useful context to the biographies.

The definitive study of the artist and writer C.R.W. Nevinson, making a major contribution to the understanding of intellectual culture in 20th-century Britain.The first comprehensive study of the life and work of C.R.W. Nevinson, an important painter and writer whose name is re-emerging to take its rightful place among the established icons of art and literature in early 20th century England. Numerous previous accounts remember Nevinson solely as a Futurist and war painter. However, in recent years there has been a revival of academic interest in his role in the inter-war period and the Second World War, and with it, the need for a full study of his life and works. Painter, social commentator, novelist and society host, Nevinson can now be remembered as one of the most prominent and distinguished artists of his generation. In this interdisciplinary work, Walsh presents a thorough analysis of Nevinsonís artistic achievements, explaining his problematic relationships with contemporaries like Wyndham Lewis, Roger Fry, Amadeo Modigliani, H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw. This book gives the reader a wider understanding of the changing cultural landscape of Britain between 1889 and 1946 and introduces the figure of C.R.W. Nevinson in context, providing an objective and captivating account of his explosive and multi-layered personality.

An illuminating study of the literary qualities of the English Bible, with particular emphasis on the Authorised (King James) Version.Tom Henn's classic work represents an important and illuminating reading for the student of English literature and religion, the general reader of the Bible and the Bible lover. Based on the King James (Authorised) Version of the Bible, Dr Henn looks critically at the epic, narrative, lyric and dramatic qualities of the sacred texts. He examines the Bible's unique forge of style and the imagery which so profoundly give the Bible its Biblical character. The Bible's immense variety, its capacity to speak to the heart and mind of the reader, its powerful readability and above all its sense of the eternal, are all brought into Henn's masterly work. As Henn says: 'The Bible has been burned deeply into the fabric of the life and literature of the English-speaking peoples. Its proverbs and its parables, its episodes sacred or profane, have been expounded in drama and poetry from the earliest written English.'

A lively and accessible guide to the development of the novel, emphasising a thematic approach to the conventions and variety of the form.As George Watson playfully observes, the story is the best thing about a novel. The deliberately ambiguous title of his book reflects the fact that it combines a study of the art of narrative with the history of the novel as a literary form, since its emergence some three centuries ago. Employing a thematic approach, the author moves from one aspect of narrative to another rather than discussing novelists chronologically. The book considers various kinds of novels, such as the memoir novel and discusses issues such as the presentation of dialogue, the creation of scenes, tense and time and the relationship between the novel and history. Arguments are illustrated by well-known rather than obscure works, or novels likely to be familiar to students who take this book as a starting-point for the modern study of narrative. The reader is presented with a clear picture of how the novel has evolved and how its chief conventions have developed and changed since the seventeenth century. This new and revised edition brings back to life this invaluable and straightforward work on the technique of the novel, which first appeared in 1979.

The classic commentary on the Ephesians, with a revised text and translation.Written whilst in prison in Rome, the Epistle to the Ephesians has been perceived as St. Paul's most important work, as it is not addressed to a specific church or city, but was intended as a circular, to be taken by Tychicus, and read in all the churches willing to accept this the new word of God. This book addresses the most important elements of the teaching of St. Paul, and specifically the inclusion of the gentiles in what had initially been a church for Jews. It was this teaching which had led to St. Paul's imprisonment, and yet he took the opportunity to spread his message despite the consequences he faced. In St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, Robinson provides a context for the Epistle, establishing a framework in which it can be read and understood. This book also includes a paraphrase of the Epistle, which is of particular value to students who are not familiar with the Greek language. This is a classic and comprehensive commentary on the Ephesians, which is well constructed and easy to follow.

A major work on the Book of Common Prayer by the leading 19th-century theologian and social thinker.The theology of the leading 19th century theologian and social thinker F.D. Maurice was rooted firmly in the communal action of the Book of Common Prayer. For him the Prayer Book is the key to any understanding of Anglican ecclesiology, and also provides the grounding for his social views. His practical and traditional approach was in keeping with the general spirit of English society.

The formal and mature statement of the theology underlying the social beliefs of the influential 19th-century English liberal thinker.F.D. Maurice is now recognised as the most influential nineteenth-century English liberal thinker. Theological Essays, first published in 1853, is the formal and mature statement of the theological beliefs that underlie his social thinking. He was more than a man of brilliant intellect he was utterly dedicated and his religious beliefs were ground in the mill of his own experience. Maurice was never afraid to look unpleasant facts in the face, and his intellectual honesty challenges modern man no less than it did his own generation. His theology remains relevant, for he was always painfully conscious of the stresses and strains, failures and anxieties that make up day-to-day human experience.

The last and most important work of the 17th-century mystic, his wide-ranging interpretation of Genesis and the nature of mystical experience.Boehme was born in 1575. He received little if any formal education and was apprenticed to a shoemaker at Goerlitz in Saxony. From an early age he seems to have been devoted to the study of the Bible as well as having a growing, inner, sense of the reality of God. Walking one day in the fields, when he was twenty-five years old, the mystery of creation was suddenly opened to him, and 'in a quarter of an hour I saw and knew more than if I had been many years at the university ... and thereupon I turned my heart to praise God for it.' He puzzled as to why such revelations should be given to him, who sought only the love of God. Ten years later he began to record what he received, and thus was born The Aurora, his first book, finished in 1612. At once his work found both friends and enemies. To the struggles of the former to understand him, we owe the gradual development of his capacity to convey and express more and more of that which he had received. Persecution by the Primate of Goerlitz made him leave home and settle in Dresden, where he died in 1624. Written in 1623, when his powers of expression had developed to their full, Mysterium Magnum is central to his work. Taking the form of an interpretation of Genesis, it outstrips its apparent confines, explaining the popularity of his work among followers as varied as Hegel, Law, Blake and Berdyaev. From the first sentence it leads to the heart of the experience of all mystics: 'When we consider the visible world with its essence, and consider the life of the creatures, then we find therein the likeness of the invisible spiritual world, which is hidden in the visible world as the soul in the body; and we see thereby that the hidden God is nigh unto all and, through all, and yet wholly bidden to the visible essence.'

The mature expression of the theology and religion of the 18th-century spiritual thinker.William Law is best remembered today for his Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. To those interested in his spirituality, however, other works have greater impact, in particular The Spirit of Prayer and The Spirit of Love, which are considered the finest and most appealing. In the years in which they were written, his vision had reached its fullest and most characteristic development, and his literary power was at its height. It is in these books that the profound influence of Jacob Boehme can be most clearly seen. His great synthesis of the mystical outpourings and orthodox Christian theology, provide an English spiritual classic. Law's understanding and interpretation of mysticism was more original than traditional, being dynamic and creative. He believed in the life of God working from within, and the flame of divine love being a link with and an understanding of God. He conceived that mysticism was a matter of life, that relied on willing rather than knowing, and that ultimately rested on trust in God. Despite holding no official position he was widely regarded in his own time and later as a spiritual guide, and his trilogy The Spirit of Prayer, The Spirit of Love and The Way to Divine Knowledge was the mature expression of his theology and religion.

A guide to the origins and development of the stone tombs and monuments of English churchyards.Throughout history people have perpetuated the memory of the dead by constructing stone monuments. The majority of early tombs honour great men, but by the 17th and 18th centuries the humble as well as the rich and powerful sought to express their love and grief by the erection of a suitably inscribed and decorated memorial, made by a local craftsman from native stone. Frederick Burgess describes the origin and development of the churchyard and analyses the different types of monument and ornamentation of each period. He examines the symbolism and lettering and concludes with a section about stonemasons themselves, their training and their methods. He also includes an appendix on epitaphs. This book is an invaluable guide to the historian, the antiquarian, the art historian, and the clergy. Above all, the general reader will find it of absorbing interest, as will those who enjoy exploring the countryside and visiting ancient churches.

An account of how the spirit of Anne Boleyn returned through the medium of a clergyman with no previous experience of the psychic or paranormal.No-one who knew the late Canon Pakenham-Walsh could accuse him of being a starry-eyed dreamer. At ninety he was as active mentally and physically as many a man little more than half his age. Join him on his personal journey across psychic channels to find the real Anne Boleyn; a journey which, beneath its psychic and historical drama, demonstrates religious purpose. The author's deep-rooted fascination for Anne Boleyn first originated in 1917 during a missionary trip in China, yet it was on his return to England in 1919 that Pakenham-Walsh began to see divine confirmation of his desire to uncover the true Anne Boleyn. Following a prayer at Boleyn's burial site that she might become Pakenham-Walsh's guardian angel, Pakenham-Walsh experienced a series of bizarre coincidences. It was these strange incidents which led Pakenham-Walsh to seek clairvoyants, who helped to channel the spirit of Anne Boleyn. Through sessions with psychic mediums, the reader is presented with transcripts and accounts of psychic messages from Anne Boleyn and significant characters within Anne Boleyn's short lifetime. From one of Anne Boleyn's maids, put to death 'for the sake' of Anne Boleyn, to an infuriated Henry VIII, Pakenham-Walsh vividly recounts his experiences in a sympathetic and quaint style. Canon Pakenham-Walsh's narrative not only relates his experiences of mediumistic contact, it is also a powerful Christian morality tale of redemption transcending death."This whole story [...] all hangs together in a very wonderful way and it seems to me more difficult to put it all down to accident or self-deception than to take it as an extraordinary but Divinely planned and allowed working out of the 'Communion of Saints' in which we profess to believe."From Chapter Eleven: More Coincidences.

The moving and inspiring story of one man's crusade to rescue the street children of Uganda from violence, destitution and hopelessness.She was dirty and dusty. Her curly hair had seen neither a comb nor water for months. In one hand she carried a package of cigarettes and in the other a solvent rag. Young Namusisi had no home, no family, no money for school fees, and no one to love her or care for her. She survived in the culture of the buy aye on the streets, parking lots, and porches of the city of Kampala, Uganda. But one day she met Daddy Kefa and her life was changed. He took her to his children's home where she was provided for and was shown the love of Christ. Namusisi was just one of more than 6,000 Ugandan street children who were rescued from a meaningless and hopeless life by the efforts of a compassionate, selfless, and godly man. The book contains the poignant stories of many of those destitute children stories of how they came to live on the streets and of how their lives were changed. Here are stories of a people ravaged by a demonic dictator, a people who had lost all sense of humanity and were struggling under emotional, physical, and spiritual poverty. From the Dust tells how the efforts of one man made a difference to so many who were groping in a dark world of sin and hopelessness. It is the story of the love of God to the lost and dying, and of how that love made a difference to so many Africans and can still make a difference to those who will trust in him.

A timely volume gathering the most important writings of 'Woodbine Willie', the influential Christian pacifist and campaigner for social justice.There are no words foul and filthy enough to describe war.' So declared Geoffrey 'Woodbine Willie' Studdert Kennedy (1883-1929), a decorated frontline chaplain whose battlefield experiences in World War transformed him into the most eloquent defender of Christian pacifism of his generation. Studdert Kennedy was also a tireless champion of the social gospel who wrote a dozen books, scores of articles, hundreds of poems, and preached countless sermons in both the UK and the US promoting economic justice. Studdert Kennedy's writing and preaching influenced an entire generation. William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, described him as a true prophet. Even though he has fallen into obscurity with the passage of years, Studdert Kennedy's message still inspires the likes of Desmond Tutu and Jurgen Moltmann. This collection of Studdert Kennedy's work, the first in 60 years, seeks to introduce this most relevant of thinkers to our troubled times. The book pulls together Studdert Kennedy's most important writings on war and peace, poverty, the problem of evil, the Church's role in the world, sin and atonement, the suffering God, love versus force as world powers, and the beloved community. Editor Kerry Walters introduces the texts with a biographical and thematic essay.

A clear explanation of the mathematics that underlies Rubik's Cube, and how the cube can be used to grasp the fundamentals of group theory.In thirty years, Rubik's cube, invented by Erno Rubik, has established itself as a neverending source of delight, frustration and intellectual stimulation to children and adults alike. There is a large literature on the subject, but one of the few books to have established themselves as offering a serious contribution to the subject is Alexander H. Frey's and David Singmaster's Handbook of Cubik Math, first published in 1982.Frey and Singmaster were the first to offer an elegant mathematical solution to the cube, doing it in a form that enables readers to understand the processes that have been undertaken. As a result the book has proved readily accessible to generations of high-school maths students and more advanced college students of algebra.The solution is intuitive, and does not require memorisation of formulae. The authors demonstrate how movements of the cube exemplify the fascinating but abstract field of mathematics known as group theory. Using the cube as a model they make comprehensible and concrete the hard-to-understand ideas of group theory. Their hypothesis that the maximum number of moves required for 'God's Algorithm' was in the low twenties was proved correct in 2008 by Tomas Rokicki, who showed that it was twenty-two.In addition to showing how to solve Rubik's cube, the authors explain the theory involved, and its application to similar puzzles. They also show how the cube provides a physical example for many mathematical concepts where such examples are scarce, and the book therefore provides a useful teaching aid.

An intriguing contribution to the history of 18th-century art, revealing the Masonic symbolism that pervades the work of one of Britain's greatest painters.This engaging study reveals how a half-hidden thread of Masonic symbolism runs through Hogarth's work. The classical and Biblical references, whose ambiguity and apparent paradoxical relation with the eighteenth-century situations depicted have often been underlined, gain coherence and unity when they are analyzed in the symbolic framework of freemasonry and alchemy Hogarth was busy both using and concealing in his prints. The coded meaning is often entirely at odds with the surface one, a fact suspected but never proved by critics so far. A very original and titillating book for academics and general reader alike. Readers will be intrigued by the secrecy of symbols from mythological, biblical and Masonic references and hidden codes that have to be deciphered. Furthermore, they will be also left intrigued by the secret message that the very popular and well-known painter is attempting to deliver. Academics will be interested in the book since this thorough approach has never been proposed by any of Hogarth's scholars so far.

A biographical study of the Scottish journalist and man of letters William Robertson Nicoll, and his influence on the development of English Nonconformity.A study of William Robertson Nicoll, a non-conformist individual who had considerable influence in the late 19th Century. Originally a minister, he was considered a great leader and was also a theological conservative, and therefore committed to maintaining the orthodox stance of the Christian Churches, but at the same time, he encouraged many of the new ideas, which he felt would prove a useful and hopeful benefit for the Church. Due to health issues he was later forced to retire his position and focused on work as an editor and journalist, bringing with him the same sense of leadership he had previously been known for. The debate over his legacy continues and is addressed within this study using previously unstudied information on Nicoll's life.

Second edition of an authoritative study of socialist literature showing the racist and genocidal roots of socialist texts of the 19th and early 20th centuries.In his hard-hitting and controversial book, George Watson examines the foundation texts of socialism to find out what they really say; the result is blasphemy against socialism's canon of saints. Marx and Engels publicly advocated genocide in 1849; Ruskin called himself a violent Tory and a King's man; and Shaw held the working classes in utter contempt. Drawing on an impressive range of sources from Robert Owen to Ken Livingstone, the author demonstrates that socialism was a conservative, nostalgic reaction to the radicalism of capitalism, and not always supposed to be advantageous to the poor. There have even been socialist monarchs - Napoleon III was one. Two chapters of the book study Hitler's claim that 'the whole of National Socialism' was based on Marx, and bring to light the common theoretical basis of the beliefs of Stalin and Hitler which led to death camps. As a literary critic, George Watson's concern is to pay proper respect to the works of the founding fathers of socialism, to attend to what they say and not what their modern disciples wish they had said. The dust grows thick on many of these tomes, while present-day socialists follow a few ossified slogans plucked selectively from the best-known books. Socialist ideas are now rescued from priggish and woolly-thinking moralists so that genuine debate can be revived. This invigorating book forces the reader to abandon long-standing assumptions in political thought. It is certain to ruffle feathers, blue as well as red.

An elegant and accessible introduction to the Old Testament, covering all aspects of the text.Harold Henry Rowley discusses the various aspects of the Old Testament in a book whose purpose is, in the author’s own words, to “help the readers to a fuller apprehension of the Holy Book”. Rowley’s analysis, the result of many years of thorough and detailed study, introduces the reader to the Old Testament in its historical, archaeological, religious and metaphysical contexts, and emphasises its relevance to understanding the New Testament.Combining academic rigour with a clear and readable style, The Rediscovery of the Old Testament is an invaluable text not just for scholars and students, but also for general readers interested in advancing their understanding of the Bible.

An important new biography of the scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, based on the most recent research and scholarship.Inspired by the life and times of Alexander von Humboldt, 1769-1859 , this biography follows Humboldt, who is considered the father of the Natural Sciences and in his day was as well known as Napoleon, and traces his childhood in what was then Prussia, his education at various Universities his training as a mining engineer and how he progressed into the sciences. Duringing the Age of Enlightenment, Humboldts journey to South America between 1799 and 1804 with Aime Bonpland, changed the course of both their lives and during this period of exploration, they sent back to Paris and Berlin some 6000 samples of new species, minerals and animals. En route the scientists collected a mass of detailed information - cartographical, geological, astronomical, botanical, anthropological and linguistic - that took a life time to decipher.

A highly accessible and theologically astute exposition of the story of the reign of King David, emphasising the themes of power and repentance.“The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me, His word is upon my tongue” – 2 Samuel 23.2The author of Walking the Walk now tells the second half of the story of David, from the moment he becomes king of ‘all Israel’ to his death. Wilcox offers his readers an inspiring and timely exposition, combining as it does a subtle literary story with a robust theological analysis. More than just a bible commentary, Talking the Talk is also a populist reading aimed at a theologically untrained audience, approaching the narrative as a drama, consisting of acts and episodes divided into scenes. Addressed primarily to the contemporary western church, the book focuses attention on David’s capacity for repentance.

An analysis of the arrogance and self-righteousness found in secularism and the modern churches, showing the importance of the basic message of Christianity.God is in the dock. Shall we convict him or forgive him? Shall we replace the God of Scripture with another of our choosing, mock and deride him, or ignore him? Shall we replace revelation with the chaos of speculation? We perceive ourselves, rather than God, as the center of the world and this universal condition leads to conflict with others and with God. Maintaining our center causes cheating, lying, litigation, divorce, wars, genocide, and human misery. Western civilization is giving up trust in the promise of God's mercy, justice, and forgiveness and replacing it with trust in the goodness of man. Jesus warned us to beware the teaching of the Sadducees and Pharisees. The Sadducees, who denied hope of eternal life, are a rough equivalent of our modern day secularists with their religious trust that this world is all there is. Replacing God with trust in flawed human nature is a mark of arrogance that even pagans would have characterized as hubris evoking divine wrath. The Pharisee's yeast of self-righteousness is a natural condition of us all. Even when cleansed it reappears in every tradition rendering forgiveness and transformation a promise only for those who think they have earned and deserve it. Such a distortion of God's word is congenial to our self-as-center, but it robs us sinners of the justice and mercy of a loving God. Following Jesus's warning we have the opportunity to wipe away the Sadducee arrogance and the Pharisee self-righteousness and discover anew the supreme power and joy of the Christian faith.