D Books

this book is fantastic. in a very beautiful and big format, it's complete with all the bondgirls in a great description. very good if you are a bond fan or at least a woman lover!

Overall the book is ok, however for a coffee table sized book (It's rather tall, which makes it awkward to store in a bookcase - well mine anyway) there's not enough photos, and a bit too much text. Almost all of the photos I'd seen before, so while most people new to the Bond world might be impressed, there's not enough unique content to make the book a must have. Actually come to think of it most of the text does seem like filler, too generic to be interesting. A book this size shouldn't be a novel, it should be mostly photos. With only one or two photos per actress there definitely needs to be a lot more photos.

great pictures and an in depth look at each girl and her relationship to the movie

Perhaps my expectations were too high, but when I had read other reviews I hoped for the best. This is not the best. So, what one is the best? It is the one yet to be published. yet I will admitt that this one is the best out there that I have seen. A book on Bond women should have a lot more pictures, and more inside stories would help as well; yes, more photos, that would do the trick.

If you are a James Bond lover...you will ENJOY this book!!! Great book!!!

Fat City is a short book, so I'll write a short review. You can get a plot synopsis from the other reviewers. This is high-quality noir territory. It is 180 pages of boxing, booze, lousy jobs, poisoned relationships, and flophouse squalor. It perfectly captures the characters' desperation and hopelessness. If you are looking for a tough, lean, gritty read, then look no farther.

Fat city is a book that took place in Stockton California in the 1950's that follows the broken lives of several men who are brought together from boxing. This book is written by Leonard Gardner, a boxer himself during the 1950's. As you read through the pages a story of the lives of different men unfolds.
Billy Tully is an out of shape boxer who gave everything up because of long losing streak and the painful divorce with his wife. Living off of almost nothing he decides he wants to go back and try to fight. While training he meets a young boy named Ernie Munger who has a natural talent for boxing. Ernie wants to be a boxer so bad that he trains day and night letting nothing get in his way. In the middle of his career he gets his girlfriend pregnant but tries his hardest to stay in the life of boxing. While following the characters in their lives this book goes though the struggle of each man and illustrates how they react to their failures. In this story the women are the cause of problems between all of the unhappy boxers; a problem that cannot be fixed.
Some chapters in the story are dedicated to small parts of other men's lives such as the trainer and the opponent, letting you understand the story from both sides. Although these men are brought together by boxing the book is about these men doing what they can do to survive. From boxing to farming this book accurately covers the actions taken to survive. Although the book can be slow at parts over all it is a quick read.

I read Fat City sometime in the mid-sixties, when it was first published, and was immediately captivated and envious of Gardner's powerful style and talent. If you appreciate and admire Hemingway or Steinbeck you will likely feel the same about Gardner, who, unfortunately, has not published anything since. Perhaps this small gem of a book was the only one he had in him. Even so, this novel is a remarkable accomplishment and may well become an American classic. What intrigues me the most in this work is that Gardner gets it all down right--the sights and smells and sounds of the seedy streets and flophouses; the drifters and dingy diners; the sweaty gyms, barsweeps and whores and how it is to work as a stoop-laborer in the fields, especially the true-to-life characters inhabiting the pages. Fat City is simply a well-crafted execution of art throughout and is as pleasurable to read now as when I first picked it up years ago.

Short novel, published in 1969, about two boxers, Billy Tully, who is 29 and down and out, and Ernie Mugger, who is 18 and up and coming, two versions of the same man, in some respects. Terrific skilled prose, short chapters, switching points of view between these two main characters and an assortment of other minor characters. The author takes you inside the characters' deepest despair or elation. How simple the author makes it look, one thinks, reading this book. But of course it is not. The prose is precise and honed, and looks easy only after who knows how many drafts. There are only 18 or 19 short chapters, and much of the novel is dialogue. But somehow one comes away with a panoramic view of Stockton, California, this woeful place, and the people the inhabit it - the immigrant fruit pickers, the bartenders and bar girls, the hobos on the street. The descriptions are compact and dead-on. About Billy Tully's hotel room: "All his neighbors had lung trouble." One could quote sentences from this book almost at will, the prose is so spare and perfect.

That the author never published another book, and that this was his first, is incredible. To write this cleanly and confidently, he must have practiced and studied for years. Yet to never do it again.

This is one of my all time favorite novels. It beautifully captures the desperation in the lives of its characters and does it in a style that is a model of grace and economy. The deeply insightful portrayal of the painful relationships between the men and women, who inhabit it's world, is one of its many pleasures.

Gardner is a great novelist, just on the strength of "Fat City," the only entry in his oeuvre.

As I read through the pages of this book, the war in the heavenlies between the Kingdom of God and the forces of darkness became even more real to me. This book provides insight into spiritual warfare that has to be unprecedented. Although it is fiction, it is still fact based. It's based on the word of God, the Holy Bible, and Brother Humphrey put a Holy Spirit inspired spin on it that should cause every person to understand how real Satan and his kingdom are. More importantly, it demonstrates the awesome power of God and proves that if we are on the Lord's side and He is for us, we are victorious over the works of the enemy in our lives. If there is the slightest propensity in the sinner to forsake the things of this world and live for God, this book will push them over into a place of total surrender to Him. In addition, it will frighten the believer into selling out to God totally and completely. I highly recommend purchasing this book because it is a true blessing. I thank God for Divinely placing it in my hands.

This book was TOTALLY AWESOME!!! I couldn't put the book down! (even almost got fired for bringing it on the sales floor!)I can't believe how great the book was. I can't wait to see if there is a second part continuing the search for the rapist! This is a book if you have any doubts about, just pick it up and read it, you will love it! An amazing story with a great ending!!

When Virginia Sills is found stabbed and raped in a dark alley, no one can possibly guess how twisted her story really is. Not even Virginia knows. On the verge of death, her Guardian Angel, Mahatiel, attempts to force her back into the land of the living. Ever stubborn, Virginia balks at every turn, endangering her soul and Mahatiel's life as the forces of evil gather to snatch her to themselves. Marcellus Grimes, an arrogant detective, is assigned to find Virginia's rapist. He has no idea of the darkness he will enter while on the search. Want-to-be detective Darrell, who takes a lot of abuse and ridicule from Marcellus, sees clues that Marcellus doesn't and he determines that he will find Virginia's abuser on his own and the race is on.

IN DARK THINGS David M. Humphrey, Sr. spins a tale of heaven and hell, of good vs. bad, God vs. Satan. He covers the fall of Lucifer from grace and the birth of all Lucifer's dark demons. He shows us the trials that Guardian Angels have as they try to protect their human charges. The book encourages the reader to listen to that voice that is telling us what to do: it could be God talking to us. It was an interesting story with a Christian message. In some places, it got just a bit preachy which slowed the action down. It was certainly an interesting story on the relationship of God, Satan and human beings.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Wow, what a gripping book, providing insight to the spiritual world. Through a fictional and gripping story, you are also taught and realize how little the everyday material world means in God's grand scheme of things, and how wonderful and powerful God is. Through his Son, Jesus, he has bestowed this power on us to use against the principalities of darkness.

Great read! I was glued to the pages as the lives were protected and saved by mighty angels and deceived and ruined as puppets by mighty the dark-things.
David's vision of Satan creating "Death" was awesome, I was in the lab, frozen as the plot unfolded and transformed the unwitting demon into Death it self. keep writing and your gift will make room for itself.

And keep praying the enemies/dark-things are not pleased when someone turns on the light.

I have been fortunate enough to know Dr. Hablitzel. This book is a wonderful gift. I would recommend it for everyone. Dr. Hablitzel not only cures illnesses, he also teaches us lessons on how to live.

WONDERFUL

I just finished reading this book, which never left my hand across a span of 4 hours. I traveled alongside William on a journey of his life stories from his career. An absolutely fascinating book, chaulked full of raw emotion and stories of healing. This book will leave you deep in thought and rejuvenated, ready to make the best of the rest of life. A must read in my opinion!

This is a must read book for anyone working in health care and anyone who is experiencing a health care crisis in their personal life. The book will touch your heart and bring tears to your eyes more often than the original Chicken Soup For The Soul. And it is better written than Chicken Soup.
The book shares stories of the courage patients have when they face the challenge of dying from disease. Each story will teach you about the strength of the human soul and leave you celebrating life. This is a book about the celebration and joy to be found in the experience of disease. The book illustrates that disease is actually a gift that teaches us many valuable lessons. We should not be afraid of the gifts we are given, but embrace them.
You will want to buy more than one copy so you can share the hope with those you love.

Dr. Hablizel is a story-teller of the first degree and the people and places he brings to life on his mystical and mysterious journey through medicine will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

"Dying Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me: Stories of Healing and Wisdom Along Life's" is a unique, sensitive collection of life and death experiences encountered by physician William Hablitzel. In his view of death as the great teacher and enlightener, Dr. Hablitzel embraces the "uncomfortable duality" of being "both a physician defeated by death and the witness enriched by it (p. 10)." This luminous book of journeys with the dying has all the elements of the greatest teachings about life's meaning. Finding miracles in the everyday events, listening to the science, learning to overcome fear, embracing the unknown in death, and the miraculous process of human growth are all themes developed in these chapters and stories. Bridging the gap between science and faith, "Dying Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" is inspirational literature of the finest grade -- and especially recommended for medical and health-care professionals, as well as non-specialist general readers, who must deal with end-of-life issues with respect to their patients or families.

Elia Kazan was arguably one of the most influential people that theatre has ever produced. He had an amazing life through his art, and outside of it.

Here, at the age of 77, past the point of modesty, conceit and pride, he tells his remarkable story of learning his craft, harnessing his incredible God-given talent, and channelling his drive into success.

We learn about his trysts and liasons with other icons, his marriages, his faults and missteps.

He owns up to many things that have not made him proud, including naming names during the deplorable McCarthy communist witch hunts of the 1950's.

He talks openly of his failures as a parent and a husband, his infidelity, and his loss of faith.

He also recounts his many astounding successes in film and theatre, including the many great actors and actresses he worked with.

His honest self-assessment is a breath of resh air.

This is one of the greatest autobiographies I have ever read.

This is the best show-biz biography I have ever read. Poor, Greek immigrant, Kazan fought his way up the entertainment ladder to direct my favorite movie (On The Waterfront) and my favorite play (Death of A Salesman). Along the way to these achievements he was an original member of the Group Theater; he relates his experiences there including an in-depth retelling of his relationship with Lee Strasburg. He met prectically everyone in the business from an aspiring Marylin Monroe, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Arthur Miller and what seems thousands of others in the theater and movie world. His antecdotes are fresh and revealing, even those that may be common knowledge. Of particular note are the chapters devoted to the making of Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. His work with Brando, who was seldom better than when he worked with Kazan, is discussed. Along with his great movies and plays, Kazan tells his side of the House On Unamerican Affairs controversy that swirled about him until his death. While the book is massive at 864 pages, it is over too soon. It is a rare, literate portrait of the man Kazan, who changed American movies and theater forever-- and for the better.

One of the most honest, compelling, brilliant, wise, stunning books I've ever read. Kazan's life was awe-inspring, and to have it retold with such lucidness and unflattering candour is a gift for the ages. Not only was he one of the greatest theatre directors and film directors of the 20th Century, he writes like a blessed demon. This was a spellbinding, page-turning read. Immersed in its pages, I learnt so much about life, America, directing, theatre/cinema history, and myself. I also learnt more than I've ever known about how men think (wish I'd read this years ago).

It's such a pity Kazan's life has become simplistically defined by one act, and his artistry overshadowed - ironic, too, considering he made films with a deep, compassionate, liberal humanity. You can look at his life through through the prism of that one act, or read this for a much richer, fuller, deeper understanding of Kazan - the good, the bad, the ugly. And the genius.

This book made me want to live my life more fully, view myself less vainly, and create my work more honestly. Can't ask for more than that.

I was truly surprised by this book when I read it some years ago. I was surprised by how engrossing and powerful it was , all the way through. This man lived a tremendously interesting life, rich in great creative challenges and triumphs, rich in meetings and experience with remarkable people, rich in sexual adventures and complex human relationships. The story of how the child of Greek immigrants came to become the director of two of the classics of the American Theatre "Death of a Salesman" and a 'Streetcar Named Desire" and of two of the great American movies, "On the Waterfront" and " East of Eden" is told with remarkable frankness and perceptiveness.
Kazan does not come across in this work as a saint, but rather as a truly strong person who took what he wanted from life, even if this meant hurting others. His personal and inner torments however too make up an interesting part of this story.
One more point. His writing follows the rule of Henry James and is always interesting. This is a work whose richness in anecdote and event are so great that it fits into the 'couldn't put it down' category.

With a former Supreme Court Justice warning the USA today (March 10, 2006) about starting down the road toward a dictatorship, it seemes fitting to re-visit the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the 1950s when the right-wing was trying to scare our citizens into giving the government supreme power, just as neocons are trying now.

Elia Kazan defends his decision to name names during the Hollywood Hearings of the 1950s, saying that his ideas toward the Communist Party had changed and he thought the higher ups (maybe from Russia) were dictating policies to the American communists in the movie business.

Maybe so, but he also admits the Hearings already had all the communists' names and admits they were only showing their power to control people here in Hollywood,using intimidation to instigate the blacklist. In real life, the USA government was the bully, not the old, tired communists of the 1930s.

If so, then why did he ever think the movie he directed, "On The Waterfront," was a good analogy for what he faced? The USA government caused the black list and precipated suicides and family break-ups in their Hollywood investigation.

It was the mob who caused the deaths and intimidation in "On The Waterfront." Is Kazan saying that Congress behaved like the mob? Or that the mob behaved like Congress?

Granted, Kazan was a great director, brilliant at times. But to him the bottom line was the bottom line, and to keep his position as an all-star director, he had to name names. While he tries to seem noble, the reader can see his 'reel' motivation was money and his career. So what if he named names! He was working.

Today, we see the right wing using similar tactics in the Bush administration: questioning people's patriotism, using smears and mud-slinging against opponents, trying to get people fired if they disagree with neocon policies, keeping a blacklist of university professors who oppose them, and most recently, equating the AARP group of loving gays instead of our troops.

After reading Kazan's book, I did gain a firm insight into right-wing politics, and these politicians use juxtaposition of images to label their opponents. Right-wingers still don't care if they distort the record. To them, winning is everything.

Energy Leadership is much different from other books on leadership; it's really a book about how our perceptions of ourself -- and of the world -- determine how we think, feel, and thus, react to the events and situations in their lives. For people who think that life happens to them, or for people who want to be a leader in their home or workplace, this book is essential reading. For employers who can't understand why their employees aren't engaged, productive, or happy, this is THE ONLY BOOK that explains it all. . . Get out your highlighter and be prepared to enjoy, learn and change!

This is a quick read! This is a great leadership book for anyone in management. It is unlike any other leadership book you will find and totally relevant to any business I can think of. It is amazing how well you can identify with the characters in the book. I was able to see myself in their behaviors and see how I was creating part of the problem. The great part is that I can also be part of the solution. If you really want high performance people working with you and for you, it is definitely to your benefit to master this information.

By reading Energy Leadership, my life became easier.
I now know the level of energy I am emanating, so it is no longer a surprise to the responses I receive from others in return. I now have various choices in ways to communicate and receive different responses from others... Much Better Ones!
Buying this knowledge, $20; experiencing an easy life with the Energy Leadership knowledge; PRICELESS

This is book has really helped me navigate a difficult period of my life. It's not well written, in fact it's downright hokey, and if a friend who I really admire hadn't given it to me I wouldn't have read the whole thing. But I am extremely glad that I did. Maybe I was just ready for it, but this has been a fantastic tool for me.

Like many people, I rushed through the first reading of this book because the story was so compelling. The second time through, I read it more like a business or personal development book. I was more thorough and took the time to go to the website and listen to/view the many free audio and video tapes, etc. For what you get included in the proce of the book, it is an amazing bargain. But the whole idea of energy and how we use it in interacting with people and groups brings together many recent theories of management and of human interaction. The synthesis goes beyond other viepoints and is, IMHO, the most up-to-date, comprehensive book on managing yourself and how that affects your interactions with people. Buy it and read it!

Depression doesn't have to completely shut down people's lives - part of overcoming it is not letting it take over the sufferer's life. "Get It Done When You're Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track" is an encouraging and helpful treatise to help sufferers overcome clinical depression to keep them going and get over it so they can continue leading healthy, productive lives in spite of it. Inspiring readers to continue creativity, overcome their own mind, and allow for time to pass to get what they want, and dozens upon dozens of other tips to getting through day to day life under depression, "Get It Done When You're Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track" is highly recommended to self-help community library collections, for those who have been in the unending funk with the intimidating news that life still needs to be lived.

This is a fantastic book for persons diagnosed with bipolar and their loved ones. It affirms feelings and situations the bipolar person can relate to and the loved ones can better understand what the bipolar person experiences and gain a better understanding of why they act the way they do at times. The suggestions given from real-life scenarios is a wonderful tool to recovery/stability and/or a more "normal" life.

*****
This book is incredibly helpful because it helps you to learn practical methods for coping with depression. The subtitle is "50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track", and each strategy is thoroughly explored. First it is explained, then there is a short exercise you can do to apply the strategy to your life. Next the strategy is illustrated in a story from someone's personal life. Lastly, the author shares a story about applying that strategy in her own life.

For example, one strategy I found very helpful is "Accept the Limitations Caused By Depression". I expect way, way too much of myself every day and then feel bad when I can't accomplish what I want to. This strategy (and the book in general) helped me to see that I will feel better and get more done in the long run if I don't beat myself up about what I can't do, and if I work the other strategies diligently to do what I can.

It really helped that the author is successful and accomplished despite her depression, and the stories show how many, many people work with their illness to make valuable contributions with their lives instead of just giving in to depression and using it as an excuse for failure. It truly made me feel like I wasn't alone---that many others feel this way, and that they organize their lives so that they can still succeed.

I have to say that it's the most practical book I've ever read for actually coping with depression.

Highly recommended.
*****

Simple, short, easy-to-understand ideas that can be put to use instantly. Thoughtfully written by an author who has been there herself supported by brief scientific expertise. Perfect for someone who is depressed because reading an entire book to get help is impossible; instead they can read it in sound-bites.

As we would expect from Julie Fast, this book is very simply written and points are aptly illustrated and accompanied with charts and checklists. "50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track" is the subtitle and is what she teaches in this book -- simple tips and easily understood and applied as you work through your depression. Her main point is that you can still be productive, even though you are feeling depressed.

This is a good place to start before getting a tattoo. We get a lot of people in our shop who just come in and basically point at something in a book. It's nice to know some history and symbolism before you place it on yourself for good. The author has good insights and a few illustrations. This is not a picture book.

This book is fun and easy to read. I would recommend anyone who has infinite questions about getting a tattoo to read this book first. It contains rich information on about everything tattoo related. Did this book definitely help me make a decision? Oh yah!

I was a bit skeptical at a book with this type of format and approach but it was amazingly well done. It covered many of the questions I knew to ask and didn't know what the best answer was as well as the questions and answers I had yet to even consider. A very very useful guide to the entire process behind getting a tattoo and one I'd recommend to everyone who wants to feel fully informed before making such a permanent decision.

Very informative and easy to read book. Her advice matched my own tattoo experience exactly. I had a great tattoo experience but wish I had read her book before making my first tattoo appointment.

Honestly, for people like me, who have thought about a tattoo for years, not seriusly enough to do it, but not with so little importance that the idea is forgoten fast, this is a great start. If you have had many doubts about tattoos in general, this is a good start, and an interesting reading anyway.

The past is prologue so they say and it couldn't be more true than in the case of Elias, Ian and Jill. A few short summer days, an accident, and what brought Jill into the world of Elias and Ian took her away.

Ian Hamlin grew up to be a tough FBI agent, Jill became a meteorologist and Elias a spoiled rich man. Ian and Elias lost their friendship after reaching adulthood to become bitter enemies while Jill put them out of her mind.

That is, except for Ian. Her memory of a boy could still stir her senses as a woman. Because of him, she never found any man she wanted to stay with. Until Elias came back into her life and she thought maybe he could be the 'one'.

But fate played with their lives again. Eight dead women with the same name as Jill, brought Ian back into her life as an investigator intent on protecting her and catching a serial killer. And Jill was back to square one romantically.

Talented J. D. Tynan has a surprise in store for the reader as the story unwinds and the plot thickens. Like a magician, who has you looking at one hand while another pulls a coin from your ear, she points your focus on a possible killer, but lurking in the background is a shadow that moves into the foreground as the story moves along.

Recommended for any fan of suspense or romance. A well told tale with interesting characters who move the plot along. Enjoy. I sure did.

This book has it all! Jill is being stalked, but around every turn, you come up with a different bad guy. It's almost like the author did that on purpose!! Great job with this first novel. I'm really looking forward to her next book, Charlie Ford Meets Secret Agent Man!

Very few authors can pull off putting that much sexual tension and intense heat into a GREAT suspense novel! This author's style is refreshing in a world of repetitive romance novels. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great gripping plot with a side of steamy sex! Five stars...plus two more for making me blush! Buy this book today!

When my friend suggested this new author, I had doubts because I love to read Lilian Jackson Brown and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I have to say that J. D. Tynan far exceeded my expectations and I highly enjoyed her wit and humor. The dialogue itself was incredibly real. I felt as if I were in the room with these characters. The detailing was not overly done like a lot of new authors tend to do. It was subtle, yet again, I felt as if I were in the same room with these people.
The story itself was GREAT! A love triangle with the twist the author threw in. Who would have thought? I give this my best rating of five stars because I want this author to succeed. I want to read every word she has ever written. Buy one today, you won't be sorry.

Jill has been targeted, but by whom? Oh boy, what fun you will have figuring it out...Or trying to figure it out. I was shocked that this new author did such an amazing job with misleading the reader.
When you are finished, you will be sad because the great characters stay with you and you just want them to go on and on. Someone convince this woman that a sequel is in order. Don't plan on putting it down after the 3rd chapter as it gets way too good! I give it my highest thumbs up.

Doug Moo offers a great exegetical and expositional commentary with the PNTC series offering on James. Well worth the buy, if you don't have a solid commentary on James. Nothing too crazy, and lots of compelling argumentation for his positions.

I have five critical commentaries on James (Lenski, Bruce, Woods, Martin, and now Moo). This one will more than likely be the primary source for me when I study the book in a critical fashion. He is thorough and that is what I want. If you are a preacher looking for something quick and in summary form, a smaller work might be more useful. For me, as a preacher, if I am in the circumstance where I need something quick I am already in trouble. I like the Pillar Series. Not long ago I read of one's review that was overly critical of the work on the epistles of John - I do not subscribe to that sentiment at all. It is a good series!

If you are looking for an answer to a question raised about the meaning of the book of Phillipians, you could not find a better treatment. This is a wonderful resource and fine treatment of the text. I used it in a series of sermons, and found it very easy to acess and get the gems of the book.

`The Epistle of James' by James B. Adamson, 1976, 227 pages in the series The New International Commentary on the New Testament; `The Letter of James' by Douglas J. Moo, 2000, 271 pages, a volume in the series The Pillar New Testament Commentary; and `James' by Ralph P. Martin, 1988, 240 pages, A volume in the series Word Biblical Commentary are all `full featured' and recent commentaries on the first of the short `catholic' epistles in the New Testament.

I find it amazing how different the material is in these three volumes. After 1800 years of commentary, one would expect a fair amount of uniformity in thinking about this short letter, but there is a remarkable range of differences in emphasis among the three.

Those of you who are familiar with the world of biblical commentary will recognize that all three are part of major series of commentaries. Adamson and Moo belong to series dedicated to the New Testament, while Martin's volume is an offering of a larger series on both Old and New Testaments. And, each volume is organized in a way to match the editorial style of their series. This is most clearly seen in Martin's volume, as his work is organized in virtually the same way as the much larger work on Paul's Epistle to the Romans by the distinguished scholar, James D. G. Dunn. This is no surprise, as Martin is the New Testament editor for his series, the Word Biblical Commentary.

Ranked by scholarly detail, Martin has the most and Adamson has the least, with Moo somewhere in between; but don't take from this that Martin is heavy on the Greek and Adamson has no original Greek. All three are specifically written for the scholar and assume that the reader either knows classical Greek or is willing to slog through all the Greek words and expressions. The irony here is that while Martin is the most heavily scholarly, it may also be the most accessible to the lay or strictly pastoral user, since this series divides scholarly observations into the `Comments' on each paragraph, while more general thoughts are spelled out in straight English in the `Form/Structure/Setting' section and later in the `Explanation' section following the `Comments'. Adamson organizes all his `special' or more technical topics in `Excursus' sections following his main commentary. I found this just a tad distracting, especially when I discovered some mistakes in references to these Excursus sections in the main text.

All three authors give us their own translations of the text, and all three agree on where the difficult phrases are to be found. If I were to pick a volume purely on the basis of their translation, I would prefer Adamson, as he seems to give translations that best resolve these difficult sections. But, in all three cases, the authors agree on where the difficulties lie and, in general, the nature of the difficulties.

In the three authors' introductory chapter on the author, themes, and canonical status of the letter, all three agree on the major points. They uniformly agree, for example on the belief that the letter does, in fact, represent the thoughts or writings of James, the brother of Jesus, who was head of the Christian Jews in Jerusalem up to about 62 CE. They also agree that the final form of the letter was rewritten and polished sometime in the early 2nd century, CE. The authors are also uniform in their citing Martin Luther's misunderstanding of James; however, I would give Luther credit for seeing scriptural support of many Roman Catholic doctrines, even if any sound reading of `James' shows that this support is probably stretching James points just a little too far.

On the major themes of the letter, I generally prefer Martin's emphasis on the three topics of `Wisdom', `Perfection', and `The Piety of the Poor' to the other authors' interest in theology and the law. James is clearly spending less times on these typically Pauline topics than he is on lessons for a Christian life.

Among all the other differences, it is most remarkable to see all the differences between how the three authors structure an outline of the short letter. If you didn't know better, you may think they were talking about two different writings. This is just a symptom of the fact that `James' is much less a theological argument a la `Romans' and much more a collection of lessons on prayer, right Christian behavior, and the implications of faith. This is consistent with the fact that the letter has much in common with the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Matthew (See Martin).

One last difference I detect between the three is the fact that Martin makes more connections to modern theology of, for example Dietrich Bonhoffer, while Moo and Adamson have more citations to the great reformers, Calvin and Luther.

If I had to pick only one of these, I would go with Martin's volume in the Word Biblical Commentary series. If I were interested only in pastoral interpretation, I would go with Moo or the article `The Letter of James' by Luke Timothy Johnson in `The New Interpreter's Bible', since both refer heavily to the standard NIV and NRSV translations. If your interest is in a scholarly study of the letter, you will probably want all three.

This is Moo's second commentary on the epistle of James. He wrote his first one in 1985 as part of the Tyndale series. This commentary is the result of fifteen years of reflection on that work. The content of this commentary makes it evident that this is the mature thought of a noted scholar on the letter of James. Those fifteen years left him more convinced "that the heart of the letter is a call to wholehearted commitment to Christ" (x).
Moo provides a lengthy introduction to this epistle (46 pages worth). This introduction includes the history of James in the church, nature and genre, authorship, theology, occasion and date, and structure of James. Concerning authorship, Moo holds that James, the bother of Christ, is the author. He presents arguments against this traditional view and then answers them. The section on the theology of the book is a feature more commentaries would do well to include. He dates the writing of the letter around the middle of the 40s AD. This is important because the date of writing has great implication on the relationship of the letter to Paul's teachings. Moo does not place a ridge structure on the letter. Instead, he finds "several key motifs" which "are often mixed together with other themes in paragraphs that cannot be labeled as neatly as we might like" (45). Denying the assertion of some commentators that the letter has no unifying purpose, Moo argues that the central concern of the letter is spiritual wholeness of the readers (47).
Moo's analysis of the text is insightful. His word studies are well done. He presents a wide range of possible meanings but uses the context to determine which meaning is James's meaning. Moo also does a good job in showing James's relationship with Paul. James is not writing against Paul. James means something different by faith than does Paul. They are addressing different problems.
The format of the commentary is user friendly for the most part. One helpful aspect is that Moo's introductory notes precede the verse by verse exposition of major points and most sub-points. Moo transliterates Greek words making the commentary usable to those who do not have the advantage of knowing Greek. One slight critique concerns the chapter divisions. The chapter divisions of the commentary are based on the chapters of James. This is fine, but the table of contents is broken down by his outline. One would whish the editors would choose a method of division and stay with it. The only other criticism is that Moo's writing style can be difficult at times. These two minor criticisms in no way change the fact that this is a masterpiece. It is short at only 251 pages not counting indexes. Anyone from a layperson to a scholar will benefit from this commentary. This reviewer would recommend it without hesitation (something he does not do often).