Stores Books

Jonathan Edwards preached this series of discourses on I Corinthians 13 in 1738 to his congregation in Northampton. These sermons, sixteen lectures in all, give great insight into the regular pastoral preaching of Edwards and show how gifted he was as an expositor of Scripture. They are full of both doctrinal propositions and practical instruction. They explain the text and also apply it. Edwards' aim was to show how Christian love is manifested in the heart and life of a true believer. His sermons follow the typical Puritan style of preaching, giving "doctrine" and application.

The first lecture seeks to prove that "all the virtue that is saving, and that distinguishes true Christians from others, is summed up in Christian love." In this sermon, Edwards' familiarity with the breadth of Scripture is plainly evident. The second and third sermons seek to more fully expound the first three verses of I Corinthians 13 in which Edwards explains how love is more excellent than the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit and that anything which is suffered in the way of duty is vain if not permeated with love.

Lectures four through fourteen focus on the fifteen characteristics of love as described in verses four through seven of I Corinthians 13. Edwards' pastoral concerns are most evident here as he labors to show how love will be longsuffering, kind, unselfish, etc. Edwards' penetrating application lays bare the human heart in ways that I have rarely seen in other sermons.

The final two sermons deal with the last paragraph of I Corinthians 13 and are more theological in nature as Edwards contends that the Holy Spirit will forever be given to the saints in love and that Heaven will be a world full of love. Edwards' view of heaven and hell are described with poignant detail in this last sermon, which is one of the most beautiful and insightful treatises on heaven that I have ever read. Like all of Edwards' writings, Charity and Its Fruits is full of theological acumen, philosophical insight, and pastoral concern.

Today one may hear a professing christian say that they "love Jesus'. Yet, Jesus said that our love for Him would be evident in the way we treat our neighbors. Even our enemies. This book will challenge every child of God to examine the way he or she lives in light of the great commandment, as well as Paul's teaching on 1 Cor 13. For, this book is a collection of sermons on the thirteenth chapter of Paul's letter to the Corinthians, often called the "love chapter". After reading this book, the reader may not go about flippintly using the word "love". For, in Edwards' sermons the reader learns the true meaning of the word often translated "charity" or "love". Especially to be savoured is the final sermon called "Heaven, a world of love".

This book is amazing and truly inspired of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Edwards ability to decompose scripture and address every aspect of arguments as to what the scripture means and does not mean is a Godsend. If you have struggled with the verse "In your anger, do not sin.", this book will help you unpack that verse....what is righteous anger (and what are all the forms unrighteous anger takes) and what is a godly (and what are ungodly) response(s). The "old English" takes a bit of getting into, but the absolute structure of the logic and interpretation found there is worth the minimal effort of getting into the "swing" of it. The absolute prize at the end is the chapter on the "society of heaven" -- how it will make you yearn for heaven and as the Lord's prayer says to desire "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". I think that chapter alone would be a great comfort to someone who has lost a believing loved one. Buy it, read it, share it.

Jonathan Edwards is still considered by many to be the greatest theologian America has ever produced. He is also a preacher that does not mince words, does not tell anecdotes, does not try to connect with the audience. In short, he sees himself in God's service, commissioned to spread His Word accurately and clearly, and I might add, eloquently.

Edwards had a chance to practice what he preached after he wrote this book, and was kicked-out of his church. He refused to serve communion to those he considered to be non-believers. His biography (another book) reveals his long-suffering and forbearance with what seemed like grossly unfair treatment he received. I was really impressed with his evenness during this very trying period.

'Charity and its Fruits' is a series of sermons Edwards did on the 'Love Chapter' of 1st Corrinthians 13, while pastoring Northampton Church in Northampton, Massachusetts. He goes through each phrase and winnows it down to what it really means for you and me. He is unsparing in his expositions, giving you both the good news and the bad news, what you need to seek after, and what you need to wrestle with, alternating between being encouraging and being convicting. In the process, it is, in my view, as eloquent as anything you will read, short of the Scriptures themselves. The last chapter, which is about heaven, is easily some of the best prose I've ever been privileged to read; and it is all spiritual, with almost no physical references.

Brace yourself, but do yourself a favor, and read the book.

Every elementary art teacher I know has this book. I have taught for 9 years, and I learned things from this book! It has great tips and ideas for running a creative, yet organized, art class. The projects look great. Her clay book is also helpful!

I teach children in South Oxnard in California K-6 holding an MFA and art certification(but I am a regular classroom teacher) and teaching from WV to LA in South Central, to Salinas Valley and at Warner in the San Diego Mountains servicing an Indian community for 22 years of my life. I provide this as basis for insisting that children fundamentally need to paint as early as you can get them going and well into their teens. It really should be a fundamental part of their program. That said, this book is extremely useful to all parents and teachers that need starting places. It discusses painting with copious illustrations and child works to open you to application within your own environment. As much as I use art, which is daily, I still respected very much the professional content, samples and unraveling of building a successful painting experience. Right now I'm on summer break anticipating a new year. Usually this means starting my first grade in the painting center and thinking of those first of year "self-portraits"...sure enough I open the beginning of the text to a rich variety of work that is self portrait related and is also figurative.You know,m we always start with self... So I read this section and I come upon a photo of a 20 month old with her brush on newspapers putting blue paint all over the floor. One day 15 years ago I came home to much the same scene when my mom had my 9 month old exploring line with black paint in her high chair. She was so involved my arrival was unnoticed. This book captures these kinds of connections paint makes. Myself as artist I think paint is a Holy experience. It is so connected to thought, emotion, viseral primordial places....if only we could bottle it and sell it. Oh, we can and we can use this text to guide a way of using painting with children. The vocabulary of painting, line,contour, training our looking, seeing, texture, shape(form), color, composition, vision aesthetics...more are described, made visual, broken down in reasonable ways. I really was so delighted to find the book and this next year it will be an very major part of what I do in the classroom painting with the children and in my dialogs with other instructors at my site.

This is one of the most practical and teacher-friendly books I have ever purchased. I teach art at an elementary school and my students have loved using the techniques and projects from this book!

Topal provides excellent examples throughout including lovely color reproductions of both children's and professional artwork. Her explanations are clear and the materials list is not extravagant for most of the projects.

Every regular classroom teacher would benefit from the beautifully layed out art elements and principles in this book. At the very least it would be worth having as a resource in a school library. This book is a keeper!

I am professional artist and my primary medium is painting. I also hold an MFA in Painting and Drawing and I have been teaching art to adults and children for 20 years now. This book is the best resource I have seen on teaching painting to children. I have actually used one of the exercises on texture with my adult students and adapted it to charcoal and acrylics. I want to encourage any elementary classroom teacher who wants to teach painting to students to buy this book! Please don't be afraid of paint and the mess as the benefits far outweigh the effort. The author understands the process and techniques of painting and her easy-to-follow her exercises will ensure satisfaction, fun and success.

The book will give detailed information on setting up your classroom for painting, specific suggestions on which paints and brushes and papers will work best, materials to gather for study observation and motivation. In my years of training classroom teachers to build an art curriculum and I came to understand the frustrations of classroom teachers not knowing which brushes to use for which type of paint, not understanding how to build and layer a painting, how to guide students through the difficult parts and motivate them to keep working. This book demystifies all that and more. It is full of specific lesson plans to help you plan a sequential curriculum and teach your students basic visual literacy and the deep satisfaction of creating and expressing.

This is a great book for the whole family. Good to read anytime but especially before Thanksgiving.

We read this book as a part of our homeschool History curriculum this year. It was very informative and entertaining. My children (ages 6 and 8) absolutely loved it. We have the older version, and my kids didn't even mind the lack of color and the sparse illustrations. They begged me ,"One more chapter...please, Mom?!"

I would say the only thing I did not care for in this book was the way they portray the Indians. Other than Squanto, Samoset and Massasoit, all of the other Indians are viewed as 'savages' (and not very intelligent ones, at that.) In the last few chapters, they are even used as 'comic relief.' She also has them speaking the word 'Ugh' a lot...such as "Ugh! White squaw bring me cider!"
I thought that was a little unrealistic, and insulting as well.

The information on the Pilgrims is wonderful, and she really brought their journey alive.

If you can overlook the Indian parts, I would highly recommend this book.

I borrowed this book to read it to my daughter when she was in second grade. She loved it. She's now in 6th grade and still remembers many details of the book because they had that much of an impression on her. You can imagine yourself being with these Pilgrims, waiting in the dark on the beach for the boat to arrive. Now that my son is 4, I wanted to make sure I had a copy of my own to read to him. This is definitely one to add to your personal library.

My children and I loved reading about the Pilgrims. I was not educated about their lives like my children are. Thisbook is very informative and right on their levels. We read this when they were 5 and 9.

Here is a Spanish book that will actually teach you Spanish, real Spanish as it is spoken and written throughout Latin America and Spain. With humor and insight the book guides yuo through many of the knotty aspects of Spanish grammar and usage, all the while letting you test and grow your skills. The author makes excellent recommendations for other materials you can use once you finish this book (or at the same time), and offers plenty of useful tidbits about Latino culture, history, and society. An excellent way to improve your Spanish, and a useful review if you already know a lot.

This is THE best book about Spanish that I have ever read. I had already studied basic Spanish, but was pretty rusty. I couldn't put the book down! The author, Steven R. Hawson, has explained things in the clearest way that I have ever read. And, the book is also humorous. I highly recommend it to eveyone. I've never learned more Spanish. I also am learing a lot on my second reading. A great buy!

I bought this book to help me practice my spanish over the summer while school was out of session. I was surprised by how helpful it really was. It went back and explained some things I had already been introduced to but still remained confused about (such as how to know where to put accent marks). I also used it to preview topics once school resumed and as a review before tests. It was very straight forward and extremely helpful. The best thing about it is that it is not a one read book! Every time you read it, you find something that did not make sense the first time you read it, but is easier to understand now. Or in the case of students, you may read it the first time and not understand some concept that has not been introduced in class, but after you are introduced to it in class you can read the book and get some tips on better understanding the concept. Totally awesome book and I hope they come out with a Complete idiot's guide to advanced spanish! Worth every cent!

I have never thought of myself as stupid enough to buy a "Complete Idiot's Guide" before, but I am SO glad I bought this. This book assumes some prior knowledge of Spanish, because it is an intermediate level... but with this one resource I have learned a lot of useful things, more than *ANY* other book or program.

I have bought about 10 spanish books, and this is by far the best one, and the most easy to use & follow. A note about the way it is written: each chapter uses a passage written in spanish (a few paragraphs), and they each progressively introduce more spanish. The text is disected, in the pages that follow. I think this is an EXCELLENT way to introduce you to more complex spanish, by providing you with short, interesting facts about the Geography & Culture of spanish speaking countries. Compared to my other 10 books, this one is unique in that respect.

I like the way that grammatical terms were explained... the tenses such as indicative, preterite, conditional, subjunctive, etc... and certain types of words such as demonstratives, pronouns, adverbs, superlatives, etc. *Finally* someone explained it well assuming no prior knowledge of all these abstract language terms. OK I already knew what a verbs, adjectives and nouns were. THANKYOU SO MUCH STEVEN HAWSON!! This was taught very poorly during my schools days.... and you have helped me to learn English better as well!! The rest of you: PLEASE don't be put off by this section of my review.

As well as this, there are also MANY other shortcuts & other useful information. Such as the use of "ser vs estar", "preterite vs imperfect" (I particularly like the way these two were explained) and "por vs para" --- although I think that "por vs para" could have been explained a slightly better - because I already seemed to work it out the rules for myself with the help of spanish natives. Everything else was explained **exceptionally** well.

This is quite a big book, and as I have said, it contains a lot of helpful information; however the chapters are short & it is easy to read & progress through. Learning a language is not an easy task... this book comes the closest to explaining things in an easy-to-understand manner. It is funny too - that alone makes you want to keep reading.

I think of language learning as fitting all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together; no two people would fit those pieces together in exactly the same sequence, and everyone proceeds at different rates (and some people may never even finish the entire puzzle), but eventually -given enough time & patience- another person can recognise the picture even though there may still be some gaps. You can think of "effective communication" as being able to "recognise the picture in the puzzle" in my metaphor. Well, this one single book has allowed me to fill in the most number of puzzle pieces.

Put another way: I have five highlighters: pink, orange, yellow, green and blue. I reckon by the time I get to the end, the fluoro ink in every one of them will be at least partially dry.
Yes I am only half-way through, but if someone steals the rest of my book, I still think that the first half is worth every single cent.

Flor serious Christians who see Holy Week and the Triduum as the most imnportant time of the year, this book is a must. For those who keep the Holy Thursday Vigil it will guide their thoughts into a deeper appreciation of Christ's death and passion.

In brief, Fr. Brown's collection of essays (based on his larger work, "The Death of the Messiah") is an excellent introduction to an obvious question of exegesis raised every year during the Easter season. Each liturgical year, Catholics are exposed to an important anomaly in the passion narratives of the Gospels as a synoptic Passion account is read on Palm Sunday and the Johannine Passion account is read on Good Friday. Through this lens, Fr. Brown approaches each narrative in order to shed light on its own specific characteristics.

In brief form, Fr. Brown analyzes the heart of each narrative, casting its varied events into the light of that heart. While the brief text does not allow for much exegetical depth, it does allow for a general relief to be given to each narrative. He also extrapolates possible community orientations which led to the presentation in each narrative. While this remains somewhat peripheral in the short book, it is of utmost importance to the final synthesis which stresses the importance of the multiple facets of the narratives. In addition to this, Fr. Brown attempts to relate the passion narratives to their larger place in their given Gospels but fails to find much room to do so within the confines of each brief essay.

Overall, the text is an excellent, brief read for all looking to more fully understand the multiple faces of the Passion accounts and the beauty of the reflections off each of those faces.

These are not my views, I must admit, but rather those of Rev. Mark Stanger, an Episcopal priest at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. In an interview published at salon.com in January 2004, he said,

'If people want to read something sensible about this whole thing, Raymond E. Brown -- he died about a year ago -- was a great, great Catholic scripture scholar. He wrote a mega-work called "The Death of the Messiah" in 1994 -- two volumes, 1,600 pages. But then he digested [it] down and did a little tiny popular work, a $5 paperback, 71 pages, called "A Crucified Christ in Holy Week." I think that would be the sanest possible book anyone could ever read.'

A CRUCIFIED CHRIST IN HOLY WEEK is a small summary of the late Father Raymond Brown's two volume THE DEATH OF THE MESSIAH. While such a book, a booklet in comparison cannot be more than just a summary of what the two volume set includes, it is perfect for the student who wishes top be introduced to Brown's major thoughts regarding the death of Jesus or for the preacher trying to recall Brown's salient points while preparing a sermon or homily. The book is divided into four chapters which tell of each evangelist's focus in the Passion narrative and concludes with some thoughts regarding the Passion itself, and the strengths and weaknesses of the composite view of the Passion we are accustomed to when we combine the four Gospel passion accounts and make them into one story as well as concerns regarding the misinterpretation of the passion and its connection to anti-Semitism.

As I mentioned earlier, this volume will be perfect for a student or a person involved in preaching. It could also be used my Bible study groups that are looking at the Passion narratives. Browns observations could certainly lead to lively discussions. It would also be a great guide for anyone who may be taking a closer look at the passion, especially during lent, and help the reader enter into a deeper understanding of Jesus'' Passion and its meaning for us today.

this is one of the best writers "how to" books that i have ever seen. he actually tells you how he does it. fantastic. highly recommend.

This book was really good. I am a big Dean Koontz fan, and was wicked excited to see this book. However, this book has it's flaws: one major flaw is that it tells WAY too much stuff about his novels, i.e. secrets that you learn in the climax of the suspense are told throughout the book. What's more, it was made in 1994, it has missed a lot of newer books since then, including Dark Rivers of the Heart, Intensity, TickTock, Sole Survivor, Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, and False Memory. It should be revised every time Koontz comes out with a new book. There is plenty more I need to know about Koontz than is told here, therefore it could stand some improvements. Oh, well. All in all it was good.

Anyone who enjoys Mr Koontz's work should get a real kick out of this book. You come to know the forces that shaped him into the writer we have all come to love. If you're curious about what impact the grep had in his life, this book will tell you the answers (actually, it wont tell you anything...you have to read it...unless you get the book on audio cassette, then it will tell you) Seriously, this is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who would like to read a story of one mans struggle to recieve a paycheck for something he loves (an what a paycheck it must be!!) And he must be a hell-of-a-guy for his wife to do what she did for him. PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK AND ENJOY.

If you are a Dean Koontz reader, you must be curious where he got his unique imagination and peculiar style. This is a funny and creative explanation of his life and work. It is not just a chronological biography, but a creative touch of this and that. FULL OF HUMOR!

Every sculptor should own this book, and it's really the only one you need. Meilach's volume makes a good supplement, but really that's all it is; Liebson's book easily stands on it's own as the standard reference.

Why? Almost the entire book is devoted to the craft and mechanics of carving stone. Liebson looks like someone's dad, and writes like it, too -- this book eschews all discussion of "art" in favor of simple, practical advice on "how to do it." From selecting a stone and tools to using and caring for those tools to finishing, polishing, mounting, and displaying your sculpture, even to gaining exhibitions and marketing your work, Liebson covers absolutely everything you need to know to get started, and to keep going. I've been carving for over five years now, and I still refer constantly to this book.

I am very picky at buying books because of the high shipping costs to South America, sometimes as high as the cost of a book.
I purchased Direct Stone Sculpture because it was well praised at an art forum by highly renowned artists. After reading the book, I must say that I fully agree with them. It is worth reading and enjoying the photographs of many works. It teaches carving and use of carving tools.
I am not only learning to sculpt but also appreciating art made by great "stoners" at the Sculpture Gallery of the book.
The book has many photographs of the carving process, and shows detailed views of many hand and power tools that I found useful.
I think this book should have a special place at any home library even at non carvers' shelves.
HR, Bolivia

After reading the two previous reviews, I purchased this book on sculpture and was surprised to find that "soapstone" carving was dismissed from the very beginning of the book. Liebson makes clear that he does not even allow "soapstone" in his classroom--on the grounds that (his opinion)it is dangerous to the sculpter's health, and also crumbles when worked.
Since I am new to sculpture, this was disappointing because "soapstone" was the only material I had worked with, and hoped this book was going to give me some valuable advise. Beyond Liebson's dismisal of "soapstone" the book is everything that those other reviews said it was. Tools, methods and merchandising are all covered with ample illustrations. I hope to take full advantage of Liebson's valuable lessons once I have graduated up to limestone and the like.
A.B.

This book has aroused in me a great deal of enthuiasm for the process of shaping stone and the creation of art forms out of stone. Liebson is an authority on the subject and he writes extremely well. Manufacturers and suppliers of tools and stone are listed in an index. A list of recommended tools is provided as well as a fairly comprehensive description of how to best utilize these tools. The photographs are interesting and informative. An inspirational book. Of the three books on stone sculpture which I've read, this is by far the best.

I am collecting shells for more than 11 years. At the beginning of this activety I found a lot difficulties in species identification, in determianation of their position in the molluscan systematics. The book of S.Peter Dance was the first guide I had obtained. This book introduced me to the world of "professional" shell-collecting. It showed me the way of collection arrangement, specimen cleaning and labling. I learned a lot of new data on ecology, geographic distribution and systematic of molluscs. Really, it is best book for beginner shell-collector I've ever seen and I greatly suggest it to all beginners and even advanced collectors. The wonderfull photoes of the book makes identification easy, the system of legends and signs (accepted in all other Eyewitness Handbooks) provides brief but very convinient information on geography, ecology, sizes and rarity of the species. Even now (having over 1.500 molluscs species and a lot of identificaton guieds) I oft! en look through this book and gain nesessary information. Unfortunatly, the book deal with marine molluscs only. I am shure, that the books of such quality on land and fresh-water molluscs would be greatly apreciated by collectors.

This has to be one of the most useful books I have bought. The photography is very clear. The colors are also good. Best of all I can see all of this without my bifocals.

However, I was a little annoyed at the scarcity of the other regions in the book,mostly because I was interested in finding out about the shells within the area in which I visit to go shelling. However, I thought it was a wonderful first-field-guide with excellent color pictures, specific descriptions, indication of common\uncommon, and the size of the shells.

I have been collecting shells for around 20 years and never bothered to get a book about them until now. My 4 year old daughter started collecting and I wanted to make sure I had all the answers to her questions about shells. This is definatly the book to have. She is facinated by the great pictures and the cut-aways of the shells. This is a must have for your shelf.

Be sure to read this one to yourself before you read it to your kids; otherwise, they won't be able to understand you through your laughter! Some of the humor may be over the heads of young listeners, but Dragon's interpretation of the five basic food groups will appeal to everyone.

This is by far the best series for first graders. All five books are truly funny, sophisticated, and enjoyable for any age, yet the simple words are perfect for advanced early readers not yet ready for chapters. There is nothing else like it at this reading level. They should be in every first grade classroom. PLEASE PRINT MORE!

Four short stories that will have everyone laughing out loud! Dragon matter-of-factly bumbles through his day, making perfectly understandable mistakes with hilarious outcomes. Simple text makes it appealing to the very young, while adults will sympathize when groggy dragon fries the morning paper and reads his egg.

Mind you, I'm in ninth grade, and I originally bought this for the kids I baby-sit for. But after I had read it through the first time, I fell in love with it! I can't wait to read it to the kids.

This is a story about Dragon, who wakes up groggy, and goes about his day doing everything backward. There are some extremely funny parts to this book, and the illustrations are just as good as the story.

I just received "Drawn from New England" in the mail today. I couldnt wait to sit down, brew a pot of tea and start to read the book--absolutely fabulous. This is a MUST HAVE if you are a fan of Tasha Tudor. The book transports you to Tasha Tudor Land--a great place to be in these stressful times. Thank you Bethany Tudor (& Tasha Tudor) for giving us all this precious gift!!! Cindy R

What a WONDERFUL book! I've always enjoyed Tasha Tudor, and bring out her books when I need to "escape" and have a pick-me-up. I happened upon this beautiful history written by her daughter, and have since shared it with others....Tasha Tudor is truly a blessing to us all, and to have this insightful, introspective piece shared by her daughter is beyond words. I HIGHLY recommend it to all who are so enamored with what Tasha has done with her life, and for those, such as myself, who wish they knew her personally--this book gives you a wonderful glimpse into this special woman's life, as well as her special family! Enjoy!

If you are a fan of Tasha Tudor and can only buy one book about her---THIS is the one to buy. It is a fascinating biography accompanied by wonderful photographs. I've owned it for years---and treasure it. You will not be disappointed.

I read this portrait of Tasha Tudor by her daughter Bethany with hunger and joy! I shall add it to my list of favorite books that I reread yearly at Christmas as a gift to myself. This intimate portait of one of this century's most unique women adds to a storehouse of wisdom not often found in the modern world. I feel drawn by this book to my own quest for that which inspires me. Bethany Tudor has written a memoir which will serve as inspiration for generations of creative women. The pictures are also exquisite and draw one into the peace and serenity which are Tasha's gifts to us.