Boyd Books

I love this book. I love it, because we don't have too many books dedicated for fathers. I have read this book to my children and to my students, they all loved it. It is so true that a small act can mean so much and be seen under a different light from a the child's perspective. A DAD is a hero for a child and his actions are heroic. I hope every parent, specially fathers understand that and give more attention to their children.
Care4children

The imagery here is excellent. The pitures are simply beautiful and the message is wholesome. I found myself lingering on each page for quite a while. There is plenty to occupy a child's attention on each page, as well.

There's nothing to this book. No great story. Just a few phrases. Not touching. Don't waste your time.

One of my daughters picked this book out at the library, and now I'm buying a copy of our own because she and her sister can't bear to return it (and our library copy is way overdue). This book is a real favorite of theirs. Often they will compete over who gets tucked in with "The Daddy Book" at night. The illustrations are very creative and engaging, and the story is very close to their hearts. (Daddy goes out into the big, scary world and always finds his way back home to greet his child with warmth and love.) My girls say, "Highly recommended!"

My 2 year old loves this book. It's perfect for the dad who is a triathlete! Daddy runs, bikes and swims. I'm looking forward to getting the Mommy book as well.

This book is a comprehensive work including all the regular nonlinear phenomena like SHG, SFG, DFG, FWM, Raman and Brillouin Scatterings, and so on. Quantum mechanical theory of nonlinear optical susceptibility is on chapter 3 whereas chapter 6 is about nonlinear optics in two-level approximations which contains sections on optical Bloch equations and Rabi oscillations.
Finally chapter 13 is on ultrafast nonlinear optics. We have to say that Professor Boyd has done a wonderful job on this book, since anyone from senior research scientists to first year graduate students all can refer to it.This book reminds me of Jackson's book on E &M in the sense that although you might not get `it' at that exact moment you can always count on it to show the correct way to tackle. All in all, if you are looking for a book on nonlinear optics this is the one you should have.

If you are working in NLO, you simply have to have this book on your book-shelf. There's nothing to compare with it for the fundamentals, to gain a clear understanding of many different NLO processes.

Wonderful book. Easy to understand and very useful for every student, who needs a good background in the field of nonlinear optics

it is surprising to find that textbook like this did a remarkable good job in exploiting the density matrix formalism and also the related theoretical techniques in quantum dissipative systems. If you are interested in the quantum treatment, Chapter 3 and 6 are great!

It is a very good book:
1. clear definition
2. systematic
3. as good Jackson's EM

I first met Lt. Col. Art Boyd on an airplane trip to Kansas City earlier this year. We sat across the aisle from each other and began to strike up a conversation. He told me he was on his way to give a speech at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo. He asked me if I would be interested in reading his speech and offer feedback. I had no idea that what I was about to read was about an amazing secret spy mission that kept our country out of a third World War.

Upon reading his speech which was the synopsis of his book Operation Broken Reed, I was speechless. The experiences that were revealed by Mr. Boyd in his speech had me fighting back tears. The act of bravery that Mr. Boyd and his comrades exhibited at such a young age was heroism at its highest form.

After reading the complete version in the book Operation Broken Reed, it touched me even more. To have kept all this inside for so many years had to be a living hell for Mr. Boyd. His desire to locate the families of his fallen comrades so that he can tell them about the heroism of their loved ones is to be highly commended. He wants to be able to locate and bring home the remains of these comrades. After meeting Mr. Boyd I feel certain that if anyone can accomplish this, he will. He has made it his current life's mission to do so.

I highly recommend Operation Broken Reed as a book for all to read. We should all applaud Mr. Boyd and his comrades for all that they did for our great country to keep us out of a war that we probably would not have prevailed. The book outlines the mission and the feelings and emotions of all involved with amazing detail. As a reader I felt like I was right there with them on the mission. I hope that the book is turned into a movie so that more people can witness the journey that Mr. Boyd has taken and hopefully provide a means to locate his comrade's families.

The author writes with much detail about the day to day experiences these men faced during their mission using humor and emotion to bring the reader closer to the story.

Please read my in-depth comment following the negative critical reader review posted by R. Axelrod. It is imperative that the reader fully understands and comprehends the fact that the Operation Broken Reed story was written based upon a factual event, not some mind-generated military intelligence mission. The nine Americans and sixty-six Nationalist Chinese military who died for their country demand to be honored by a grateful nation for their heroic deed. Had they failed, a third world war and a doubtless nuclear holocaust would have ensued, claiming the lives of millions. This story is not, as Axelrod stated,"a fraud." Abundant historical, circumstantial and presumptive evidence abounds, fully supporting the authenticity of the mission. Axelrod's review is a cruel and a disgraceful insult to the memory of my dead comrades. Axelrod, following outlandish and unsupported remarks, drove a nail into the heart of the story with a closing comment, "You can delight in a creative adventure story." One fact remains. Anyone may lay claim to being a "specialist" within any given field, however unsupported words from a self-made fake specialist will lay waste to any boni-fide claim, thereby revealing the non-existence of any true level of training, experience and expertise.

I have know Arthur, Nell, and Lanny Boyd since about 1995. I remember some time in about 1998, when Mr. Boyd came into my pharmacy and asked me how to dispose of a cyanide capsule. At first I ask myself why does this man have such a capsule, then knowing Mr. Boyd for the time I had, I figured he had been involved in some sort of highly classified work in his life.

I have absolutely enjoyed reading "Operation Broken Reed". The story was captivating and heart warming. I believe some long overdue recognition should be given to those men. This book would make an incredible movie that would share the story of these men and their mission that averted another world war and possible total nuclear destruction. This story needs to be documented and preserved for future generations.

I am convinced that Broken Reed is fiction pretending to be fact. Being an academic, I regard fraud as a serious office.
Here are some of the claims in the book that I find particularly implausible or nonsensical. I suppose in any true spy story there are likely to be a few implausible claims, but not nearly as many as this book has.
* Truman authorized the mission without telling the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
* The landing was made deliberately close to the front lines, and then the convoy set out along the coast road moving north away from the front line. As the author says later, being near the front lines is dangerous. No explanation is given for why the landing took place so far south when the first leg of the trip was to go north on the coast road.
* Several dozen Korean soldiers loyal to the South (and presumably "stay-behinds") could be assembled and moved to a specific place without causing alarm.
* The stay-behinds were able to capture two working T-34 medium tanks, as well as a half-track, a reconn vehicle, several trucks, plenty of ammunition, and hundreds of gallons of gasoline.
* The stay behinds were able to move all this equipment to a specific place in North Korea.
* The two most senior stay behinds for no specific reason identified themselves to the Americans as former bodyguards to Chiang Kai-shek. The book repeatedly makes makes two points: it was very important that none of the participants should be able to identify each other, and it was very important to conceal that Chiang Kai-shek's Taiwan was at all involved in Korea War.
* In 1952 the author was told that the mission would remain secret until would be declassified in exactly 46 years, i.e. 1998.
* No records exist about this mission, even after the mission was declassified in 1998 when the author started work on the book.
* The only piece of tangible evidence the author kept was a cyanide capsule he was issues, but then after saving it for many years he discarded it before he wrote the book.

I do not dispute that the author is a veteran of the Korea War, or that he is a good story teller. But the book needs a better editor, and a fictional classification. If you stop believing the events actually happened, you can delight in a creative adventure story.

I absolutely LOVE this book!! Every pattern is simple and fun. The first time I looked through it, I earmarked just about every pattern!! I love it and would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to knit fun kid's clothes and accessories.

I am obsessed with knitting and have shelves full of knitting books. If I could have just one on children's knits this would be it, hands down. The patterns are zen-simple, classic, and yet unexpectedly interesting. What blew me away even more than the adorable, wearable designs was the how-to explanations and tips throughout the book which have improved my skills. The instructions and photography are so clear that techniques I considered too difficult in the past I "get" now.
Generally, I consider a knitting book a worthwhile investment if I plan to knit 5-6 items. I'll be knitting 34 of over 45 patterns in this book and I am practically having a knit-attack over starting at least half a dozen of them. The Roll Neck Giraffe Sweater, Cotton Baby Doll Top with Matching Purse, and Happily-Ever-After Dress will be among the first. The Bath Time Fun Washclothes will make a jaw dropper of a baby gift, I'd use them to decorate the walls of baby boys nursery. The Castle Purse + Finger Puppets are sure to entertain and the Royal Felted Slippers and Crown will be a favorite in this house for sure. I'm sorry I can't say more about this fabulous book but I have to get back to my knitting!

I am a total beginner and I love this book. Before this book I had only attempted basic scarves. I have not felt overwhelmed by the patterns and I love that what I can create is fun and funky. The instructions are easy to read and understand and I can easily go back and skim something if I start to feel like I'm lost. My littlest cousin takes her finger puppet playset everywhere with her! Thank you!

Heidi has done another amazingly clever book of fantastic projects that are simple and easy to follow and yet look super cool on children. My granddaughter looks so cute in some of these colorful and fun creations and she loves them and wears them which is certainly the best result, also has garnered many comments - of course she is a darling! They did not take long to accomplish for someone who is pretty green at knitting. I have seen Heidi Boyd's work in Better Homes & Gardens projects over the years and have most of her books, all of them are very original and great fun to do. I hope lots of people will be encouraged to take up more knitting with this very easy and rewarding book. Good luck and enjoy.

I got this book in the fall when it first came out - the layout showcases the fabulous knits nicely. I love the red swing coat and the adorable finger puppets! The lavender tank dress is too sweet, and would work for several years with shorts underneath. This book has a terrific variety of easy, quick projects that even a new knitter could knit up in short order.

Terrific ideas, great layout, easy-to-follow patterns. Great book for kid's knits!

I grew up with this book and bought it for my son. It is a wonderful imaginative book. It is the classic type of fantasy. My 2 year old loves it and I still love it as a 32 year old!

The stories, poems, and illustrations in The Book of Giant Stories are among the best I've ever found in a children's book. Filled with imaginative tales, such as the one about a young boy teaching a giant how to whistle, the illustrations bring the stories to life for young readers. Even those children who are just beginning to learn to read will find Harrison's stories a joy. Parents will be overjoyed to find a book which encourages their child to read it again and again.

David Harrison's book made a lasting impression on my imagination as a child. I loved this book all those many years ago and was positively delighted when I found a copy of it recently. Not many children's books stay with you for 20+ years, but this one certainly has remained one of my favorites.

Excellent story book, keeps my impatient 3 year old transfixed page after page thanks to the terrific stories and outstanding illustrations. Wish there wer more books like this around, a must have for your kids!

Excellent story book, keeps my impatient 3 year old transfixed page after page thanks to the terrific stories and outstanding illustrations. Wish there wer more books like this around, a must have for your kids!

I was so happy to find that this wonderful storybook from my childhood was still in print. I remember the wonderfully detailed illustrations and the charming stories. The little boy who appears throughout the stories is quite endearing and children can relate to him as he interacts with the giants, being sometimes clever and sometimes thoughtful and empathetic. His use of a "secret" to escape three mischievous giants in the beginning is particularly amusing. Our copy was lost during a move and I am thrilled that I can now read these tales to my own daughter.

This book is a great addition to any fishermens collection. It shows you how to make all kinds for lures for everthing from bucktails to balsa plugs. If you like saving some money and doing stuff yourself then this is deffinantly the book for you.

This is an excellent book. It covers a lot of ground for Do-It-Yourselfers but it has a lot of good information for any angler out there.
It includes information on everything from luremaking to fishing rod basics and ideas for tools and home made alternatives to other types of equipment.
It's a great book to keep around the house if you like fishing.

Much improved and expanded over 60% from his first edition (Tackle Craft-1974), which was the original "Bible" for do-it-yourself anglers. This edition has the latest info on new tackle designs and materials, including a short chapter on making tools. Also includes an almost overwelming 10 chapters (180 pages) related to rod making instead of just one (60 pages) in his original book. Brings you back to the time when gear and artificial baits were made by the fisherman to fit local conditions, long before there was a tackle shop on every corner.

I ran a tackle making facility for three years, so I have a lot of insight into tackle production. I also have taught tackle making to kids at summer camp through the Fish Tech program.

The book is "complete" in the sense that it touches on nearly every area of tackle production,, however it tends to take an over view approach to each area. There are a few well-thought-out suggestions and creative solutions to problems in this book. It's failings are the lack of specifics.

One of the many areas I was disappointed with was the crankbait section. Here it encourages you to COPY an existing design, and doesn't give you the knowledge or tools to develop and create your own. There is no information about the hydrodynamics of lips and thier design or placement. Lure ballance isn't even talked about.

I would recomend you add it to your library for reference, but only to get added suggestions after using another guide.

This book is a definite find! Very informative and reasonably priced. Having read and rated other books in this genre as "poor", this book is the exception to the "be-all" and "end-all" generalist book. If you are looking for practical and useful information on the topic of making your own tackle, look no further. Clearly, it is a relief to find an author who doesn't get bogged down in anecdotal story telling about truly boring fish "war stories."

My granddaughter had to read this book for school and we both read it. It was a great science fiction story, but also a great story about a 12/14 year old's relations and interactions with their friends, their parents and authorities in their community.
A very enjoyable read.

The Door in the Lake

A review by Therese Brown

I read a book called The Door in the Lake. I really liked it because I like reading about science fiction. The book was about a boy named Joey and he went to this camp with his friend and his dad. When he had to go to the bathroom, he got up and started walking through the woods to the latrine. Once he got there, he did his business and started walking back. The next thing he could remember was being at his home. It was 2 years later and he was the same height, weight, level of intelligence, and age. Now his little brother Kevin, was a year older than he was. He tried to seek help from a guy that was in collage. His girlfriend worked at the hospital that Joey was at when the doctor found a spot in his brain. I really liked this book and I am not going to tell you the end but if you want to find out what happened, you can read this book. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes books about aliens or in general, science fiction.

The book is about a 12 year old kid named Joey. Joey and his family go on a vacation near a lake. One night in his room before he went to sleep, he heard voices in his head. The voice said,"There's a door in the lake!" It repeated in his head until the sun came up. Joey was curious about this unusual thing in the water. It was really colorful. Joey gets abducted in a blink of an eye. When he opens his eyes, he realizes that he was abducted by aliens. I'm not really a sci-fi fan but this book was ok. I learned more about aliens in this book. If you're a sci-fi fan, it's your book.

The book is about a 12 year old kid named Joey. Joey and his family go on a vacation near a lake. They stayed in a cabin real close to the lake. One night in his room before he went to sleep, he heard voices in his head. The voice said," There's a door in the lake!" It repeated in his head until the sun came up. Joey was curious about this door, so he goes to the lake and sees this unusual thing in the water. It was really colorful. Joey goes to it. He hears a strange noise and Joey gets abducted in a blink of an eye. When he opens his eyes, he realizes that he was abducted by aliens. I'm not really a sci-fi fan but this book was ok. I learned more about aliens in this book. If you're a sci-fi fan, it's your book.

Outstanding book for 10 and up. Great vocabulary usage. Nice use of important science concepts. Very interesting, holds interest of reader. Flowing sentences. Thought provoking book. Makes one wonder about possibilities. Highly recommended.

Perfect for parents to read along with and get reports chapter by chapter on what is going on.

I am generally very wary of spending money on management books. But in this case, my own manager recommended this book to me, and I have since passed that recommendation on to several others.
As with many management texts, much in this book is light-weight common-sense, spiced up with anecdotes - and I resent paying good money for that - but unusually there is some real insight here too.
In particular the authors have done a great job of classifying the various forms of communication that leadership requires, and explain how to balance them.
It is clear throughout the book that leadership communication at it's best is an art, but an art that can be learned. This book will not make you a great leader, but it will certainly help you improve. At the very least, you will be able to avoid sounding like a character from "The Office."

"The biggest problem with leadership communication is the illusion that is has occurred." and "The cry for more communication is often the symptom of the undiagnosed disease, mistrust. The disease is cured with authentic communication, not more communication." These are two great quotes from this book. A good read. Highly recommended! It has joined my Top Ten Business books list.

Seemed very shallow as though it was written for 1 purpose only, to sell. Nothing but a bunch of anecdotal stories that have aleady been recounted over and over again in your standard MBA program with a sampling of Public Speaking 101 class thrown in. Kind of like being invited to dinner, expecting a big t-bone steak and baked potato, and only getting salad. I think the author would approve of that imagery

The most effective leadership messages speak to people through three channels -- factual, emotional and symbolic, according to Crossland and Clarke. Their advice to build all three channels into your communication makes great sense. The book offers lots of practical ideas and engaging examples to help you do just that. It's everything I look for in a business book -- a useful concept, hands-on ideas for implementing it, and an accessible presentation. Great info, great value.

"The Leader's Voice" reveals how to change static communication and poor performance into dynamic communication for extraordinary results. A manager speaks to only ensure the job gets done. The leader's voice uses facts, emotions and symbols to motivate and create change. A leader carries out authenticity, and foresight to not only get the job done, but to also promote a willing to go the extra mile. Providing plenty of proven examples from leaders throughout history, with the ABC's of leadership, "The Leader's Voice" equips the reader with the necessary information to remove any obstacles preventing success.

Boyd and Crossland practice what they preach. Their written communication style is direct and to the point, with the determination to make a difference. Using the pictures to stir emotion, the various type fonts to personify symbols and the straight facts from the lives of other leaders immediately captured my attention. They did a fantastic job organizing the material and appealing to my creative core. I would recommend "The Leader's Voice" to anyone attempting to motivate a crowd of one to one hundred and one or more.

Now let me reflect . . .

I used to complain about my mother fixing so much tuna casserole. Her response, "There are alot of starving people in the world. You should be thankful we have food on the table." When my father knew I didn't feel as smart as my sister because of my grades, he would tell me, "You're intelligent. You just need to study a little longer." And when I cried after being hit by a car, my grandmother's words consoled me with, "If God looks over the sparrow, surely he'll take care of you." These voices addressed me with emotion. These voices encouraged me with facts. These voices motivated me with symbols. I now realize these are the voices of the leaders in my life.

Both my 20 month old son and 3 year old daughter loved this book. It shows the differnet things one old tractor can do. The story of the grandpa and grandson was something they could relate to in their own relationship with their grandpa. It also had a good moral to the story.

In this story, a small boy watches as his grandfather steadfastly refuses the overtures of a new tractor salesman who claims that their rusty old tractor won't make it through another season. As Micah gets caught up in the world of new shiny tractors at the showroom, he too starts to hint that perhaps they should replace their old one. But Granpappy stands firm, saying "this is my old friend, and friends don't let each other down. You remember that." Throughout the plowing, planting, mowing, and baling of the hay, Micah watches Granpappy treat his fifty-year old tractor with kindness and respect, talking to it and whistling songs and - even though "plain and simple, no way is that tractor going to tow a hay baler" - the old tractor comes through. The enduring children's book theme of the power of friendship here receives a new unexpected treatment and the results are outstanding. The farm equipment theme immediately got my daughter more interested in farming and she began to ask questions too about construction equipment. This book is a wonderful, warm addition to any child's library with uses in any unit about friendship, the seasons, or farming.

I didn't think I would learn a lesson by reading this book to my son but I did! I sell Highlights-Jigsaw and this is one of the books we sell so I got it for my kit and to share it with my son. I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline as well as the illustrations.

It is about a farmer, his old but reliable tractor, the farmers grandson, and an over eager tractor salesman. The salesman tries as hard as he can to sell the farmer a brand new shiny tractor and even has the farmers grandson on his side. But no matter what he says the farmer sticks with his old tractor saying it was his old friend and "friends don't let each other down". In the end the saleman loses a bet he makes with the farmer and needs the farmer and his tractor to help him out of a mess.

In this day and age when NEW is better than OLD this book can help teach us all a lesson; just because something has lost it's shine does not make it less useful.

I enjoy reading this book to my son. I can't help but read it in a southern accent. I love the way the book it written with southern sayings like wang-a-dang. Good book about friendship, loyalty and trust.

Boy, is this a cute book! Little Micah and his grandfather are constantly being bugged by a pesky salesman who laughs when he first sees grandpappy's rusty old tractor. The salesman, Mr. Hill, swears that the old thing won't make it another season and begs grandpappy to come on down and look at his new tractors. It's quite funny to see how grandpappy has an answer for eac one of Hill's sales pitches, i.e. "this one has air conditioning," said Mr. Hill. "Mine has air conditioning," said Grandpappy. "When the air gets a little fresh, I just put on a jacket." Hill eventually bets Grandpappy a jelly donut for each acre grandpappy farms with the old tractor. He makes it through and teaches Micah a lesson about being true to your friends. Grandpappy calls the old tractor his friend and sticks by it through and through. Pretty funny ending too - Hill has to be pulled out of the mud by the old tractor!

What's also neat is that although she lives in New Zealand, the author nicely captured the "farmer slang" in this book. It's very well written and very entertaining, especially if you have a "tractor boy" in your house. There's a photo of each brand of tractor too on the beginning pages and it's fun to see if they can name them all. Highly recommend!

The Jesus Legend is worth reading. It is well written, organized, and clear.

The authors quote from other sources often, and include lots of footnotes. Although the book is somewhat lengthy, that alone should not discourage anyone from reading it. It has something for everyone (both believers and non-believers), and the way it's written is very approachable.

There are a few shortcomings of the book. One of these is that the authors sometimes seem a little too zealous in supporting their various conclusions. This led to a few demonstrable contradictions.

The authors, at one point, wish to demonstrate that the literacy rate of the time and region was quite poor. At another point, they argue that literacy rates were actually quite high.

On pages 243-245, the authors assert that literacy rates were pretty good. On page 245 they ask, "Does this (the evidence they cite in the previous few pages) not indicate that reading and writing were potentially widespread in Palestinian Judaism during the Hellenistic period?" They go on to state that "there are even stronger grounds for concluding that literacy rates among Jews in Palestine were likely higher than the general first-century Greco-Roman population."

In contrast to this, the authors also argue that the same society did not have a high literacy rate. On page 428 they state, "It means we have to understand that, unlike written accounts produced within a highly literate context, the various episodes recorded in the Gospels very likely were intentionally written..."

Obviously it can't be both ways for the authors particular points at any given time.

Another contradiction arises when the authors try to argue that:

1) Jesus was not well known. Not even well known in Galilee.

And then later on that:

2) Jesus was actually very well known throughout the region.

Pg. 168 says "First, there is a problem with the assumption that if the Gospel accounts are true, Jesus would have been something of an international figure whom people in the first century would generally be aware of." They go on to state, "While the Gospels certainly speak of crowds occasionally following Jesus in Galilee, there is no reason to think that his reputation would have expanded much beyond this region." They continue, "But it is not even clear that Jesus would have captured the attention of most people in the region of Galilee."

In contrast to this, on pg. 174 the authors argue the exact opposite. In a peculiar move, they attempt to show that a letter from Serapion to his son in prison made a reference to Jesus.

The letter "recounts the woes that fell on the Athenians after murdering Socrates. He speaks of the hardships that fell on the Samosians after putting Pythagoras to death. And, most significant for our purposes, he refers to the mistake the Jews made when they killed "their wise king, because their kingdom was taken away at that very time."

The authors ask, "How many Jews, martyred before the destruction of Jerusalem, were known by pagans throughout the Roman Empire in the second or third centuries as "wise kings" --to the point of possibly being household names, on a par with Socrates and Pythagoras?

Again, it seems that the authors are too quick to support whatever view seems to work out for the moment. Obviously these two proposals (pg. 168 & pg. 174) cannot both be true. The authors present a contradiction.

This is one of the points upon which I think the book could have made a better case. But instead of making a stronger case, the authors undermine their own arguments, as well as their credibility, by the contradictions that they present within the book.

The authors also address the idea that Jesus was not unlike other savior figures (like Apollonius of Tyana, Perseus, Mithras, etc.). They seek to address how strong the ties actually are between Jesus and other purported god-men, and to show that Jesus was someone altogether distinct from any of those who were historically cited as being nearly synonymous.

The authors of the Jesus Legend ask this question in regards to this matter of similarity between Jesus and other god-men: "The question, however, is whether these are merely intriguing similarities or whether they represent telling parallels, suggestive of some direct, if unconscious, influence or even conscious borrowing."

I'm just curious as to what the difference is between an "intriguing similarity" and a "telling parallel." I think the authors try to downplay how strong the case actually is here. They mention in the book that early Christian writers (Justin Martyr, Tertullian, etc.) made mention of these "intriguing similarities" but then they neglect to inform the reader as to what they actually said. For good reason! Justin Martyr, for example, thought the similarities/parallels (or whatever word we want to use here) were so strong that the devil had actually copied the truths of Christianity before they had even happened. But the writers (Boyd & Eddy) don't tell you what the church fathers actually said. Why? Because it would weaken their case.

Simply put, if you're only going to read one book for the Christian side of the mythological/legendary debate concerning Jesus, this is it. Boyd and Eddy do a great job of presenting the reliability of the Jesus tradition. Greg Boyd has had numerous debates with Robert Price (about 6 or 7 actually) on this very subject and much of what is covered in this book reflects that. For those of you who love heavily footnoted books like myself, you will find loads of them here also. For whatever it may be worth, I can only think of one other work (who's name is evading me at the moment) that has provided such a thorough examination of the writings of Josephus. Of course other ancient writings are examined as well. In my opinion, this is one of those books that no Christian should be without.

The set of respectable ways to argue that Jesus was legendary or never existed just got a whole lot smaller. Two highly qualified scholars with impeccable credentials have granted the skeptics their wish: to subject the Jesus-myth arguments to critical scrutiny instead of simply dismissing them as 'anti-God' or 'just so much rhetoric'. Maybe now people like Robert Price and Earl Doherty wish they hadn't. Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy conduct such a thorough demolition of the Jesus myth and make such a strong case for the general reliability of the Gospels that, unless dramatic new discoveries come to light from the ancient world, I doubt anyone will be able on the available evidence to produce such an argument which withstands their criticisms. Skeptics will no longer be able to simply refer to 'the writings of Robert Price and Earl Doherty' and act as if that settled the issue of Christian origins. They will have to pass through Boyd and Eddy first.

From the reviews below it is evident that a major point of contention surrounding this book is whether it is a serious scholarly book or just 'conservative Christian propaganda'. The answer, of course, is that it is both: it is arguing for a conservative position vis a vis the reliability of the Synoptic Gospels, but the authors back this position up with scholarly arguments and extensive (even exhaustive) bibliography. The truth is that ALL scholars are apologists for one position or another, that is, they present positive arguments for their case and try to rebutt possible objections. If Boyd and Eddy are writing conservative Christian propaganda, then John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg are writing liberal Christian propaganda, while Burton Mack and Robert Price are writing skeptical/atheist propaganda. Let us say rather than each scholar argues as best he/she can and then it is up to other scholars and lay reader to judge whether or not they are convincing. If the arguments are good arguments, what does it matter the position they point to?

I will just make a few comments on the substance of the book, as the best word to describe it is 'exhaustive'. The authors try to address EVERY issue or question which arises with respect to determining the historicity of the Gospels and wrestle with the views of many other scholars. Less attention is given to the Jesus Seminar (whose views Boyd demolished in his Cynic Sage Or Son Of God?) and more to radical theorists such as Doherty, Price, Barker, Weeden, et al. With the exception of the important (indeed, according to the authors, most important) middle section of the book which deals with oral tradition, there is little new argumentation. Anyone who has read Meier, Sanders, Wright, Theissen, Dunn or Bauckham on the historical Jesus will find much of the material familiar. Indeed, it becomes obvious that serious scholars HAVE engaged and refuted most of the arguments which Jesus-mythers advance, but the lines of evidence are presented in piece-meal fashion in various parts of various books. Where Boyd and Eddy excel is bringing all this material together and putting it in dialogue with explicit statements and arguments of the Jesus-mythers.

It would be a mistake to think that this book is solely a defensive reply to the Jesus myth, however. The book also presents a constructive case for the reliability of the Gospels, again drawing from the best results of the last two centuries of historical study of the New Testament. Reading this book will acquaint you with all the critical tools and results one must be familiar with to offer a responsible historical assessment of these documents. That is no small feat. Indeed, I know of no other book (even Dunn's massive Jesus Remembered (Christianity in the Making, Vol. 1), to which the authors are heavily indebted) that covers this amount of material. Add to this an important preliminary treatment of philosophical issues surrounding the question of miracle and divine action, and you have a historical Jesus book unparalleled in the history of scholarship. Its interdisciplinarity is its major strength.

Evaluations of the book's main argument will of course differ, but as far as I can objectively tell the authors succeed brilliantly in arguing that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of History, or at least as close as we'll ever come to him. Their presentation of skeptical arguments is meticulous and fair (quotations are always put in their original context and further points and arguments are referred to when appropriate) and the implications they draw from their original research in oral tradition are eminently logical. This book strengthened my faith in Jesus and greatly encouraged me with regard to the state of believing scholarship. In a word, it is blossoming. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Is it legitimate to approach the Gospel stories with purely naturalistic presuppositions? Was primitive "Palestinian" Christianity replaced by Paul's "Hellenized" Christianity? Was Christianity nothing more than a new spin on the old paganism of surrounding cultures (e.g. the mystery religions, the hero myths)? What did Paul know about the historical Jesus? These and many other important questions are explored and addressed in this book. Great response to novel and sensationalist interpretations of early Christianity and the person of Christ. Written on a popular level but with extensive footnotes for further research. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in researching the "historical Jesus."

Boyd and Eddy have done an excellent job! In every chapter, the views they intend to criticize are first explained fully and fairly before being critiqued. Especially interesting is their forthright insistence on the primacy of religious and philosophical presuppositions that have shaped Jesus scholarship. By bringing these to light, Boyd and Eddy have been honest and faithful to what is really going on in Jesus scholarship. Also, their use of findings in the field of orality studies have proved to be a cogent check on hyper-literary standards that the Gospels necessarily fall short of.

The ONLY reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is because the binding is beyond cheap-- I am always kind to my books, and I never left this one open and face down or with a heavy object holding it open, yet the binding broke in about six places. Since a review is supposed to be about a book as a whole, I think taking away one star for this defect seems fair. Hopefully there will be a reprint that will use a better binding.