Wilson Books

Some stories are pointless and are added only because they contain the word "Christmas", but others are exactly the stuff of seasonal reading. Sherlock Holmes and Ngaio Marsh are good examples of the latter. Cosy up with some mulled cider by the fire and read into the night. I tend to reread many of these every year to add to the feel. Be quick. The only place I could find this book was here.

Rex Stout and Dorothy Sayers are NOT in this book. The short stories are good but I was disappointed. They were listed as being included.

I used to own this book-- but it has been lost over the years. I went looking to replace it, and was shocked to find only one review! I remember thoroughly enjoying the stories as I re-read them over ten years or so. Most offered a wonderful mixture of creepy and funny-- and even a Boxing Day Bonus. Really, this book offers a refreshing alternative to the usual oversentimental holiday fare.

Maybe there isn't such a thing as the perfect murder, but this book has to be the murder mystery lover's perfect gift. I received "Murder for Christmas" as a Christmas present years ago and I have been re-reading it by the lights of my Christmas tree every year since. The 26 short stories include authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Baroness Orczy, Baynard Kendrick, Ngaio Marsh, Georges Simenon, Ellery Queen, Dorothy Sayers, Carter Dickson, Margery Allingham, Rex Stout, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens. The book also provides a mystery reader with lists such as "Twelve Novels of Crime and Christmas", humorous mystery-themed cartoons, anecdotes, and quotes. Really a well-woven and entertaining read. Buy it for yourself or as a gift, it's sure to please.

While this may have been a little young for my 8 year old but it was very sweet and he loved it. Lots of cute baby animals taking naps (not real animals cartoon animals taking cartoon naps). I would recommend it for preschoolers.

My daughter and I love this book. At nine months old, she has the attention span of a flea and usually makes it only through a few pages of any book she picks. But with this book, she settles in and we read it together all the way through. The simple, sweet rhythm of the story combines perfectly with the bright and welcoming illustrations that are neither too busy nor too bland. Each page features only a few words (so she doesn't get impatient and try to turn the page before it's time to move on), but it's cleverly done; I'm happy to read this book over and over because although it introduces her to a host of animals and their sleeping habits, it's not a boring introduction.

Altogether, this book captures her attention perfectly and has become a welcome last step in our naptime ritual. I don't think either of us would feel it was naptime without it!

Being an expert nap taker, I certainly could relate to this one. The author has explored the various ways of napping through the use of various very cute critters. How the young of the animal world nap and their favorite places to take a nap are wonderfully illustrated by Akemi Gutierrez. This is sort of a little girls view of napping, but gender really has nothing to do with a good old nap. The text is easy to read and to understand, and as I indicated, the illustrations are great. Highly recommend this one.

This book is an easy read for emergent readers and for parents with young children. I can't imagine a more cuddly sweet book. Very well done.

Just as much fun as the first one, we're really loving Nate the Great!! In this volume, we join Nate on his first "night case." What is this case? Well, Nate has been hired by his annoying neighbor Oliver whose garbage keeps getting dumped over in the middle of the night...WHO would want to steal GARBAGE?! Nate the Great is on the case in no time flat with a LONG, LONG list of suspects....including just about every neighborhood animal you can think of.

Delivered in the same P.I. voiceover as the first book, Nate the Great continues the great tradition of tough guy private detectives...well, as tough as a kid can get at any rate...I can almost imagine it being read by Leslie Neilson (of spoof flick fame), because there is such an edge of hilarity in each book, that you can't resist getting a total kick out of reading how Nate narrows down the suspects and solves the mystery! Another hit for Sharmat! We're still loving the Nate the Great series and plan to read many more!!

Nate the Great Goes Undercover
Written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

If you like to solve mysteries, you would like to read Nate the Great Goes Undercover by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Nate the Great has a challenge ahead of him. The challenge is: Who is tipping over Oliver's garbage can? Nate and his dog Sludge set out at night to solve the mystery. They ask friends, look for clues, and they get down and dirty trying to find out what's happening to Oliver's garbage.
Nate the Great books are really fun to read because there is always a surprise at the end. Are you ready to solve a mystery? Pick up Nate the Great Goes Undercover and you will not be disappointed.

Written by: Devan

Nate the Great is a cool detective who solves lots of mysteries. In this story he is trying to find out who is dumping Oliver's trash. We liked it when Nate the Great went undercover to solve the case. The best part was when Nate runs into a "Stinky Surprise"! We think this is a great book for all second graders.

Nate the Great, the youngest detective to ever deliver tough guy lines, is summoned to his newest case by his next door neighbor, Oliver. Oliver is something of a pest because he follows people. It doesn't matter who they are or where they're going, if they catch Oliver's eye he will follow them. He's followed Nate the Great around on a lot of the cases Nate has been given to find things his friends have lost. Oliver's problem sets Nate on his first night case as a detective. Someone is stealing from Oliver's garbage can and dumping the rest all over the place. Reluctantly, Nate the Great takes the case and is followed by Oliver. Along the way, Nate finds out what Rosamond's four cats will eat. It is a very long list, and not at all what Nate needs to know. Researching the case also leads Nate to the local library to study nocturnal animals. However, the real culprit who is stealing Oliver's garbage is a major surprise!

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat is the author of over twenty Nate the Great adventures, including NATE THE GREAT STALKS STUPIDWEED, NATE THE GREAT AND THE BORING BEACH BAG, NATE THE GREAT AND THE HALLOWEEN HUNT, and NATE THE GREAT AND THE MUSHY VALENTINE. She has written dozens of books for young readers. She named Nate the Great after her father. Her books have been named as Children's Choice books and Junior Literary Guild selections, and been picked as Books of the Year by the Library of Congress.

As usual, Majorie Weinman Sharmat writes a sharp and smartly told tale. Nate the Great is one of the best fictional heroes to ever come about for young readers and pre-readers. Reading one of the Nate the Great books to a pre-reader is a fantastic privilege. The first-person, clipped dialogue is pure pleasure for the reader willing to do "voices." Annie and her dog Fang were absent from this adventure and long-time readers will miss them, but Oliver and Rosamond are there, as well as the usual stumbling blocks Nate encounters. And pancakes-lots and lots of pancakes. The author's clues are there, though, and many alert readers will figure out the solution to the garbage-snatching mystery one step ahead of Nate, which is the best place to figure those things out. Marc Simont's artwork is simple and elegant as always, adding to the enjoyment.

Young readers will enjoy the whole Nate the Great series because the tales are told in a familiar fashion and involve a solid cast of characters that return book after book. These books are also some of the best to choose for read-alouds to pre-readers or for the last story before bedtime because they can be read in just a few moments. The Nate the Great mysteries are fun and addictive for both parent and child.

These are wonderful books and very thorough. This book is full of beautiful old New Orleans mansions, the pictures are small, but every discription of a home has a requisite photo. The text is highly informative and the book is well researched. New Orleans is blessed with so many beautiful mansions and many reside in this section of the city. Reading this book, reminds me how special and unique this city is, as well as how beautiful the city can be. Highly recommended.

I have read several volumes in this set and this one (vol. VIII - 1997) is the best.

This is more than merely a coffee table ornament. It is meant to be a poweful tool for equipping people to actively work for the preservation of the South's most architecturally rich and complicated city.

It is difficult to imagine a finer work of this size and scope.

First, the publisher (Pelican of the suburb of Gretna, LA) has spared no expense. Cover to cover, all 215pp. are packed with the highest quality photographs, maps and illustrations. The paper is glossy, sturdy, 8.5 x 11.

Second, the writing is uniformly precise and compelling, and moves at a good pace. rarely dry.

Third, the scope is manageable and makes good sense. The University Section, as conceived here, consists of the area around Tulane and Loyola, and extending south to the river. Thus Audubon Park, Hurstville, Bloomingdale, Burtheville, Marlyville, Greeneville, Friburg, etc. are all included. This includes from Lowerline and several streets west of the Park to Joseph and Arabella in the east, and from the river up to Clairbourne.

Fourth, the archtecture history is woven into the general history of the neighborhood and of New Orleans. Someone with no interest at all in the architecture would still glean much about the lager developments of the city, and of Uptown in particular. Politics, environment and social history are included.

Fifth, the maps and photos (hundreds of them) are used well to illustrate and make sense of complicated trends in the neighborhood. They are arranged in a very helpful and easily understood manner.

Hundreds of the homes are displayed, from the humble to the opulent, arranged by street address. Further, a chart is provided with the dates, architects, etc. of dozens of these homes and buildings.

An index is accurate and fairly thorough.

I have to really strain to identify any criticisms.
1. Wish there was a simpel modern map at the beginning showing the precise boundaries of this University Section, and all other sections in this series.
2. P. 16 shows a detail of a map from an Atlas of the City of New Orleans, leaving teh reader to wonder about the date of that work.

I would recommend, as a companion and supplement, Lloyd Vogt, New Orleans Houses (1985). Vogt gives even more exacting architectural detail, but does not provide nearly as much on the broader historical context.

This volume in the N.O. Architecture series by the Friends of the Cabildo is, in my opinion, the best of the entire series. Perhaps it is because this is the section of the city in which I spend most of my time, a place to which I've become rather attached. Anyone who enjoys architecture will probably like this book, not just New Orleanians.

Growing up in this section of New Orleans, I was pleasantly surprised to see several homes of my childhood friends. No other city in the U.S. has such distinct and diverse neighborhood architecture. Another great volume in a GREAT series.

Wilson's history of the occult is a fine resource for anyone who wants to review the main figures of occultism in the least amount of time. There's a mini-biography of each person along with well presented details about that person's "occult life." Interesting and reasonably authoritative. Put it on the shelf. It's an excellent reference.

This wonderful book is a voluminous history of the occult, using the principle figures in the western occult tradition such as Crowley, Paracelsus and Pythagoras, among others. Wilson includes excellent background material and puts forth a compelling theory of why the occult is the science of the future, when people will one day realise their true power and importance in the world. Mr. Wilson is annoyed at the current world-view pushed by existentialists and scientists that humans are no more than insigninficant accidents in an indiffernt cosmos. He postulates an emerging human ability which he refers to as "Faculty X", a faculty of clarity, direction and purpose which goes beyond the ordinary senses and proposes how this may be the key to future human evolution. Much emphasis is placed on the will's role in human development throughout humanity's existence and its continued importance in the future, as well as the importance of contemporary humanity's researc! h into the subconscious mind. Wilson disregards the hyper-skepticism of modern science, and even delineates how the philosophy behind such a view is now outdated, and how the resulting world view has become narrow and cynical. Nevertheless, Wilson is very objective and gives a very critical analysis of all occult phenomena -- powers which are the key for humanity's future growth.

this is a very very interesting book, a very good introduction to the subject, very engrossing and entertaining i would say. it is also a true mark of wilson's grip on the subject, that every time i am reading this book, things start to happen to me!

The only book on historical magic that I have found more in-depth than this is the Golden Bough. And that is a actually a huge compliment to Colin Wilson. Wilson does a great job of descibing detailed historical accounts of almost all facets of the occult in a simple way that is both inviting and enlightening. He strips common cliches like vampirism and lycanthropy of their mythology and horror movie camp and puts the beasts were they belong: in actual human history, scientifically and psychologically defining them as monsters only in their relationship to society and the human condition. The most amazing thing about this book however is that, with all its history, it is more than a history of the occult. Wilson has a premise--a premise so well woven into the history he provides, so unassuming, that you barely notice it. But when you do notice it, you won't ever see the world the same again. I've read countless books on mythology, monsters, magic and the occult in order to (silly, I know) give myself an edge in life, open my mind to certain possibilities and see beyond the ordinary. Colin Wilson has undoubtedly shown me the most.

Forget the business books. I'm getting CDs like this one from now on. This is fast and easy, and I really loved hearing the CEO summarize his strategy, tactics and belief system without some consultant or professor drone on for hours. Super idea.

You don't know Jack about Jack Welch until you spend an hour with him during your commute. That's what I liked about this CD: During my long LA drive, this program didn't dance around -- it got right to the point -- it cut thru the bull about Jack and delivered on the fundamentals that worked for over 20 years. If you want a long boring management book by some stuffy guru who has never run anything, or if you want to pretend there is some secret formula to leadership -- don't buy this CD!

If you want straight talk about what works and what doesn't from actual CEO himself, this is a great way to do it.

Forget everything you've heard or read about Jack Welch. This is by far the best way to capture the freshest insights from the man himself all in under an hour. One-on-One with Jack Welch is like getting the best of your MBA over lunch.

People either seem to love or hate Jack Welch. I happen to be a fan. He built GE into world power house and in this interview he gives most of the principles that were his foundation.

I greatly preferred this audio book over the others I've heard. Instead of someone else talking about Jack, or him reading his book to you, you actually get to hear him talking and telling his stories in a realistic conversation.

The rapport between the interviewer and Jack was good. The informal style made it quite listenable. The short segments made it easy to listen to while I commute.

Overall an excellent choice.

not only is Ornette Coleman a Musical Genius but this Book captures his Full Essence.his Music Career is Incredible.he broke alot of Ground.his Music&Timeless.this is a Must Read on one Of The Greatest Musicians Ever.

Paving the way for some of the later innovative saxophonists such as John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and others, Ornette Coleman was perhaps the pivotal man on his instrument in the '60's. Wilson's excellent new book brings his music before the reader in a clear, intelligent manner, offering a very accessible account of how Coleman's music works, how it achieves the effects it does, how he altered the rich tradition he had inherited. Perhaps most intriguing is the account of the considerable hostility Coleman originally met with from many critics, and Wilson's attempts to put the differing views into their respective contexts. Coleman's biography is equally fascinating, a unique life which resonates strongly with those intrigued by the idealism associated with the '60's. The second half of the book consists of 2-page reviews of Coleman's entire corpus of recordings, the most valuable section for this reader, allowing fans to navigate Coleman's 40 years of innovations.

Simply wonderful. I enjoyed every page of this book and could not wait for the next. Being a huge fan of Ornette's, this was the first attempt of approaching literature based upon him. Forever waiting for his yet to be published (and probably written) book of Harmolodics, I could wait anymore and this book ensured me I shouldn't have.

This is a great little book on Coleman. I wish the bio section at the beginning was more detailed (it states that a more representative bio has been written though it appears to be out of print). The section on Coleman's Harmolodic system was very interesting and written in a way that someone with limited knowledge of music theory (i.e. me) could comprehend. The write ups regarding all of Coleman's recordings were fascinating. Where many writers praise everything their subject touches, here the praise and criticism seems to be very objective. Sometimes writers show a preference for either Coleman's acoustic quartet or the electric Prime Time group but Wilson handles each on its own merits.

Recommended!

An elderly Christian gentleman once told me that if he could have only one book other than the Bible, it would be The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy and The Pursuit of God, also by A. W. Tozer, are two of the best loved Christian books of the twentieth century. Their author, Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897-1963), is remembered as a modern-day Christian mystic, and, apart from its founder, the best known pastor in the history of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

This latest biography of A. W. Tozer, A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer, is the latest in a series of short, informative biographies of influential evangelical Christians by Lyle Dorsett, Professor of Evangelism at the Beeson Divinity School of Samford University. Dorsett's goal is to provide a biography of Tozer that portrays him as a real human being, one who was far from perfect but saved by God's great grace and used by God to lead other Christians into a deeper, more meaningful Christian faith.

Like Dwight L. Moody, about whom Dorsett has also written a biography, Tozer had very little formal education and a lifelong passion to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Unlike Moody, who was never ordained, Tozer was ordained by the CM&A in 1920. For the remainder of his life, he served the Alliance in pastorates in the U.S.A. and Canada, as editor of the denomination's magazine, The Alliance Weekly (later The Alliance Witness), and through his many widely popular books. A. W. Tozer did more to spread awareness of the CM&A than any other spokesperson.

Although he had little formal education and no formal seminary training, Tozer read widely and deeply in the works of great secular thinkers like Aristotle, Plato, Spinoza, Descartes, Hume, Hegel, and Karl Marx, as well as the early Church Fathers, and other great Christian thinkers like Bernard of Clairvaux, Peter Abelard, Madame Guyon, John Newton, the Wesley brothers, and many more. Tozer believed that there was much to learn through reason, "But knowledge of God and the human spirit and the soul can be grasped only through the Holy Spirit" (96). He believed that reason was a valuable tool, but, he insisted, [God] "is above human reason and He is above human science" (qtd in Dorsett 96). Like Moody, Tozer wanted Christians to "enter into a deeper life with Christ." He was convinced that God wanted his people to "know Him" not just "about Him" (125). When faced with a difficult passage in the Bible, Tozer urged believers to "[g]o to God first about the meaning of any text" before consulting human authors. Once when he was accused of disliking the Scofield Bible, he said that on the contrary, "I've worn four of them out, and I have number five now at home . . . I just don't believe its notes. When it starts telling me things are otherwise than they are, I just write that off. But he does divide up things nicely for you" (qtd. 139).

A major part of Tozer's appeal in his sermons and books was the obvious fact that he read much wider than was common for most seminary and Bible college graduates. Also, it was very evident that he knew God intimately. He had experienced the deeper life that he urged other believers to seek. What Tozer found in the CM&A was a celebration of "Jesus Christ as Healer, as well as Savior, Sanctifier, and Coming King." All too many believers, Tozer was convinced, "tend to substitute logic for life and doctrine for experience" (qtd. 126). The cure for such a shallow relationship could be found in the "Four-fold Gospel" as taught by the CM&A's founder A. B. Simpson.

Perhaps the finest feature of Dorsett's book is how he reveals to the reader the human side of A. W. Tozer. The Tozer we encounter in A Passion for God is one whose zeal for God's house brought great pain to his own. No doubt in part due to the very difficult relationship he had with his own father, A. W. Tozer found it near impossible to relate to either his wife or his children on an emotionally intimate level. He seems to have wanted only a surface relationship with his wife, Ada, and remained always distant from his children. His youngest child and only daughter, Rebecca, knew him best. She once said that the estrangement between her parents may have been due in part to the fact that her mother was a romantic to the core, whereas her father eschewed sentimentalism and displays of emotion, and seemed to fear intimacy" (142). Rebecca also noted that her mother never read anything but the Reader's Digest. There was something that drove a wedge between her parents, something that she was never able to understand. From the children's perspective, both parents remained distant from their offspring. According to their son Lowell, "We were known ironically as `the Tozer kids.' But we were not a unit or tight-knit family. We were a family full of individuals" (qtd. 108).

A. W. Tozer and his wife Ada both suffered from depression, but neither knew how to be healed. Ironically, as Dorsett concludes, both confessed to friends late in their life together that they had lived a lonely life. Even after the children were grown and gone, and his pastoral and other duties were lessened, Aiden seems to have kept himself busy so as to have "no time to develop the marital intimacy that they had both learned to live without" (158). After Aiden's passing in 1963 and her remarriage to Leonard Odam in 1964, the former Mrs. Tozer said of her first husband: "My husband was so close to God, a man of such deep prayer, always on his knees, that he could not communicate with me or our family. No one knew what a lonely life I had, especially after the kids left home" (qtd. 144). Of her new life with Odam, she said, "I have never been happier in my life. Aiden loved Jesus Christ, but Leonard Odam loves me" (qtd. 160). As for Aiden, shortly before his death, he confided to a fellow pastor, "I've had a lonely life" (qtd.144).

A. W. Tozer is remembered as "one of the great spiritual giants of the past century." Whether already a Tozer fan or one desiring an introduction to him, Lyle Dorsett's A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer is an interesting and delightful read. The only criticism this reviewer can make is to note the absence of an index. Only novels should be published without an index.

A.W. Tozer is a man whose ministry has fascinated me. A man who held closely to biblical, Protestant theology, he was also a man who loved the old Catholic mystics. He had little formal education, yet had the ability to hold the most educated of men and women at rapt attention. He had a single-minded devotion to Christ and the highest respect for the Scriptures. Reading "A Passion for God" has only increased my fascination with him, for here we see more strange and seemingly irreconcilable opposites. Biographer Lyle Dorsett has written a study of the man that deals as honestly with his faults as with the areas that are laudable. And in this case the faults are almost shocking.

Tozer was a man who loved Scripture and loved nothing more than preaching its truths to all who would listen. "A.W. Tozer heralded biblical truth. He loved the Bible and unflinchingly preached what he believed people needed to hear, regardless of what they wanted." Yet he was a man who neglected the mission field in his home. "On and off over the years, Aiden exercised his role as head of the family by encouraging times of family devotions. These never lasted more than a few weeks. As one son explained, the children just did not want it and they were seldom all together for extended periods in any case."

Tozer was a man who dedicated himself to reading, study and prayer and who delighted to be in the presence of God. "There is no way to measure the hours he spent in a typical day or week reading books and wrestling with ideas, but it was substantial. In a similar vein, we know that he increasingly devoted many hours each week praying, meditating on Scripture, and seeking deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ. During the 1930s Tozer read voraciously, and he also developed a magnificent obsession to be in Christ's presence- just to worship Him and to be with Him." Yet he was a man who was emotionally and spiritually distant from his own wife. "By early 1928 the Tozers had a routine. Aiden found his fulfillment in reading, preparing sermons, preaching, and weaving travel into his demanding and exciting schedule, while Ada learned to cope. She dutifully washed, ironed, cooked, and cared for the little ones, and developed the art of shoving her pain deep down inside. Most of the time she pretended there was no hurt, but when it erupted, she usually blamed herself for not being godly enough to conquer her longing for intimacy from an emotionally aloof husband."

These strange inconsistencies abound. Tozer saw his wife's gifts for hospitality and encouraged her in them; yet he disliked having visitors in his own home. He preached about the necessity of Christian fellowship within the family of Christ; yet he refused to allow his family or his wife's family visit their home. For every laudable area of his life there seemed to exist an equal and opposite error. This study in opposites leaves for a fascinating picture of a man who was used so greatly by God, even while his life had such obvious sin.

We are so accustomed to reading that we often give little attention to the book as a physical object. We interact with its words and phrases but think little of the art involved in actually putting together the book. In this case I thought it was only fair to draw attention to the exceptional design qualities of this title. The cover, the design, the printing, the details are all top-notch. The book is a pleasure to read both for the content and the book itself.

Though certainly not an exhaustive biography (weighing in at just 164 pages before the indexes and appendices) "A Passion for God" is nevertheless a good and valuable one. Those who have enjoyed Tozer's writings will find here the life of a man who can and should be much admired for his deep spirituality and for his overwhelming love for Scripture. They will find here also the sad reality that Tozer, as have so many men before and after him, was willing to sacrifice his family on the altar of ministry. They will wrestle with the great irony that as Tozer grew closer to his Savior he seemed to grow more and more distant from his wife and family. His life stands as both an inspiration and a solemn warning.

I couldn't wait for this current biography of A W Tozer to be released. Tozer is one of my heroes. His classic, The Pursuit Of God, is about as good as it gets in terms of the heart seeking a deeper relationship with our Creator and Redeemer. Tozer's writings have stirred up within me a great hunger for a more intimate walk with my God. The author, Lyle Dorsett, has done an outstanding job of interviewing family, including all of Tozer's 7 children, as well as pastoral associates and close friends to present an accurate portrayal of a man-on-fire for God but at the expense of his own family relationships. This book is honest, well-researched, and highly recommended!!!

As much as I love Tozer the author, I knew little of the man himself. What a blessing that one of my favorite professors when I was student at Wheaton College, Dr. Lyle Dorsett (now at Beeson Divinity School), who also happens to be a renowned expert on C. S. Lewis, has written a biography of this great Christian leader. Until this biography, I was not even aware that two previous works on Tozer's life existed or else I would have devoured them eagerly. Despite knowing nothing of these older bios, it was my great fortune to write Lyle a few years ago and discover that he was in the process of writing A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer. When the book made it to pre-order on Amazon, I put in my order right away.

A Passion for God is a difficult book, not something I expected on opening it.The primary difficulty? It contains a mere 150 pages of genuine biographical material, leaving a tad unquenched readers' thirst to know more about the man who has been routinely labeled a genuine 20th century prophet. This is not to say that the scholarship here is inadequate, far from it, only that the private Tozer remains an enigma, even to those who knew him.

Dorsett chooses to open his examination of Tozer with the quote, "I've had a lonely life." Indeed, as enormous a spiritual giant Tozer most definitely was, he proved a tough man to know. Even his family felt the distance, especially his wife Ada. Dorsett portrays a man who at once was close to Jesus and yet remote from the others who loved him. Once Tozer left the home of his youth, he eschewed visits, even going so far as to resist visiting his wife's family, despite his mother-in-law being instrumental in introducing Tozer to the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Tozer himself had been converted in 1915 shortly before his 18th birthday, praying to receive the Lord in the attic of his family's Akron home. Having been born into a poor dirt farming household that later moved to the Rubber City, Tozer never forgot his humble roots. He took his disdain for wealth into his marriage to Ada in 1918; after his death it was revealed that he'd been giving half his paycheck back to the churches he had pastored, had refused a pension in the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination in which he served for decades, and had taken no royalties on the paperback editions of his bestselling books.

Tozer pastored briefly in several poor churches in West Virginia and Ohio before ultimately receiving a call to Southside Alliance Church in Chicago, where he pastored for most of his life. He didn't like to drive, so his family lived close to the church for years, even after the humble wooden church was replaced with a far grander building.

Dorsett ably recalls Tozer's rise within the C&MA as the leaders of that group rapidly understood they had a winner on their hands. Or more like a blaze. For wherever Tozer went, people caught fire. He went on to be a radio preacher on WMBI, the voice of Moody Bible Institute, and eventually garnered a nationwide audience.

In 1960, Tozer, who lamented his skills in pastoral counseling, accepted a call to do nothing but preach at Avenue Road Church in Toronto, serving for three years before succumbing to a heart attack on May 12, 1963.

A Passion for God reveals much more of Tozer's life than I just summarized. A few worthy notes:

* Both Tozer and his wife battled depression. Tozer once told his younger assistant pastor, Raymond McAfee, "If you want to be happy, never ask for the gift of discernment."

* Tozer was a very staunch pro-American patriot and was deeply affected by World War II, maintaining a special admiration and care for soldiers and their families.

* Fearing that he'd succumb to too many human compliments, Tozer would avoid greeting his congregation at the door of the church after services, preferring to visit his church's nursery and talk with young parents.

* Family devotion times at the Tozer household appear to have been just as difficult to schedule and pull off as they are in some of our homes.

* Students, especially at Wheaton College, Moody Bible Institute, and later at his church in Toronto, adored Tozer and his messages. Tozer returned that affection, maintaining a lifelong soft spot for young people.

* Tozer wrote one of his most famous works, The Pursuit of God, in one day while traveling by train to speak at another church.

* Despite not having much education beyond fourteen years, Tozer devoured as many books as he could read, electing to read widely on many topics, particularly writings of pre-Reformation Christians who had been largely ignored by Protestants of his time. Tozer himself never attended college or went to seminary. He routinely cautioned potential pastors about problems with the seminary system.

* Tozer spent hours in prayer and study in his office at the church, often prostrate on the floor. He even wore a specially tailored pair of pants that allowed him to pray longer while kneeling.

* For years, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tried (unsuccessfully) to get Tozer to come to London to preach at his church.

* Tozer defined workaholism, somehow managing to squeeze life enough for two people into one, yet when not traveling always made it home for the family dinner.

* Tozer later regretted some of the harsh statements he made about movies with Christian themes.

While A Passion for God is a deeply needed book on Tozer, I finished it discontented. When the forwards, appendices, and index are removed, this book is a scant 150 pages. Because Dorsett revisits some issues repeatedly (Ada Tozer's longing for a more intimate relationship with a man much more devoted to God than to his wife, for instance), each revisit adds little to what was already said, diluting the fullness of the material even more.

Sadly, the one truth I hoped would be revealed in this biography never seemed to gel for me: What made Tozer's spiritual journey so profoundly different from all the other evangelical preachers of his time? Nor did I get a good feel for the one defining aspect of Tozer's life that set him well apart from his contemporaries: his love for the mystic writers of Christianity. How and why did he latch onto them when they were largely ignored by others?

Dorsett also mentions that in later years Tozer received some critiques for being overly ecumenical, though he devotes only a page or so to this unusual fact about Tozer. This is definitely an underdeveloped thought considering Tozer railed against the increasing worldliness and liberalism he saw stealing away the heart and soul of Evangelicalism. In what may have been an overdevelopment, Dorsett devotes several pages to racial issues in Chicago toward the latter part of Tozer's ministry there. In truth, Tozer did not have much to say on the issue other than he didn't want to ignore reaching out to the black community of the time, nor did he like some of the contention, both from whites in his church and blacks in the surrounding neighborhood, that was forcing his congregation to relocate.

Leonard Ravenhill discussed his friendship with Tozer in a few teaching tapes I've heard of his, so I was surprised that nothing came of this in the book, especially since I know that Dorsett likes Ravenhill, too. Dorsett also noted that Tozer spoke at several Keswick conferences, though this is not developed at all. I would have liked to have known more about Tozer's affiliations with some of the trends and schools of Christian thought of the time.

Dorsett's writing style is light and easy to read, though a tendency to move forward and backward in time makes the sections on Tozer's childhood and early ministry more difficult to follow than they should be. And while I love Lyle's passion for certain topics within Christianity, he makes his presence as author a bit too obvious on issues near and dear to his heart, something I loved about him when I had him as a professor but others may find intrusive.

A trade paperback, A Passion for God sports an attractive design, with an easy-on-the-eyes typeface and good whitespace. It includes a few pictures, too. For anyone interested in Tozer, it's a worthy read, especially since it shows even a great Christian who knew God intimately can suffer from feet of clay.

This story is cute - My daugher at age 4 at the time was in preschool and daily and I mean daily the boys would get this book prior to the girls getting it so it was a game every day to see who could obtain this book first...they never fought over any book but this one and the library had lots of books to choose from....anyways the girls and boys were fighting and pulling on the book one day that the book got ripped and the teachers had - really had enough of that book at that point and threw it away to teach the children a hard lesson in life.....meanwhile I had no idea as to what the teachers had done except for the fact that my daughter and her best friend came home crying that the book with the elephant and the peanuts got thrown out and why? the full explanation was there by them and they were devastasted..thinking that my child ripped a book so badly I immediatly went to Amazon and ordered it and sent it in with the two girls one day - the teachers look on their faces were priceless....every year both preschool classes always fought over the book and they were happy to finally get rid of a book that was always fought over ....and here we were bringing a new copy back....it was priceless an another year childrens will still be able to fight over it...tee-hee....I bought one for home and my daughters best friend....so now it is not a big deal if the boys get it right? We have our own copy....must have book really cute and the graphics are adorable.

We originally borrowed this book from the library and I decided to purchase it after my daughter wanted to reborrow the book several times. She loves to read the story and sing the words over and over. It is a cute book my children love.

I had to buy this book because my five year old daughter keeps checking it out of the library. When I told her she had to check out another book this week she said, "Why, Mom? This is a GREAT book!" That is definitely one to have on our shelf. The pictures are delightful and the repetitive phrasing makes it easy to read yet there are some tough words which she has mastered because she knows the phrasing. I wish every book I purchased would pay off so well. She also said, "Mom, if you look at the pictures you just have to giggle."

My 2 1/2 year old daughter LOVES this book. Every night before we go to bed, she asks to read "Peanut butter, Peanut butter". She's already learned the rhymes, I say a part, and she knows when she needs to chime in! I also love Nadine Bernard Westcott's illustrations -- I've begun to search for and buy all of her books! Truly enjoyable for both the child and the adult!!

I give this book TWO PENCILS UP! Thank God for the precious lady who wrote it. She preached at our church and really rocked the house. I am so excited to know an author and to feel the love of Jesus from this lady. I recommend it to all men and women. God will use it to bless you

When I picked up this book, I was thinking it should be nice. I never expected it to transform my mind. The Holy Spirit is truly in this writer and in this book.

I am going to share it with my discipleship group, because this is the type of study material we look for. Spiritual understanding and wisdom are gifts from the Lord, and I am so glad this writer shares it with the world.

Keep using your gift for the world to see. Your work is amazing, and you will be blessed.

This book has changed my life. I was unsure about it from the title, but from the moment I opened it I could not put it down. It is amazing how the author compares us to the woman with the issue of blood and makes life so plain and clear for anyone to understand.

I started the Bible Study at my church, and we love this book. The Breakthrough Positions at the back of the book are a special piece. Most times, you have to pay double for a Bible Study to accompany the book but this one has it inside. God is so good!

You must get this book. It will bless your life. I will never be the same again.

This book has changed my life. I was unsure about it from the title, but from the moment I opened it I could not put it down. It is amazing how the author compares us to the woman with the issue of blood and makes life so plain and clear for anyone to understand.

I started the Bible Study at my church, and we love this book. The Breakthrough Positions at the back of the book are a special piece. Most times, you have to pay double for a Bible Study to accompany the book but this one has it inside. God is so good!

You must get this book. It will bless your life. I will never be the same again.