Lincoln Books

The Nicene Creed is a basic statement of faith for many Christians, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant, all around the world. It is recited in almost every language on earth every week as Christians individually and collectively perform the regular rituals of worship celebration and reaffirmation of faith. Even those denominations and communities that try to steer clear of precise creeds and such formulations still give historical authority to the Nicene Creed as one of the shapers of modern Christianity.

This book, illustrated by Pauline Baynes, is really short on text -- it is, quite simply, the Nicene Creed. There is no commentary, there is no opening essay, there is no credit apart from a brief, one-page historical sketch near the backplate of the book. The statement of faith in the Nicene Creed essentially stands by itself in verbal form.

However, the real glory beyond the creed and faith contained therein is in the illustrations, which, if this were a medieval book, would be more appropriately termed illuminations. Pauline Baynes is the same artist who did the original line illustrations for J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' and C.S. Lewis' 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. She has won numerous prizes for her illustrations, a talent which she puts to extraordinary use to highlight the diffent lines of the creed.

Her illustrations are both modern and medieval at the same time, as the subjects are often reminiscent in dress and drawn action of medieval manuscripts, with more modern colour schemes; animals grace the borders of the pages, as human characters act out the various gospel and biblical scenes which inspired the lines of the creed.

This is not a study book, but it could be a devotional book, and makes an excellent gift. It is a great book for the coffee table of any creed-based Christian, and a nice gift to anyone who longs for the days of the illuminated manuscript.

My two-year-old son loves this book, and asks for it all the time. The book is about a little mouse who describes his feelings and how he expresses them, in a very simple and understandable way. I think it's great for young kids who are starting to learn about emotions, and how to put feelings into words. I also happen to be a psychologist--so maybe that's why I value books like this one!

a excellant eyewitness account of the lincoln assaination. ferguson although only 14 at the time, knew john wilkes booth personally ,the book only 60-65 pages is an excellant piece of work from someone who was there.

"The intelligible forms of ancient poets,
The fair humanities of old religion,
The Power, the Beauty, and the Majesty
That had their haunts in dale or piny mountain,
Or forest, by slow stream, or pebbly spring,
Or chasms and watery depths; all these have vanished;
They live no longer in the faith of reason;
But still the heart doth need a language; still
Doth the old instinct bring back the old names;
Spirits or gods that used to share this earth
With man as with their friend; and at this day
'Tis Jupiter who brings whate'er is great,
And Venus who brings every thing that's fair."

At the end of his Author's Preface for "Bulfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology: The Age of Fable," Thomas Bulfinch (1796-1867) quotes from Coleridge's "The Piccolomini" to represent the connection between mythology and literature. An accountant at the Boston Merchants' Bank, Bulfinch had been educated at Harvard and was a teacher early in his career. Seeing a need for something more than a formal translation of the myths and legends of antiquity, Bulfinch decided to popularize classical literature for all of us who did not know how to read Ancient Greek and Latin. Throughout his business career he collected hundreds of myths and legends, not only of the pagan era of Greek and Roman gods, but also Oriental deities, and Norse sagas. "The Age of Fable" was first published in 1855, and created the identification of the name of Bulfinch with that of mythology for the general population. For the last half of the 19th-century and the first part of the 20th, the volume was as much an American classic as "The Last of the Mohicans," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "Uncle Remus," "Tom Sawyer," and "Huckleberry Finn."

When Bulfinch told these ancient tales the archeological study of Greece had not really begun (Troy was still considered a mythical location) and historians had yet to formulate any acceptable explanations for how these myths originated. Bulfinch was interested in telling these stories simply and for their own sakes, without being caught up in the Dead Language issues of the poems he excerpts (except to the extent that he uses the Latin versions of the names of the gods and goddesses rather than the Greek). Nor was he interested in drawing moral lessons from these stories, because Bulfinch's goal was to make the classical references found in the educated poets of his day accessible to the common folk.

The opening chapters deal mostly with the gods and goddesses, starting with the tales of Prometheus and Pandora, and ending with the "Monsters" such as the Sphinx and Pegasus. The next section is devoted to the great heroes, from Jason and Atalanta, to Hercules and Theseus, and then the lesser heroes such as Orpheus and orion. We then get to the epic poems of antiquity with chapters on the Trojan war, the adventures of Ulysses, and the adventures of Aeneas. The final section of "The Age of Fable" covers a lot of ground, including Egyptian deities, the Oracles, Poets of Mythology, Eastern Mythology, Hindu Mythology, and Norse Mythology, including Beowulf. I was weaned on Edith Hamilton's "Mythology," but I still appreciate Bulfinch's approach in telling pretty much the same stories in a more straightforward manner. More importantly, these stories have really become literature in their own right, and can be read for that enjoyment rather than for scholarly knowledge. This edition has the additional virtue of being illustrated by some of the world's greatest paintings, which is perfect because mythology has been the subject of so many great works of art from "The Birth of Venus" on down the list.

Lincoln at Gettysburg in the midst of the Great Civil War dividing the nation, and causing the loss of so many American lives redefines the goal of that nation, and promises it a new birth of freedom. In it he sets forth the ideal that will bind the nations wounds, and bring it together again in pursuit of that freedom and justice that is its founding goal. Lincoln at Gettysburg redefines America to itself , for the duration of that war and for the generations to come. He tells a people the essence of what it is in solemn deep and heartfelt tones that will reverberate not only in the hearts and minds of his own countrymen but throughout the world as a whole .
Lincoln at Gettysburg is the American soul in liberty being told to mankind who may be inspired too to at last come to the day when government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from this earth.

This is simply a marvelous book. I picked up an earlier edition a few years ago and still refer to it quite often for my own research into Lincoln. As Mr. Davenport stated in that edition, the book is a travel guide, not a biography. However, because of the fact that it is so well-researched and full of detail, it could almost pass for a biographical overview, especially of Lincoln's life in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, prior to his presidency.

I highly recommend this book for any Lincoln admirer, those who have a mild interest in the subject and especially for those who want to learn more. With Lincoln, there's always more to learn!

Ian Andrew illustrates In Search Of A Homeland, a story of the Aneid and a tale of war which will appeal to any student of Greek mythology and history. Chapters present the story with plenty of illustration and color: it's hard to peg the readers and age group of this title, which will reach from grades 5-8.

This audio book is pure pleasure to listen to if you're at all interested in gardening. Vita wrote a month by month column in a London paper about gardening, and this contains excerpts from these. It goes through the year, season by season, in her famous garden at Sissinghurst Castle in England, during the years immediately following WWII. She shares planting tips, planting mistakes, and offers her views on the style of gardening she made famous. For example, she recommends planting masses of one plant and one color in a defined area of a garden.

In addition to her dry and witty remarks about gardening in general, she discusses the origins of some of the Latin names of plants, and she indirectly gives us a peek into some of the English culture of the "country house" at that time. The reader is superb! One can actually imagine that, had Vita read it for us herself, she would've used the same tone and inflection. I love this tape. I've given this as a gift to fellow-gardeners, and have listened to it myself over and over. It a real gem!

A young boy, Indigo, wants to be a musician, not the fisherman that his traditionalist father is. When he reveals this to his father, the father throws the boy's most prized possesion into the ocean. Soon the father takes ill and Indigo is forced to take the boat out on his own. What happens next is a journey that will envelope the reader into a fantastical story about life, value, and one of the ocean's most loved creatures: the whale. This story is the type of story that doesn't hold back on the grasp of determination and what the consequences are of sticking to your guns. It also is not overly dramatic and graphic either so that kindergarters can even understand it.

More than words of wisdom, these are words for all of us to live by. Gene Griessman captures the virtues Lincoln possessed and shared on such topics as: freedom, self-reliance, honesty, perseverance, leadership and many more of the things that made this a great country.

Play this tape at work, in the car, at home, in the Walkman -- because these are lessons that will continue to help anyone in the quest for self-improvement. If you want a compelling, constant reminder of the values and thinking that made Lincoln one of our greatest Presidents, this audio cassette is the inspirational companion you need to change your life for the better.