Bookstore

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

/ William F. Leonhart III / 1 Comment

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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Reprint edition (July 5, 2005)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0060776099

ISBN-13: 978-0060776091

 

 

 

Summary:

Aldous Huxley is rightly considered a prophetic genius and one of the most important literary and philosophical voices of the 20th Century, and Brave New World is his masterpiece. From the author of The Doors of Perception, Island, and countless other works of fiction, non-fiction, philosophy, and poetry, comes this powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations. Brave New World remains absolutely relevant to this day as both a cautionary dystopian tale in the vein of the George Orwell classic 1984, and as thought-provoking, thoroughly satisfying entertainment.

 

Reviews:

The Guardian – Aiman.A

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“Brave New World is a classic – it is a dystopian novel similar in theme to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. I was recommended to read this book, by my cousin, as I enjoy dystopian novels. Brave New World revolves around the idea of totalitarianism and is set in a futuristic world where a combination of science and pleasure form a rather feudalistic society. This idea of totalitarianism is achieved through test tube babies, and hypnotism, resulting in a pre-ordained caste system consisting of intelligent humans suited to the highest positions and conversely, serf-like beings genetically programmed to carry out menial works. In this world of Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and the unfortunate Epsilons, exists drug-induced happiness, caused by what is known as soma. Here, “everyone belongs to everyone else” emphasising the system of forced promiscuity, brainwashed into the people from the moment of birth. At the core of this book is the horrific idea of eugenics and despite being written several decades ago, its message remains valid for our generation.” Read more…

 

The Independent – Fay Weldon

“I first read Brave New World in 1949. I was a frivolous 18-year old studying economics at St Andrews. There had always been favourite books. I’d grown up with Tolkien’s The Hobbit, moved on to the homoeroticism of EF Benson’s David Blaise, then to the bodice-rippers of Georgette Heyer and the fierce socialist indignation of Upton Sinclair in The Octopus.” Read more…

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels

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untitledThe Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Penguin Classics (August 27, 2002)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0140447571

ISBN-13: 978-0140447576

 

 

 

Summary

“Originally published on the eve of the 1848 European revolutions, The Communist Manifesto is a condensed and incisive account of the worldview Marx and Engels developed during their hectic intellectual and political collaboration. Formulating the principles of dialectical materialism, they believed that labor creates wealth, hence capitalism is exploitive and antithetical to freedom.

This new edition includes an extensive introduction by Gareth Stedman Jones, Britain’s leading expert on Marx and Marxism, providing a complete course for students of The Communist Manifesto, and demonstrating not only the historical importance of the text, but also its place in the world today.”

 

Reviews

The Communist Manifesto – Monthly Review Press

“First published in London in 1848, The Communist Manifesto is one of the most important books of all time: a document which helped to define the emerging socialist movement, altered the course of world history, and is universally acknowledged to be a cornerstone of modern social thought.” read more…

 

Book Review: The Communist Manifesto – Francis Beckett

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Listen to Our Discussion of This Book

“No philosopher’s reputation has plummeted in my lifetime as dramatically as that of Karl Marx. As late as the 1970s, it was still fashionable to claim an ideology deriving from Marx. Ambitious young politicians like John Reid and Alan Milburn called themselves socialists and even Marxists as comfortably as they later called themselves New Labour.” read more…

 

The Communist Manifesto – Roger Spalding

“The Communist Manifesto was a product of the social, economic and political turmoil that characterised Europe before 1850. Both of its authors, Marx and Engels, were touched by elements of this turmoil. Karl Marx, born in 1818, came from the Rhineland, an area occupied by the French during the Napoleonic Wars. During this period the French abolished feudal restrictions, introduced religious toleration and secularised the state. Many, like Marx’s father, benefited from this liberal regime. When, after Napoleon’s defeat, the Rhineland passed under Prussian control, Hirschel Marx, Karl’s father, abandoned Judaism for Christianity to retain the right to practise as a lawyer. Friedrich Engels, born in 1820, came from a family of German industrialists: he had, therefore, first-hand knowledge of the effects of rapid industrialisation. In 1842 Engels moved to Manchester to work at the family cotton mill. This took him to the heart of the world’s first industrial nation.” read more…

 

How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren (paperback)

/ William F. Leonhart III / 3 Comments

How_To_Read_A_BookHow to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren

Paperback: 426 pages

Publisher: Touchstone; Revised edition (August 15, 1972)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0671212095

ISBN-13: 978-0671212094

 

 

 

Summary:

With half a million copies in print, How to Read a Book is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader, completely rewritten and updated with new material.

Originally published in 1940, this book is a rare phenomenon, a living classic that introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them—from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading. Readers will learn when and how to “judge a book by its cover,” and also how to X-ray it, read critically, and extract the author’s message from the text.

Also included is instruction in the different techniques that work best for reading particular genres, such as practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science works.

Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests you can use measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension, and speed.

 

Book Reviews:

How to Read a Book – Jeremy Anderberg

“1. Open book.

2. Read words.

3. Close book.

4. Move on to next book.

Reading a book seems like a pretty straightforward task, doesn’t it? And in some cases, it is. If you’re reading purely for entertainment or leisure, it certainly can be that easy. There’s another kind of reading, though, in which we at least attempt to glean something of value from the book in our hands (whether in paper or tablet form). In that instance, you might be surprised to learn that it’s not as simple as opening the book and reading the words.” read more…

 

How to Read a Book: The Rules for Analytical Reading – Justin Taylor

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Listen to Our Discussions of This Book

“Last night I pulled off my shelf Mortimer Adler’s classic, How to Read a Book. It’s been several years since I worked through the book, but a review of the underlining and written notes testify to how much it influenced me. I’ll share in a separate post a particular section that has marked me indelibly.” read more…

 

How to Read a Book – Bob Passantino

“When I first read the title of Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book, I wondered what book I needed to read to learn how to read How to Read a Book! All kidding aside, far from teaching basic reading skills, Adler was, instead, interested in helping people learn how to get the most out of what they read and how to know in advance how helpful a given book will be. As book review editor, I regularly follow Adler’s advice.” read more…

The Creedal Imperative by Carl Trueman (paperback)

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Creedal ImperativeThe Creedal Imperative by Carl Trueman

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: Crossway; (September 30, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1433521903

ISBN-13: 978-1433521904

 

 

 

Summary:

What if “No creed but the Bible” is unbiblical?

The role of confessions and creeds is the subject of debate within evangelicalism today as many resonate with the call to return to Christianity’s ancient roots. Advocating for a balanced perspective, Carl Trueman offers an analysis of why creeds and confessions are necessary, how they have developed over time, and how they can function in the church of today and tomorrow.

 

 

Reviews:

CredoCovenant Review – Billy Leonhart

“How might creedal and confessional commitments jeopardize the protestant commitment to Sola Scriptura? Are such commitments not tantamount to the elevation of tradition to the level of, if not above, Scripture itself? Will not such commitments in essence render the church irrelevant in this modern age? Whatever happened to ‘no creed but the Bible’? Carl Trueman, Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, PA.), seeks to answer these questions and more in The Creedal Imperative. In this book, Trueman argues that ‘creeds and confessions are, in fact, necessary for the well-being of the church’ (20).” Read more…

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IX Marks Review – Peter Hess

“In The Creedal Imperative, Carl Trueman argues that, if a church hopes to ‘follow the pattern of the sound words’ that has been entrusted to it (2 Tim. 1:13), that church requires a robust confessionalism.” Read more…

 

The Aquila Report – Aimee Byrd

“Apparently, this book is too cool for a subtitle. Carl Trueman has a market on cool by rebelling against cool. Especially skinny jeans. But I digress. I’m thinking something like, ‘The Indicatives are Imperative.’ But that’s just me. Does your church catechize or teach with creeds? Sure it does. Trueman makes the case that all churches and all people have a creed, whether they admit it or not. ‘No creed but the Bible’ just doesn’t exist, and is a creed in itself (maybe that’s a good subtitle).” Read more…

 

The Blog (Founders) – Tom Hicks

“With Christianity on the wane in Western culture, some leaders have urged Christians to deemphasize secondary doctrines in order to stand united on gospel essentials.  Our numbers are too small, they say, for Christians to continue nit picking at each other on long disputed matters of theology.  Let me suggest, however, that doctrinal minimalism is the wrong approach, especially at this time.  While all true Christians should stand united for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom and against the rising specter of secularism, this is not the time to sideline secondary doctrines of the faith.  Now, more than ever, we need robust, thoroughly biblical expressions of Christianity.  We need an encyclopedically confessional faith.” Read more…

 

Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ by Nehemiah Coxe and John Owen (hardcover)

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coxeowen2Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ by Nehemiah Coxe and John Owen; ed. Ronald D. Miller, James M. Renihan, and Francisco Orozco

388 pages

Publisher: Reformed Baptist Academic Press; (October 1, 2005)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0976003937

ISBN-13: 978-0976003939

 

 

Summary:

“Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ is a reprint of two seventeenth century theologians, Nehemiah Coxe and John Owen. It amply displays the fact that seventeenth century Particular Baptists fit within the broader Covenant Theology of that day.”

 

 

Book Reviews:

Founders Journal – Eddie Goodwin

“Hercules had his labors. Alexander the Great faced the Gordian knot. And for a growing number of Baptists today, there is the great challenge of explaining precisely how one can be committed to both Reformed covenant theology and credo Baptistic convictions. Thankfully, a ready reply is available in a new compilation work from Reformed Baptist Academic Press entitled, Covenant Theology from Adam to Christ.” Read more…

 

The Dogmatic Reformer – William Sandell

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Listen to Our Discussions of This Book

“Covenant Theology is the core doctrine of the Reformed faith, whether Presbyterians or (traditional) Baptists.  The understandings of the covenants is the primary distinction between the two groups.  Both sides agree in the Covenant of Works, which is that God made a Covenant with Adam in the Garden.  If Adam obeyed than he (and his posterity) would have gained eternal life.  Adam failed, so we needed a new representative.  We need one who could fulfill that covenant for us, since the curse of sin prevented any of us from perfect obedience ourselves.  That is what both sides call the Covenant of Grace.  Jesus fulfills that role as our federal head and representative.  It was not just his death on the cross, but his active obedience that allow us to gain eternal life.  His righteous life is imputed (credited) to us and is looked upon as if we had done it.” Read more…

 

Amazon Review – Douglas VanderMeulen

“For many thoughtful Christians, to seriously embrace Covenantal theology means that ipso facto you should also embrace infant baptism. For many the two are inseparably linked. Or to put it another way, many believe that Baptist theology and Covenantal theology are mutually exclusive when the latter is held in a biblically consistent manner. But the book ‘Covenant Theology from Adam to Christ’ by the 17th century Baptist, Nehemiah Coxe’s challenges this assumption via sound exegetical analysis of the key passages on covenants and their signs in both Old and New Testaments. Please don’t misunderstand, this is not another book trying to prove believer’s baptism. It is an exegetical work developing and explaining the covenantal structure of the Bible and God’s promise of salvation.” Read more…