The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Silver Chair (1953) is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The reformed Eustace, along with his classmate Jill, are summoned to Narnia to rescue the now-aged King Caspian's only son.
The Silver Chair is a solid adventure, and, with its structure and content (giants, caverns, witches and such), is reminiscent of traditional fairy tales. On the downside, the story turns on a couple of rather predictable twists (they may be predictable even to children, at least to children who have, as Lewis might say, "read the right sort of books"), and there really isn't much of a climax.
Lewis always has moral themes going on, but here, they're particularly good. Eustace and Jill have to learn hard lessons in accountability and personal responsibility. The related theme of faithful obedience in the face of death is powerfully done: Eustace and Jill struggle the whole time, in sharp contrast to Prince Rilian, whose faith is summed up when he says, "Aslan will be our good lord, whether he means us to live or die. And all's one, for that." Lewis also continues to take shots at "modern" values by setting up his "Experiment House" school and then blasting it mercilessly; this assault is unapologetically obvious.
The characters are well done here: Eustace continues his struggle toward maturity. Jill, in contrast to the always positive but not particularly capable Lucy, is (and becomes) a competent and practical character. Puddleglum, the wettest of all blankets, is a nice supporting character (thankfully Lewis doesn't overdo it with him). And Rilian's simple but unshakeable faith is impressive.
The Silver Chair is a solid entry in the series, even if the moral themes pack more punch than the story itself.


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The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, have been and remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The best known, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes.SILVER CHAIR"Quick!" said Eustace. "Hold hands! We mustn't get separated!" And before Jill quite knew what was happening, he had pulled her out of the door, out of the school grounds, out of England, out of our whole world into That Place.Eustace and Jill are whisked to the land of Narnia where Aslan, the great Lion, needs their help to find the missing Prince Rilian. Teaming up with Puddleglum, the Marsh Wiggle, the search takes them through some of the most dangerous underland of Narnia. Even if they attain their goal, it can only be the start of further trouble.

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Pope John Paul II: In My Own Words Review

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(More customer reviews)The one I read had a different cover from this book but perhaps, it’s of a different edition/version of this book. But I took a look inside (amazon.com and the book) and found the contents to be the same, so I hope this little review will help you in a way. ^^
First of all, this is a compilation book. The book compiles carefully selected words (some of which are almost like quotes) and prayers of His Holiness Pope John Paul II from different sources, and they are categorized into different sections like Prayer, Salvation, The Sacraments, and so forth, for easy reference. His talks about love, family, truth & freedom, God & the Holy Spirits & Mother Mary, hope and prayer are very inspirational and encouraging, and there’s also a short introduction about the background of the Pope.
In all, this is a really nice book to add to your Christian collection, especially if you’re one of the many who have been touched, in one way or another, by the Pope.


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Spiritual father of millions, globally influential leader: Pope John Paul II's words have brought inspiration, solace, and courage to those who have listened. The quotes and prayers collected here are both for the faithful and for those who have been touched by and want to know more about this remarkable man. His words on love, family, truth, freedom, human relationships, the power of God, and the importance of hope and prayer explore what it means to be alive and what we are doing here on Earth, and offer answers to some of life's hardest questions.

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The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Cistercian studies 59) Review

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(More customer reviews)For thirty years now Sister Benedicta Ward's translation of the sayings of 131 of the earliest monastics has served as an indispensable text for English speakers. In addition to her brief foreword and short biographical introductions (when they are known), the book includes simple maps on the inside front and back covers, a short glossary of terms, a chronological table of key events in the development of desert monasticism, a bibliography that is all too short and badly dated, and then two indices of key concepts, people and places. The sayings themselves stand alone without commentary. For contemporary extrapolations one can turn to the fine books by Archbishop Rowan Williams (Where God Happens, 2005) and John Chryssavgis (In the Heart of the Desert, 2003). For more complete primary resources, see the two works by John Cassian (360-435), Institutes and Conferences (900-plus pages), in which Cassian relates what he learned from and about the earliest monastics.
Beginning in the third century, three monastic experiments emerged in Egypt. St. Anthony (251-356), an uneducated Copt, is generally hailed as the father of the hermit monasticism centered in lower Egypt. Thanks to The Life of Saint Anthony by Athanasius, we know as much or more about Anthony than any other of the early ascetics. Other monks cooperated and collaborated in "cenobitic" monasticism. Pachomius (290-347) is generally credited with instigating this communal form of flight to the desert. Finally, in Nitria and Scetis small groups of monks lived near one another under the direction of an elder or "abba." In addition to Egypt, desert monasticism flourished in Syria, Asia Minor and in Palestine.
It's easy to dismiss the eccentricities of a Simon the Stylite (d. 459), who sat atop a fifty-foot pole outside of Antioch for forty years, or the ascetic excesses of food and sleep deprivation, but we honor these saints for their unique experimental spirituality that explored just what the words of Jesus might mean: "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me." They stopped at nothing in "their lifetime of striving to re-direct every aspect of body, mind, and soul to God, and that is what they talked about" (Ward) in these "sayings."
In these sayings we are taught to "expect temptation until your last breath." That means doing battle with one's inner appetites, drives, thoughts, attachments (for example, to wealth) and desires. It also means the further you travel on the Christian journey the more you realize the breadth and depth of the struggle. Consequently, these monastics were above all things modest, non-judgmental, and deeply tender in regard to our human weaknesses. They were reluctant to take Christian office, made the certainty of their death a force for good in life, modest in what they thought they might know about Scripture, eager to keep silent, and appreciative of the diverse ways that each monk worked out his salvation. Ultimately, and in contrast to so much Christian spirituality of today, these desert monastics recommend a "hidden" form of discipleship, the focus of which is the interior geography of the human heart regardless of where they body finds itself. I have found these ancient saints to be wise guides for our contemporary world.

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The English Reformation Revised Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are interested in the Renaissance, Reformation in England and the political and religious machination of that period you would do well to add this book to your collection.

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This collection of essays seeks to bring some of the most recent innovative work on the English Reformation to the attention of teachers and students, and to show how a new understanding of the subject can be built up from work which has so far been hidden away in technical academic journals.

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Works of Jules Verne (Volume 13); The Robinson Crusoe School. the Star of the South. Purchase of the North Pole Review

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(More customer reviews)This omnibus from Avenel collects five of Jules Verne's most popular novels, and three stories from one of his first collections. These are all the earliest translations into English of his works, often appearing just months after the original French editions, containing many of the original illustrations. Oddly enough, the cover painting, although of Captain Nemo (a main character in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) is actually taken from an edition of The Mysterious Island which is not included in the omnibus.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a translation of Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers by Mercier Lewis (1873), illustrated by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou. It is 6th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by In Search of the Castaways, and followed by Around the Moon.
A Journey to the Center of the Earth is an anonymous translation, first published in 1871 by Griffith and Farran, of Voyage au centre de la Terre, illustrated by Édouard Riou. It is 3rd in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras, and followed by From the Earth to the Moon.
Around the World in 80 Days is a translation of Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours, by George Makepeace Towle (1872), illustrated by Alphonse-Marie de Neuville and Leon Benett. It is 11th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by The Fur Country, and followed by The Mysterious Island.
From the Earth to the Moon is a translation of De la Terre à la Lune by Louis Mercier & Eleanor E. King (1873), illustrated by Henri de Montaut. It is 4th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by A Journey to the Center of the Earth, and followed by The Children of Captain Grant (In Search of the Castaways).
Round the Moon is a translation of Autour de la Lune, by Louis Mercier & Eleanor E. King (1873), illustrated by Émile-Antoine Bayard and Alphonse-Marie de Neuville. It is a sequel to From the Earth to the Moon, and is 7th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, and followed by The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa (Measuring a Meridian).
Three short stories are included from the collection, Dr. Ox's Experiment, and Other Stories, translated by George Makepeace Towle (1874), with various illustrators: Doctor Ox's Experiment (translation of Une fantaisie du docteur Ox); Master Zacharius (translation of Maître Zacharius); and A Drama in the Air (translation of Un drame dans les airs).
Although the illustrators are identified in the introduction to the omnibus, the translators are not, and I was able to identify the translations with the aid of the Internet and various web sites.

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The book may have numerous typos or missing text. It is not illustrated or indexed. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website. You can also preview the book there.Purchasers are also entitled to a trial membership in the publisher's book club where they can select from more than a million books for free.Volume: 13 Original Publisher: f.Tyler Daniels co., inc. Publication date: 1911Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Science Fiction / General

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