Top Ten Book Debuts

Posted on February 1, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Broke and the Bookish inquire: what are some of your favorite debuts by authors?

In no particular order…and bear in mind these are just the first ten authors I thought of that qualified.

1. Syrup, Max Barry

Max Barry loves to satirize corporate America, and this take on advertising and marketing may be his best novel.

2. Life in a Medieval City, Frances and Joseph Gies

Before seeing this book in the store a few years ago, my perception of the medieval era was that of William Manchester’s: the Middle Ages were a long, bleak time in which nothing besides war ever happened. As I found out through this book and later studies, the medieval epoch had a life of its own, albiet not as philosophically rich or politically stable as the Roman period.

3. Stiff, Mary Roach

Mary Roach started a series of books incorporating interesting science, humor, and gruesome detail with Stiff, which I read in late September and enjoyed far more than was appropriate, given this was a book about the uses of dead people.

4. A Stitch in Time, Andrew Robinson

Andy Robinson’s debut novel is remarkable for being the first Deep Space Nine novel set after the end of the television series, but is notable as well for being penned by the actor who portrayed the mysterious Mr. Garak — plain, simple Garak, an ordinarily tailor and not in any way connected to the fearsome intelligence agency of Cardassia, the Obsidian Order.

5. The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins

This is, as far as I know, Dawkins’ first published book, and one that still informs my science reading. While the book’s focus is a gene-centered view of evolution, he also coins the word ‘meme’ to describe ideas which are passed from person to person and change over time: a ‘meme’ is the building block of cultures. Meme has become a very popular word: how many Facebook and Blogger quizzes, surveys, and games have been labeled as such?

6. Barefoot Boy with Cheek, Max Shulman

Bareboot Boy is not the first Shulman novel I read, though it’s the only other Shulman work I’ve read that comes close to matching the brilliant wit of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. It’s a satire of college life, particularly liberal-arts academica, and so delightfully silly that even reading my comments on it amuses me.  Good memories.

7.  Redwall, Brian Jacques

This was my first epic fantasy novel,  one that introduced the world of Mossflower to me. I’d never read a story like it before, and even though I probably haven’t read it in a decade, I can still remember how many little stories it contained inside the greater narrative.

8. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
I’ve read the series several times now, listened to the audiobooks once, and have watched the movies…more times than I can count. None of them capture the charming magic of the Potterverse the way the original does, and I suppose none could — since it’s as new to Harry as it is to the reader, and we enjoy the wonder through his eyes.
9. In the Forests of the Night, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Rhodes wrote this book, one of my very favorite fantasy titles, when she was fifteen. 
10. The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner.
Though the four siblings (Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny) later made a series of solving mysteries,  the first book reads more like an adventure. Four orphans decide to run away on their own, rather than stay with their grandfather, whom they think to be very mean. They find an abandoned boxcar in the woods and make a home of it.  This story enthralled me as a kid — I loved reading about how they cooked for themselves and did their own laundry. 
— Questionable Bonus — 
11. Avatar, S.D. Perry
I’m cheating here, as Avatar is not Perry’s first work. It is, however, her first contribution to Star Trek literature and it initiated and gave shape to the entire Deep Space Nine relaunch, which was an unprecedented “eighth season in book form” with rich characters and a continuity of its own. Other relaunches followed in DS9’s — and Perry’s — footsteps. While the Relaunch decision was probably made by the editors, Perry made it work. 
Posted in General | Tagged | 4 Comments

Teaser Tuesday (1 February)

Posted on January 31, 2011 by smellincoffee

Rabbit rabbit, it’s teasin’ time again.

“I’d like to rent a car for the night,” I told the agent, selecting a good old-fashioned white Jeep Wrangler. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I was ready for my usual Jeep routine and scouted a place to sleep for the night. I drove to the nearest hotel parking lot and, in my usual fashion, climbed into the backseat to rest.

At 4:00 a.m., I returned the car. When I turned in my keys, the employee checked my mileage. “Two miles?” he asked, bewildered. 

p. 250, 50 Jobs in 50 States. Daniel Seddiqui.

“What are you doing there, you lazy batos?” said a voice he instantly recognized as his mother’s. Which was odd because he was sure he remember her as being quite dead for quite some time. 

p. 6, Sword of Damocles. Geoffrey Thorne.

Posted in General | Tagged | 10 Comments

Electric Universe

Posted on January 31, 2011 by smellincoffee

Electric Universe: The Shocking True Story of Electricity
© 2005 David Bodanis
308 pages

When you’re in the dark, and you want to see, you need
Electricity, E-LEC-TRICITY!
(School House Rock, “Electricity“)

Every now and again, I misjudge a book and find it a superior surprise. I picked Electric Universe up thinking to read an introduction to electricity, but found instead a rich history detailing the human discovery — and use of — electricity which contains stories of curiosity, intellectual courage, romance, adventure, and wartime bravado. In addition to providing clear, picturesque descriptions of how electrical processes work, Bodanis examines how electricity has changed society as a whole from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age.

 Electric Universe is truly a multi-genre book.  I checked it out for the science, as my understanding of electricity is somewhat dim. Like Brian Silver in The Ascent of Science, Bodanis is talented at making electricity understandable at its most basic level,  then applying that explanation to technological applications. The science continues throughout the book, culminating in a chapter on biological nervous systems. Bodanis places a great deal of emphasis on the scientists and technicians who sought to understand and use the hidden powers in nature to illuminate, link together, and revolutionize the world. I never knew that Edison was a patent-breaking scoundrel,  nor did I realize that Nazi Germany had its own sophisticated version of radar. How has a movie not been made of the daring Würzburg raid, in which a scientist parachuted into occupied Europe, escorted by grizzled paratroopers, to take over a German radar installation, learn its secrets, and return to England? There’s even a film-worthy moment of all-on-the-line drama when the raiders’ retreat is blocked by German machine gunners, who are defeated the last moments by the reappearance of previously lost Scottish highlanders, firing their rifles and yelling out old Gaelic battle-cries.

Modern society is entirely impossible without electricity and the various technologies — like radio and computers — which developed from its understanding. The transformation of society through these technologies fascinates, and Electric Universe is a history of that transformation with human-interest stories to spare. I read it in two sittings, pausing only to go to bed for the night, and consider Bodanis an author of interest for the future. Electric Universe is a definite recommendation.

Posted in history, Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Beyond Band of Brothers

Posted on January 27, 2011 by smellincoffee

Beyond Band of Brothers: the War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters
© 2006 Dick Winters and Colonel Cole Kingseed
303 pages

When I landed, the only weapon I had was a trench knife that I had placed in my boot. I stuck the knife in the ground before I went to work on my chute. This was a hell of a way to begin a war.

Dick Winters didn’t join the Army out of abounding love for his country, but because he didn’t want conscription interrupting a profitable business career. Though he joined in peacetime, that peace did not long last, and Winters became a soldier for the duration.  That strategic decision of his turns out to be the last less-than-noble action Winters makes, for he is The All-American soldier.  He’s Sam Damon, come to life, fulfilling every ideal Americans have about soldiers: devoted to God and country, hard-working, clean-cut, conscientious, and morally beyond reproach. He never loses his temper, never shrinks back from a fight, and never seems like anything less than an iconic hero.  For those looking for inspiration, his memoirs will provide it in bounds — but all the stories about his men’s nobility and sacrifice seem a little too much like a 1940s newsreel meant to bolster spirits and inspire faith in the men and the cause than a thought-provoking account of the trials of war.

After joining the Army,  Winters determined to be the best he could be. Determined to excel and to lead, he applied for the paratroop corp and became a lieutenant of a company destined to fight in D-Day, the Bulge, and a few tough spots in between before ending the war as a Major governing a portion of Austria as military governor. While the “on-the-ground” look inside the D-Day operations and beyond is what will attract most readers, I was most interested by his account of basic training and Officer Candidates School.  The intensive training parachutists were put through seemed perverse at times.  After his account of the war — in which  Winter proves himself to be a superb commander, so inspiring that when a superior officer court-martialed him, all of Winters’ non-commissioned officers near-mutinied, resigning their stripes rather than serve  under Winter’s offender — Winter ruminates on lessons learned, particularly in regards to leadership.

The account is readable, and were I less cynical I suppose I would be beside myself with all the inspiration being handed out. I enjoyed it nonetheless, aside from Winter’s account of looting and billeting as they marched through Germany. Winters thought nothing of kicking German civilians out of their home — ordering them, weapons in hand, not requesting — for his own comfort, and justified this by claiming they were supporting Hitler. This seemed disingenuous at best: why the rationalization?  “To the victor go the spoils” may be a cruel mantra, but at least it’s honest. Exacting private judgment on strangers is no more noble when done by a ‘hero’ than by the ‘villains’.  This attempt at justification and the endless moral lessons being taught to the audience soured me on Winters after a while, though I felt a bit guilty about it since he’s a recently deceased Hero and all (d. 2 January 2011). All things considered, I much prefer Sam Stavinsky’s Marine Combat Correspondent. Winters reminded me more of Ernst Junger, who wrote Storm of Steel — both seem more like  ideals than real men, their memoirs fulfilling their respective country’s stereotypes about themselves.

Related:

  • Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose’s account of “Easy Company” which brought Winters and his men into the public eye. 
  • Marine Combat Correspondent, Sam Stavinsky, the account of a glass-wearing journalist turned grizzled Marine. I remember it fondly, though I read it back in high school when the romance of nationalism and noble soldiers had in me an ardent follower. 
  • Storm of Steel, Ernst Junger — a German account of the Great War, written by a man with a spooky detachment who embodies the stereotype of the cold, efficient, tough-as-nails Prussian solider. 
  • Once an Eagle, Anton Myrer, from whose protagonist Sam Damon Winters and his co-author quote. 
Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This Week at the Library (19 Jan – 26 Jan)

Posted on January 26, 2011 by smellincoffee

Over the weekend I decided to give TWATL a visual refresher and am happy with the way it turned out, aside from some minor niggles. Beyond appearances, I added a few elements — the Cumulative Reading List, which became necessary last year as assorted surveys  made it difficult to glance over  the annual reading; a much neater approach to labels, and a Shelfari widget to show books I’m currently reading. That last seems more like a gimmick than anything else, but I was in mood to play around.

2011 Nonfiction Reading Challenge Update:
Since the challenge began, I have read three applicable books:

  • Six on Six Legs (Science)
  • The Rise and Fall of the Bible, which I could apply toward culture or art..I 
  • and The Age of Absurdity, which — since there’s no philosophy category — I’m not sure as to what to do with. Culture? Money?  

In the future I think I’ll be using this weekly review to share book-related links I find of interest, like Susanne Alleyn’s essay on writing proper historical fiction by staying honest and as close to the facts as possible, Rick Riordian‘s thoughts on writing fiction in general, and a collection of Goosebumps run-throughs from “Blogger Beaware”. If you read the series as a child you may enjoy revisiting them through this complete series of snarky reviews. Blogger Beware has a sufficiently geeky enough audience to merit its own TvTropes page.

This past week at the library was an usually strong series of books. I started the week off with an interesting murder mystery by Michael Connelly, in The Black Echo. I then read another advanced review book, The Rise and Fall of the Bible, which proved to be an entertaining and informative history of the Bible as a cultural icon.  After reading the surprisingly excellent Far Better Rest, I finished the week off with The Age of Absurdity, which I am still collecting my thoughts on.

Selected Quotations:
“Always make a practice of provoking your own mind to think out what it accepts easily. Our position is not ours until we make it ours by suffering.” –  Timothy Beal quoting another author, listed in my notes as ‘Chambers’. in The Rise and Fall.

“”We’re used to picturing the genaology of a text like a family tree: one original at the base ascending like a single trunk, with copies branching off it, and copies of copies branching off them. And so on throughout the generations. We imagine an original from which all the generations of diversity spring as scribes make revisions and introduce copying errors. But the reverse seems to be the case when it comes to the origins of the Bible: the further you go back in its literary history, the less uniformity there is. Scriptural traditions are rooted, quite literally, in diversity. ” – p. 106, The Rise and Fall of the Bible

There were a lot of quotes from Age of Absurdity, but I think I’ll wait until I’m done mulling over things to share them.

Next week’s potentials:

  • Beyond Band of Brothers, Major Richard Winters
  • The Electric Universe, a history of the human discovery and application of electricity. 
  • Stonehenge, Bernard Cornwell. I haven’t started this one yet, aside from the first page.
  • The Confessions, Augustine. This time I’m serious. 
  • The First World War, John Keegan. I checked this out because I wanted some history, but couldn’t find a generic medieval history as I was in the mood for.  I’ve heard good things about Keegan

Also, with the money from birthday checks and the like I recently purchased six Star Trek paperbacks (mostly used copies) and one science book, and will be buying another science book at some point in the next few weeks, so that’s something to look forward to. They’ll probably start arriving this weekend or early next week, seeing as I always buy from the states around Alabama if I can.  Included will be the last Typhon Pact novel (Dayton Ward), another entry in the Titan series (Christopher L Bennett, and my first Vanguard (David Mack) reads.

Posted in Reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Far Better Rest

Posted on January 25, 2011 by smellincoffee

A Far Better Rest
© 2000 Susanne Alleyn
353 pages


Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is the story of a family beset by revolution. Regarded as a classic of western literature,  the novel warns against the dangers of Revolution and celebrates individual self-sacrifice, unpredictably embodied by the figure of Sydney Carton, who rouses himself from a drunken slumber to save a man’s life, returns to his rest, and rises once more at the novel’s end to save an innocent man from the guillotine’s murderous wrath. A Far Better Rest is Carton’s story, told through his eyes — and an excellent complement to the classic, I might add.

At first the novel did not too much impress me: its cover and opening chapters made me suspect I was in for a period romance instead of a ‘proper’ historical novel. This, I’m happy to report, was a misjudgment on my part. While romance is inevitable — Carton’s enduring love for Lucie Manette drives him throughout the plot, here as in Dickens’ original — this is not a bodice-ripper. Indeed, those bodices which are mentioned remain firmly fastened. Though we see inside Carton’s soul, Alleyn does not make her readers bedroom voyeurs. Instead, Alleyn focuses on what love drives Carton to do. Inspired by Lucie’s faith in him, and her simple goodness, Carton determines to recall himself to life and travels to France, where he finds himself in the middle of a Revolution — a revolution that will, as it continues to mold France’s destiny, force Carton and others to choose their own paths. Carton is continually buffeted by fate, but seeks redemption if only to justify Lucie and others’ faith in him. Lucie is not his only motivation: having grown as a character, Carton only learns of the Mannettes’ presence in Paris in the midst of a personal quest.

Any novel inspired by A Tale of Two Cities cannot very well avoid the Revolution, but Carton’s place in the relative thick of things gives the reader a personal view of the chaos that began to unfold after the First Republic found itself at war with a continent full of adversaries and ruled by a council of ruthless crusaders determined to preserve their gains at all costs. Carton finds in the Republican struggle something to live for, but his hopes are dashed when the Revolution, “like Saturn, eats its own children”.  Alleyn evidently knows the period quite well, and displays an impressive amount of historical detail. (She even attaches a bibliography — not something I see in a lot of historical fiction.) This is reflected in the style of the narrative, for Carton-as-narrator employs some older spelling variations (“connexion”), capitalizes random Nouns within sentences, and O! uses period abbreviations, tho’ they run the gauntlet between being distracting and somewhat immersive.  Alleyn or her editor’s choice of font was also well done — conveying an 18th century feel.  The only truly distracting stylistic choice (for me) was Carton’s self-censorship:  words deemed vulgar are marred by underscores, so damned becomes d___ed and bollocks b_ll_cks.  The reader knows d___ed well what’s being said, but ‘walking through’ the underscores tends to slow down the book’s pace.

Speaking of pace, the book turned into a page-turner after a slow start. The beginning of the book is its weakest — there’s a forced scene in which Carton meets two future revolutionaries while studying in France, one that has no function other than to establish a prior relationship between the boys for when they mature into men destined to lead France from monarchy to Republicanism. The political elements make the book a sort of thriller, and Alleyn’s depiction of Carton’s relationships with Darton, Lucie, and a third character, coupled with his masterful character growth, created in this book book an absolute winner for me — one I’d recommend without reserve. Just as Carton redeemed himself, so will his “self-written” account redeem the story of A Tale of Two Cities for those who think it too florid, dense, or inaccurate — for Alleyn thinks Dickens’ exaggerated account of the revolution a blot on his reputation and attempts to portray it more fairly here. She’s an author who takes her history seriously.
        

Related:

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Teaser Tuesday (25 January)

Posted on January 25, 2011 by smellincoffee

Tuesday Teasin’ time again, from Should Be Reading.

“They’ll hang the fellow at Tyburn, and there will be an end to it.”

“If he is found Guilty.”

“Indeed. Your legal acuity never ceases to amaze me.”

“I do not intend that he shall be found Guilty.”

“A commendable position for the Counsel for the Defense. Bravissimo.”

 p. 32-35, A Far Better Rest. Susanne Alleyn.

There are many variants among the more than fifty-three hundred early New Testament manuscripts and manuscript fragments that survived the Greek language alone (not to mention early Latin, Syriac, and Coptic translations). The oldest of them (from the second, third, and fourth centuries) are the most divergent. Granted, many of the variations among different manuscripts are not terribly significant. But a good number are. Some of these differences were no doubt the result of accidents, but some clearly were not. Early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark, for example, offer four different endings. In the Greco-Roman world of the first and second centuries, long before copyright laws, works of literature quickly lost touch with their authors. They were copied, edited, supplemented, and distributed through decentralized, informal networks in ways that the writers could not anticipate or control.

p. 101, The Rise and Fall of the Bible: the Unexpected History of an Accidental Book, Timothy Beal.

Posted in General | Tagged | 12 Comments

Top Ten Book (Series) I Wish I’d Read as Kid

Posted on January 25, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Broke and the Bookish are curious: are there any books you wish you’d read as a child?

1. The Redwall Series, Brian Jacques

I did read a few of these books as a kid, but not very many. They’re…fantasy novels which star woodland creatures. In the first book, Redwall, a mean rat named Cluny (Cluny! Cluny! CLUNY THE SCOURGE!) decided to attack a pleasant little abby-sanctuary called Redwall and use its high walls as a fortress. He spurs his horde of vermin onward while, a plucky little mouse named Matthias seeks a magic sword to help save his home.  There are over twenty books in the series in all now.

The books were charming and the dialogue fun (a friend of mine and I used to entertain each other by imitating the rabbits of the Long Patrol), but the older I got the more embarrassed I felt about sneaking into the children’s section to read books about mice with longbows.

2. The Nancy Drew Series and 3. Hardy Boys Mysteries (Various Authors)

While I enjoyed mystery novels as a kid, I mostly read from the Boxchar Children stories. I may have read from one Hardy Boys mystery, but aside from that both series were untouched. (The actual title of Hardy Boys #3 is The Secret of the Old Mill, but the above image came up in a google search and amused me, so there you are.)

4. Matt Christopher’s Works

I was never into competitive sports as a kid: while I liked playing them, I liked PLAYING them. I wasn’t interested in keeping score, which was why I tended to spend recess going on unsanctioned nature walks in the woods with friends,  and Saturday mornings riding bikes and building stunt ramps.  Christopher wrote a series of books about kids and sports, and while I read a couple of them (The Year Mom Won the Pennant, and a book about a kid who gets into biking as a way to get in shape),  I ignored most of the series.

5. Sweet Valley High and 6. The Babysitters’ Club (Francine Pascal, Ann M. Martin)

I realize these are girls’ books, but so were the California Diaries books and I enjoyed them just fine, thank you very much. (I was introduced to that series by a male character, though…Ducky.)  I read one or two in the SVH series from my  older sister’s collection back in the day, though all I remember is that Elizabeth fell asleep with her headphones on once, and there was a third twin who was evil and…may have burned down a house?  I am too old to empathize with the characters now, though. As for the other: California Diaries was a spinoff of Babysitters’ Club, — and one character, Dawn Schaefer, carried over. That’s the main reason that in high school I tried to find the books to read them before realizing they were meant for preteen girls. While Dawn wasn’t my favorite character,  she was the second-nicest person in the series and sort of a hippie, which I liked.

7. More of Ghosts of Fear Street and 8. Goosebumps 2000.  (R.L. Stine)

I was a kid during the Goosebumps heyday, and owned all of the books in the original collection. Ghosts of Fear Street was a kid’s version of his Fear Street books (with less  axe-murder and more psychotic sea monkeys), while Goosebumps 2000 was more or less an attempt to remarket Goosebumps for the new millennium. I disapproved of this for some reason and would not read the books, and by the time I’d gotten over my knee-jerk reaction,they’d  vanished from the shelves. D’oh.  Fear Street Adventures was a different story:  the only place in town that sold books offered them only sporadically.

9. More of Starfleet Academy. (Various authors)

My library had two of these (Starfall and Capture the Flag) and I loved `em both, but Selma doesn’t have a bookstore beyond the supermarkets (which tend to sell romances, westerns, and Christian fiction exclusively), so I couldn’t read more. I would’ve liked to read the adventures of young Worf and young — err,…Cadet — Data.

10. More of Great Illustrated Classics. (Various authors).

As a child I read quite a few “classics” in a shorter, illustrated form — The Call of the Wild, Robinson Caruso,  Black Beauty, War of the Worlds, etc. There are many more, but I only read a fraction of them. Now I read the ‘real’ version of those books, but I still would’ve liked to have read more of the series in this fashion.

Bonus:
11. Harry Potter – — ? Maybe?
While I couldn’t have truly grown up with Harry (being older than him when the first book was released), I wonder how I would have enjoyed the experience of waiting anxiously for every new release and reading through it with great anticipation at what would happen. Instead, I read all of the books in Autumn – October 2007…but I don’t think I was so much disadvantaged.  While Harry was leaving behind a world that disliked him and finding new friends at Hogwarts, I left an unpleasant, past and found my own home and friends in at the University of Montevallo, which I began attending that very fall. So I related rather powerfully to Harry in those first two books. Now, when I watch the movies, I’m reminded of my first week and semester on campus, and I like the connection. (When I investigated my dorm for the first time, I said: “It’s not Gryffindor Tower, but it’ll do.”)  So maybe it was best I only discovered the series in my adult days, eh?

Posted in General | Tagged | 14 Comments

The Rise and Fall of the Bible

Posted on January 23, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book
© 2011 Timothy Beal
225 pages, not including index.

Disclaimer: I read from an advanced review copy of the book, available through NetGalleys. No compensation for a review, good or negative, was offered or requested, aside from my own potential enjoyment of the book.

For better or worse, the Bible holds a singular place in western history. Within its thousands of pages are history,  poetry, proverbs, legends, and more laws than anyone knows what to do with. For fifteen hundred years, people have looked at it for justification and inspiration —  saints and scoundrels alike.  Timothy Beal writes The Rise and Fall of the Bible in part to address how it arrived at this status. His work is not a comprehensive history of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, but focuses on their collection, promotion, and role in western society.  Essentially, it’s a history of the Bible as a cultural icon — as The Bible, the ultimate and authoritative voice that offers simple, direct, and instant answers to any who seek its counsel — and a critical appraisal of the same.

Beal grew up seeing the Bible in this way, but while he still holds to the Christian faith, he now sees a gulf between this iconic status and the Bible in its most potent context. Rather than seeing it as a “magic eight ball” that delivers answers at convenience, Beal has grown to view the Bible as a work of work which forces individuals to engage with it, to grapple with its diverse meanings.  He believes that the ruthless conversion of the Bible from sacred literature into consumer product is fast eroding its status as an icon, and that the rise of digital literature will encourage individuals to work with the bible for themselves.

Beal’s opening chapters comment on the current status of the Bible (emphasizing its constant repackaging into forms like ‘biblezines ‘and manga stories), after which point he gives a brief history of the Christian canon. I’d expected this section to be the meat of the book, but Beal uses the history to illustrate his point that the relationship between people and the Bible has changed throughout history. In early Christian history, no Authority handed down approved texts to individuals and communities. Instead ,they collected — and created — such texts themselves.  According to Beal, both Jewish and Christian scriptures existed in an infinite variety, as collections and translations were assembled for a given community’s desires, purposes, and preferences. They lifted quotes out of context to apply to their own needs, freely — and this is true not only of the rank-and-file believer, but of church fathers like Paul.* Copyists and translators played fast-and-loose with their work, and the organization of the Christian canon in the early medieval  period seems like a desperate struggle to impose order on chaos. It’s no accident that the canon only came to be once the resources of the state were at would-be censors’ disposal. It’s also rather obvious that the censors’ opinions are arbitrary: from the early church through the Renaissance and Reformation, theologians bickered on what was Authoritative and which was not.

This history of the Christian bible, while not as thorough as I’d expected, was thoroughly fascinating all the same. Such diversity explains all the little inconsistencies, and makes defending claims to the Bible speaking in only one voice impossible to defend. Beal devotes a chapter following his history discuss his problems with seeing the Bible as a one-voice monograph. It is, he says, a library of books that is “constantly interpreting, interrogating, and disagreeing with itself.”  Beal adds to his discussion of the Bible’s role by commenting on how the physical expression of scriptures — in scrolls, codices, books, and now digital texts — changes the way people view it.  The unwieldiness and expense of the scroll promoted oral traditions and short anthologies, while the Bound Book conveys to the reader a sense of finality:  a text that is bound is finished and cannot be altered. Its sheer physicality is an imposition, and the relative openness of digital literature is one reason why Beal is optimistic about the future role of the bible. As it becomes more personal affair, the lessons gleaned from it will have real value: rather than meekly accepting The Final Word, individuals will earn truth and meaning by working for it.

I’m glad I read The Rise and Fall of the Bible, though it’s not the book I thought I would be reading. Its history added to my appreciation of early Christian history, and its theme — the Bible’s changing relationship with the people who read it — has given me food for thought.  I never realized how ‘loose’ the Christian canon truly is.

The Rise and Fall of the Bible will be available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on February 16, 2011.

Related:

  • God’s Problem, Bart Ehrman, which expounds on the lack of a ultimate answer to the question of evil —  something Beal cited as evidence of the Bible’s  multivoiced nature. 
  • Asimov’s Guide to the Bible, Isaac Asimov– a treatment of the Bible as human literature. 

*In studying the creation of Christianity from Judaism back in late ’06 and 2007, I realized that the Gospel authors were rather enthusiastic in repurposing  Jewish scriptures for their own use. One rabbi referred to this as “painting Christianity into the [Torah]”.

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment