26 Religion & Philosophy


76394 IN THE BEGINNING: Bibles Before the Year 1000


by Michelle Brown The Bible was not always conceived or known of as a book - the single volume we customarily encounter and use - but was at one time a group of


small books physically distinct, not even bound together. Biblia in Greek means ‘the little books’. The earliest written Christian scriptures were simple, unadorned manuals for the use of faith communities. The cross and fish, which were cryptic Early Christian symbols used during times of persecution, were among the first images to appear in scriptural texts. After Christianity, and the book format, had achieved respectability during the 4th century following the Roman Empire’s edicts of toleration, grander books were made for important churches. During the 5th and 6th centuries, opulent materials such as purple stained pages and gold and silver inks were increasingly employed to bestow prestige upon volumes such as the Codex Brixianus, and great didactic picture cycles illustrating the stories that appeared in books like the Rabbula Gospels and the Codex Sinopensis all reproduced here along with many, many others. This marvellous volume presents the physical evidence for the development of both the original Biblia and eventually the Book, ranging from fragile fragments of papyrus and humble early parchment codices to resplendent illuminated manuscripts and sumptuous jewelled bindings. Some have remained in ancient monastic libraries or cathedral treasuries since they were written. Others have languished, concealed in desert caves, sealed up in long-forgotten rooms, or buried to await resurrection by archaeologists from deep in the ground. Many have passed from hand to hand down the centuries and are now preserved in great public libraries, museums and private collections. Each has its own distinctive voice and a tale to tell, and here are those gripping stories gathered together in a superb single volume. 360 pages lavishly


illustrated in colour and b/w with maps, reference catalogue, list of manuscripts and lenders, chronology, glossary, Who’s Who, notes to the essays and list of contributors. £32 NOW £10


76611 HERETICS: The


Creation of Christianity from the Gnostics to the Modern Church by Jonathan Wright


Neatly compressing four centuries of the Jesuit saga into a concise, witty and balanced history, the author uses the results of his thorough researches to separate fact from fiction and to set straight the often romanticized record of the


gory and glorious Jesuit past. Here, the history of dissent in the Christian Church is charted through the stories of some of its most emblematic heretics - from Arius, a 4th century cleric who questioned the very nature of Christ, to firebrands like Martin Luther and John Calvin, whose protests created new branches of the faith. As he traces the Church’s attempts, from the days of Constantine to modern times, to enforce orthodoxy, Jonathan Wright argues that, by compelling the Church to refine and impose its beliefs, heresy helped Christianity to blossom into one of the world’s most formidable and successful religions. The history of these heretics continues to raise timely questions: What is the future of heresy? Is the current mood of tolerance a fleeting historical accident? What is the role of heresy in a faith that still shapes the world? 338 pages. $28 NOW £6


76602 WITHOUT GOD, IS


EVERYTHING PERMITTED? by Julian Baggini Sub-titled ‘The Twenty Big Questions in Ethics’, bestselling author and philosopher Julian Baggini clear-sightedly and compassionately examines 20 of the most complex contemporary ethical dilemmas. Can it ever be right to kill? Is terrorism ever justified? Should euthanasia be legal? Are some people superior to


others? Is torture always wrong? Is free trade fair trade? Can discrimination be good? How much should we give to charity? 262pp in paperback. £9.99 NOW £5


76628 ST. CUTHBERT: His Life and Cult in Medieval


Durham by Dominic Marner St Cuthbert was England’s major saint from the 7th century until the 12th, when he was eclipsed in popularity by St Thomas Becket. He founded a monastery in Ripon before moving to Melrose and then becoming Prior of Lindisfarne, where the intricate Lindisfarne


Gospels, one of Britain’s greatest works of art, were created in his honour. The Lindisfarne community of monks eventually migrated to the site of the present Durham Cathedral, taking the saint’s cult and relics with them, and the great 12th century church was built to accommodate thousands of pilgrims annually. A painted


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image of Cuthbert remains from this period, although its identity is disputed. The British Library Life of Cuthbert is of the same date, and each of its 46 carefully painted cameos of Cuthbert’s life is reproduced in colour here, with a commentary comparing this Life with others. 50 colour plates plus some in black and white. British Library publication, first edition 2000. 28 x 21cm. 112pp.


ONLY £5


76634 WISDOM OF THE CONFUCIANS compiled by


Zhou Xun with T. H. Barrett Highly practical, yet also deeply spiritual, the essence of the Confucian tradition is captured within this beautiful little book. It draws on a variety of ancient


sources of wisdom. These include the Analects of Confucius, which were collected by his disciples, the Book of Changes, which dates back to the 2nd century BC and D?jimon: Answers to a Child’s Questions by It? Jinsai as well as many others. The words of Confucius have passed into legend, epitomising as they do a wiser and more measured way of life than that of our hectic modern age. Advocating social harmony, self- improvement and sound ethical principles, and addressing a multitude of themes from the importance of the family to the cultivation of knowledge, this sage approach to life still has much to offer all members of the global community, regardless of race or creed. 192 pocket-sized pages lavishly illustrated in colour and b/w. £9.99 NOW £5


73926 ABSOLUTE MONARCHS: A History of


the Papacy by John Julius Norwich Here are such brave incumbents as Pope Innocent I, who in the 5th century successfully negotiated with Alaric the Goth, and Leo I, who two decades later tamed (and probably paid off) Attila the Hun. Here, too, are Pope Joan, the mythic woman said to have been elected in 855, and the infamous ‘pornocracy’ - the five libertines. Not forgotten are reformers such as Pope Paul II ‘the greatest pontiff of the 16th century, who reinterpreted the Church’s teaching and discipline’, and John XXIII who, in five short years opened up the Church to the 20th century. The tale is brought right up to date with Benedict XVI, who has been coping with a global priest sex scandal. 512 roughcut pages, colour and b/w illus, list of popes and antipopes and maps. $30 NOW £8


74414 SOLOMON’S TEMPLE: Myth and History by William Hamblin and David Seely


The Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, built over 3,000 years ago was a real place which was destroyed more than once, the last time by the Romans in AD70. A small royal cultic centre in a Near Eastern kingdom of limited wealth and similar in size, form and splendour to the surrounding Canaanite temples, it was unremarkable and a rather humble affair. Since its destruction the Temple has been symbolically recreated in such edifices as the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the headquarters of the Templars, many medieval cathedrals and even the Freemasons, and its site remains one of the most sacred places on earth for nearly half of mankind - Jews, Christians and Muslims. Yet infamously, it is also where Cain slew his brother, Abel, according to biblical legend. 202 illus, mostly in colour. Draws upon holy texts and mystic writings, works of art and architecture, modern reconstructions and photos. 224pp. £19.95 NOW £5


74548 AGE OF ABSURDITY by Michael Foley


!


The thorny problem of happiness is the subject of this witty investigation into how fulfilment eludes us as we work, love and grow old in the 21st century. Foley proposes a strategy of not just accepting but embracing modern life, by learning that absurdity is the new sublime. ‘Literary reading can deepen and extend experience by improving understanding of the self, the world and other people. Detachment, busyness, responsibility, this is philosophy for today. 260pp in paperback.


£8.99 NOW £2.75


74650 PLATO’S REPUBLIC: Abridged and Modernised by Alan Jacobs


Plato’s seminal work ‘The Republic’ is the crowning achievement of his art and philosophy. It is the first human attempt at the intellectual creation of an ideal state. In the dialogues, Socrates discourses with his companions on educational theory, the place of poetry, music, mathematics and art in society, ethical doctrines, the concept of justice, and the foundations of political thought. The book is also a critique of political systems such as democracy and oligarchy. These readable dialogues are the summation of the thought of one of Western civilisation’s greatest philosophers. This edition is an abridgement and modernisation of the work of Thomas Taylor (1758-1835). 220pp. £7.99 NOW £2.50


74652 THE SONG OF SOLOMON AND PSALMS: Sacred Texts Poetry of Divine and


Spiritual Love by Gerald Benedict A wonderful collection of some of the best-loved poetic texts of the Old Testament as translated in the King James Bible. The Song of Solomon, also known as The Song of Songs, features beautiful verses of love that offer an allegory of the relationship between God and the Children of Israel - exquisite poetry full of tenderness and humanity. The Psalms include hymns of praise and thanksgiving, profound meditations, moving laments that have inspired mystics of various faiths. 219pp. £6.99 NOW £2


74690 THE SHINING ONES: The World’s Most


Powerful Secret Society Revealed by Philip Gardiner and Gary Osborn The authors’ contention is that before the dawn of recorded civilisation a mysterious priesthood developed a method of attaining spiritual ecstasy. These priests were called the Shining Ones, members of an advanced culture that was almost lost, but whose wisdom and


power has endured, carried across the ages by a secret group of initiates. Their purpose? In part to serve humanity, in part to control the development of the world. Even if their interpretation is only fractionally correct, there are still an awful lot of indications that their ideas deserve attention. 14 colour plates, drawings, diagrams and other illus. 2010 revised 316pp paperback. £8.99 NOW £6


75213 CELTIC MYSTERIES: The Ancient Religion by John Sharkey


The last tribal culture in Europe was that of the Celtic Lands, whose traditions hold echoes of the ancient religion of nature and its symbols of death and rebirth. Here are a host of mysterious places and artefacts such as megalithic monuments like Stonehenge, a crude sandstone head with curved horns for ears, grotesque effigies of the Sheela-na-gig, the blatantly erotic Celtic goddess of creation and destruction, phallic symbols, hollow stones widely believed to have healing power, and images which demonstrate the ancient beliefs that human sacrifice is necessary to promote fertility. 96 paperback pages 28cm x 20 cm with 117 illus, 24 in colour.


ONLY £5


75683 THE GUTENBERG BIBLE: Landmark in Learning by James Thorpe


The Gutenberg Bible appeared about 1455 and has long been taken to represent the invention of printing in the Western world from moveable metal type which led to a radical change in the whole world of the intellect. The illuminated initial ‘A’ illustrates Daniel in the lions’ den. There are marginal


decorations beginning with the Book


of Proverbs, Old Testament, the illuminated initial ‘P’ illustrating St Paul from the New Testament, Book of Romans, the initial ‘O’ beginning the Book of Malachi, Old Testament and ‘C’ beginning of the Book of II Chronicles. In all, 20 initials and quality reproductions in close up detail in colour are reproduced together with other woodcut illus and examples of early italic and Roman type 48 pages. £8.95 NOW £3.50


75835 THE QUR’AN: A New Translation by Tarif Khalidi


In a major new translation of the sacred text of Islam, the foremost scholar of Islamic history and faith provides a fresh rendering that captures the startling, exquisite poetry of what is to Muslims one of the world’s most beloved religious texts. Retaining the structure and rhythms of the original Aramaic, the author enlivens the ancient teachings and prophetic narratives which are central to the Muslim faith. Passed down in a series of revelations over many years to the Prophet Muhammad by the Archangel Gabriel, these divine teachings provide the rules of conduct that remain fundamental to Muslims today - including core Islamic values of prayer, pilgrimage and fasting, as well as spiritual guidance on marriage, family, crime, punishment, rituals, charity and warfare. In 114 chapters, or suras, readers gain a keen insight into 7th century Arabia. It is also interesting to encounter figures who occur in the Christian and Jewish religions, such as Adam, Moses, Jesus and John the Baptist who - like Muhammad - are regarded as prophets, and whose stories are recorded in the gospels and the Torah. 530 pages. $32.95 NOW £8


76166 PATHWAYS TO NONVIOLENT


RESISTANCE by Mahatma Gandhi Better known as Mahatma (Great Soul), India’s political and spiritual leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) led his country’s struggle for independence and crusaded for the basic human rights of people everywhere. Edited by Laura Ross, here is the bold- faced wisdom from his early writings through his lifelong philosophy. This pocket sized edition features excerpts from his speeches, letters, articles and other documents. Rights and Discipline, Self Sufficiency, Independence,


75973 CATHEDRALS OF THE WORLD: One Hundred Historic


Architectural Treasures by Razia Grover Cathedrals are not only a record of intriguing histories and ecclesiastical design, they


are also storehouses of precious works of art that make each building not just a place of pilgrimage and worship, but also a living museum. This beautiful volume is about 100 of the world’s most interesting cathedrals in 29 countries where Christianity spread and thrived. From the organic Sagrada Familia in Spain to the purple-hued Cambrian sandstone of St David’s in Wales, through the glittering panorama of bright mosaics in stone, bronze and gold that adorn St Mark’s Basilica in Venice and the gloomy yet impressive ambience of Warwel in Poland, to the grandeur of the Byzantine in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in New Zealand, here are cathedrals to delight the eye and the spirit. Be they Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Neo- Classical, neo-Gothic, Moorish or


Contemporary, they are all testaments to the wonders of human creativity, craftsmanship and the determination to achieve what seems to be impossible. 228 pages 31.5cm x 28cm. Lavishly illustrated in ravishing colour with location maps, floor plans, fold out pages and list of additional cathedrals.


£25 NOW £11


Soulful are among the chapter headings; home rule, congress and its officials, destroying all foreign clothing, the duty of women, the Hindu caste system, Indians and alcohol, competition and Indians, even bad habits are among his musings. Beautifully designed. Notes plus reflective exercises. 368pp, softback. £12.99 NOW £4


76046 ESSEX CHURCHES by David Stanford


The 59 churches photographed and described in this beautiful book are simply delightful. While East Anglia has many round-towered churches, Essex has fewer, but the Norman tower at St. Mary’s Great Leighs is a superb example: in spite of a


Victorian spire perched on top, the zigzag-patterned Romanesque doorways on the tower and south porch reinforce the building’s Norman character. St. Barnabas, Great Tey has a striking four-tier Norman square tower, highly praised by Pevsner. St. Mary, Mistley is an 18th century church designed by Robert Adam, who placed classical towers at each end of the church. The tower at St. Clement, West Thurrock, the church featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral, is memorable for its horizontally striped stonework. 112pp, colour photos. £14.99 NOW £6


SCIENCE


People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.


- Isaac Asimov


76344 MAMMOTH BOOK OF SPACE EXPLORATION AND DISASTERS


edited by Richard Russell Lawrence


In the words of those who trod the void, and those based at mission control, here are over 50 of the greatest true stories of sub-orbital and deep-space exploration. From Apollo 8’s first view of a fractured, tortured landscape of craters on the ‘dark side’ of the Moon, to the


series of cliff-hanger crises aboard space station Mir, they include moments of extraordinary heroic achievement as well as episodes of terrible human cost. Among the astronauts and cosmonauts featured are John Glenn, Pavel Belyayev, Jim Lovell, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The first walk in space by Sergei Leonov culminates in his traumatic return to Earth. Apollo 13 has a problem. Gene Cernan gazes up from the Moon at the blackness that goes on forever. The crew describe docking with the frozen, empty Salyut 7 space station. Challenger explodes 73 seconds after launch, sending the crew module into freefall. Jerry Linenger has a panic attack during a spacewalk and Rosetta embarks on a daring journey to chase and land on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. A heart-stoppingly thrilling 495 paperback pages illustrated in b/w with list of abbreviations and appendix: Space, Fact and Fiction. $13.95 NOW £4


73935 BOLTZMANN’S TOMB: Travels in Search of Science by Bill Green


C. P. Snow once claimed that science and art are separate and mutually incomprehensible cultures.


Along


with lyrical meditations on the tragic life of Galileo, the mystical Johannes Kepler, the wildly eccentric Tycho Brahe and the universal vision of Sir Isaac Newton, the author’s ruminations return throughout to the lesser- known figure of Ludwig Boltzmann. He shows us that science, like art, is a lived adventure or as an equation - particularly the one that Boltzmann formulated, S=k log W, that he thought of ‘in terms of molecules, of caged birds trying to escape confinement, of wolves set free on to a thousand square miles of tundra’. 208 pages, illus. £16.99 NOW £3.50


74025 THE FIRST SIX BOOKS OF THE ELEMENTS OF EUCLID


by Werner Oechslin Red, yellow, blue - and of course black - are the colours that Oliver Byrne employs for the figures and diagrams in his most unusual 1847 edition of Euclid. Oliver Byrne (c. 1810-c. 1880) was an Irish author and civil engineer. Little is known


about his life, though he wrote a considerable number of books. As Surveyor of Her Majesty’s Settlements in the Falkland Islands, Byrne had already published mathematical and engineering works, but never anything like his edition on Euclid. This remarkable example of Victorian printing has been described as one of the oddest and most beautiful books of the 19th century. Each proposition is set in Caslon italic, with a four-line initial, while the rest of the page is a unique riot of red, yellow and blue. On some pages, letters and numbers only are printed in colour, sprinkled over the pages like tiny wild flowers and demanding the most meticulous alignment of the different colour plates for printing. Elsewhere, solid squares, triangles and circles are printed in bright colours, expressing a verve not seen again on the pages of a book until the era of Dufy, Matisse and Derain. Hardcover, 396pp. 8.1" x 10.1". Text in in English, French and German. ONLY £25


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