Book Review of “The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization” by Vishal Mangalwadi

I was interested when offered a copy of this work to review. As a student of the Bible and Western History, I noted the endorsement of Ravi Zacharias (whom I respect), I noted the author’s association with L’Abri and I also noted the endorsement of Chuck Colson and my first impressions was that this was going to be something along the lines of Francis Schaeffer’s Cultural analysis, and an equating of everything good in Western Culture with it’s basis upon the Bible and anything bad as an indication that Western Culture had departed from it.

As much as I wanted to see something more, for the most part, that is what this book is and it’s nothing particularly new.

Early on in this book it’s pretty evident that when Mangalwadi refers to the “Bible” as the “soul of western civilization” what he’s referring to is the “Bible” as it was interpreted from St. Augustine onward and he’s pretty outwardly clear that he’s referring to “Western Christianity” as it’s been influenced and integrated with Plato and other Greek Philosophers.

That’s well and good as Western Civilization indeed has, to a great extent been influenced by The Bible and it’s particular western bent as interpreted, influenced and merged into the stream of Greco-Roman Philosophy. Magalwadi has an interesting perspective on some of this coming, as he does (like Ravi Zacharias) from India. Further this has been a prevalent theme in books about Western Civilization such as the iconic Story of Western Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant (Agnostics in viewpoint.)

Mangalwadi presents a mix of different themes as well as his own personal experience in India attempting to show how Western Institutional Christianity (which he appears to believe is the same as “The Bible”) brought about good in India and continues to do so while battling against Eastern Philosophy and the Hindu and Muslim Religions.

In short, it’s red meat for cultural Christians who have morphed Western Civilization into “The Bible” and have conveniently ignored the first three centuries of Christian History, The Eastern Orthodox traditions and tied strongly into the Protestant Reformation as “The Bible” moving separate from the Roman Catholic Church into modern times.

That’s not to say that Mangalwadi is wrong in all of his observations or completely biased in his presentation. It’s entirely valid to attribute Western Civilization to Western Philosophy and Religion in a correlative manner. When it’s equated with the Bible and implied as somehow exclusive of these other traditions then it begins to raise eyebrows, or at least it should.

Mangalwadi progresses through in almost rapid fire fashion an attribution to a Biblical Foundation of Western Intellectualism, Western Technology, Western Morality, American surpassing European accomplishments and Medical advancements tying them inextricably to the West’s resting upon it’s Biblically based culture.

Questions are begged throughout however, or at least were as this reviewer worked through the book. Biblical references within the book, while present were somewhat of the nature of proof-texts showing where there could be causal correlation, but lacked anything in-depth that could support it as somehow irreconcilably tied to Biblical tradition exclusively. Some ties positively tied in ways that made this reviewer scratch his head a little. Apparently J.R.R. Tolkiens’ Lord of the Ring’s and related mythology is Christian based (Tolkien was a Roman Catholic with tied to C.S. Lewis) but the assumption that his primary themes were some Biblically based completely ignores that Tolkien’s foundation was Norse Mythology and rooted in Tolkien’s studies as a philologist with roots in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Dragon.

Over all I found the writing interesting and appreciated the personal tie-ins to the Authors experiences in India from which he drew moral distinctions as to why western ways were better. Overall however, the book has the flavor of Institutional and State-based religion (which is evidently clear as you look at the forwards and endorsements of the book. This is all about Cultural based Christianity and why Western is better than all others. That’s a legitimate thesis to pursue, but I can’t but wish that it wasn’t so hopelessly and exclusively entwined in a presentation to somehow assume that St Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and company are the whole of the Bible. There’s much more and there’s much that within the Bible itself brings into question the cultural and institutional religion of Christianity in the West.

3 stars. Interesting Read but not particularly ground breaking. It will resonate with the audience it’s intended for, most of whom already agree with what is being said.

bart breen

(Note, this review was produced as a part of the Amazon Vine Program, which provided the Book Free of Charge to this Reviewer.  The original review can be seen at:  http://www.amazon.com/review/R3FJH9DG3U9R6W/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Book Review of The Untold Story of the New Testament Church by Frank Viola

About the Bible and the Glasses you Bring to Read the Bible

Frank Viola is a strong voice in the area of Organic Church and is perhaps best known for his book, Pagan Christianity. Many don’t realize however, that Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices is just one book in a complete series that Frank has put together that in a very deliberate way progress one upon the other.

Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices is the second book in that series. This book, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, is the first. It’s first for a reason. What is foundational to the ecclesiology (Study of the Church) of Frank Viola is the approach to understanding the Bible that he takes. Many Christians do not have a strong understanding of from where their beliefs about many things come. Many of the doctrines and understandings in denominational churches come from an approach that is known as Systematic Theology. Systematic Theology finds its first expression in John Calvin’s, Institutes of the Christian Religion. What Systematic Theology does in short, is it examines the entire Bible and finds every passage it can on a particular subject or theme and then it attempts to synthesize everything the Bible has to say on that particular subject into a comprehensive doctrine. Of course, every denomination or movement has their own particular means of making that synthesis and you wind up with a strong reason for why there are over 30,000 different denominations in protestantism.

Frank Viola doesn’t entirely discount a Systematic Approach but he advocates an approach that when taken roots the Scriptures, and in this case particularly, the New Testament, in it’s own historical context. Rather than splitting the scriptures up into their smallest thought components and stripping them of the immediate context that surrounds them (which Systematic Theology tends to do), Viola examines things in a way that puts the Scriptures into a narrative framework. Using the Scriptures themselves and in particular, the book of Acts as the means to understand who a particular book was written to or about scripture serves to begin to paint broad themes that find their context with the Scriptures themselves instead of relying upon tradition and philosophy to organize thoughts in a manner than may be completely foreign to anything that the original readers understood.

While this approach of Biblical Theology is not as well known or appreciated in many quarters as is the practice of Systematic Theology and proof-texting, Viola presents it in a “cookies on the lower shelf” manner that most readers will find easily understandable. Further, the book is intended to be read beside an open Bible that encourages the reader to read entire books in the NT with a better understanding of what was going on that prompted the author to address certain subjects and practices.

This book is first in the series for a reason. It provides a foundation for understanding why Viola presents things as he does in the following 4 books in the series:

Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices
Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity
From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God
Finding Organic Church: A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities

Having read the entire series and also having observed the criticism and controversy that at times can arise in reviews and discussion, many times this reviewer has taken note that much misunderstanding comes from the direction of those whose traditions are being challenged who equate those traditions with Scripture itself. If you want to give Viola’s works a fair reading and evaluate them in context, this book is really where you need to start. When you understand how Viola is approaching Scripture then you’ll understand why he comes to some of the conclusions that he does. Even if there is not full agreement, there will at least be a better appreciation of the foundations that underlie Viola’s thinking and interpretation of Scripture and indirectly there should be a similarly increased self-awareness on the part of the critic as to why they may agree or disagree in part or whole with what he has to say.

Needless to say, it may just challenge the reader to accept much of what Viola is saying as it’s the opinion of this reviewer that the foundations are indeed Biblical and less influenced by tradition and outside philosophies than are many other more prevelant and popular points of view that fall under the umbrella of Christianity today.

While this book is the shortest of the series, it really takes the most time to read and digest if you follow the recommendations to read from the New Testament itself as you work through the book. The reader who takes that time and effort will come out with the equivalent of a higher education hermeneutics (interpretation of scripture) course and a greater appreciation of all that goes into why we accept things as Biblically true or not.

5 stars not just because I agree with a great deal of what Viola has to say, but also because I believe he’s done many a great service by opening to them a world of understanding in how to read the Bible that many professing Christians lack.

bart breen

Disclosure – A copy of this book was provided to this reviewer free of charge by the author for the sole purpose of inviting a review. No promises of any review or of a positive review were given or implied. The opinions expressed in this review represent the sole opinion of the reviewer based upon a reading of the book.

Book Review of The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant

(originally posted to Amazon Nov 4, 2005)

Must Read

Will Durant’s, Story of Philosophy needs no strong recommendation or defense. It stands on its own merits as one of the most influential and successful books of the 20th century.

It intends to bring philosophy out of the ivory towers and to put it in the hands of the average person. It does so in a manner that is unparalleled by any other work.

It is not exhaustive. It is a primer that deals primarily with the Greek philosophical foundations of western thought and then expands forward to touch upon some of the more important philosophers of recent times. As such, it provides a framework from which the reader can expand into other works.

The writing style is conversational, succinct and very clear, even after the many years following its original release.

This book was such a commercial success that it freed Will Durant for much of his life to continue his passion for philosophy, history and culture and formed the foundation for his life work, the 11 volume set – The Story of Civilization.

For any who complain that Durant is too brief or skips over too much in this work, just let them spend some time in that classic series and then check back with us later!

It is true that one cannot interpret and present philosophy without themselves having their own bias and presuppositions present. That is as true for Durant as it is for any author in the realm of philosophy or religion. Durant, however does a reasonably good job of being transparent and consistent with his presentation and it is not hard for any reader to navigate this book and come to a good understanding of the basics of Western Philosophy even if they reject some of Durant’s necessary interpretation.

I first read this book at the age of 13 and was able to navigate, understand and enjoy it then. I have since revisited it to reread several times and have never failed to profit from the return visit.

An enduring, timeless classic that I can recommend heartily to the student or the casual reader who wants to expand their understanding and horizons.

5 Stars

bart breen

Book Review of The Fourfold Gospel by A.B. Simpson

(Originally posted to Amazon Nov 3, 2005)

Founder of the C&MA gives the Doctrinal Distinctives

This is the heart and core of the what The Christian and Missionary Alliance was founded upon doctrinally.

Jesus Christ as Savior – Salvation alone through Jesus Christ and his atoning work upon the cross.

Jesus Christ as Sanctifier - Sanctification as both a crisis and a process through a subsequent post-salvation experience of giving ones life completely over to Christ.

Jesus Christ as Healer – Physical Healing found within the atonement and available for the child of God to access today.

Jesus Christ as Coming King – A visible, imminent return of Christ, tied into the completion of His Great Commission.

Simpson saw his faith as a chariot riding upon these 4 wheels with equal importance to the body of Christ.

Today’s Alliance has seen 2 of these wheels diminish in size to where the Chariot wobbles quite a lot. Healing and Sanctification have diminished since the exodus of the early 20th century of many from the Alliance into the Assemblies of God. There has been a recoil within the Alliance from that which smacks too much of the Charismatic and with that, much of that initial balance and fervor that fueled the movement has become tepid.

Missions itself as a focus and emphasis remains and indeed that more than anything else holds the movement together. The growth overseas is strong. The growth at home is primarily in the intercultural churches. The home organization has sought for growth principals in the Fuller Church Growth Movement.

Perhaps Simpson still has something to say to the C&MA. This is a good place to start!

5 Stars

bart breen

Hello Examiner

I am the new National Examiner journalist/blogger on the topic of eBooks.  Moving forward, I will be including notices here of new articles going up.

The examiner page with my first two brief articles is located here.

http://www.examiner.com/ebooks-1-in-national/bart-breen

Book Review of Wholly Sanctified by A.B. Simpson

A Classic and Important Work

AB Simpson was the founder of the The Christian and Missionary Alliance. He intended these to function as loosely allied organizations focusing on Foreign Missions on the one hand and a loosely held organization of independent Churches on the other.

Simpson himself was trained a Presbyterian Minister who later in life came in contact with the Holiness Movement (primarily the Keswick Movement although with Wesleyan influence as well) and he began an interesting conglomeration of his Calvinistic roots with the experience of the revival movement of that day.

In promoting the 4-Fold Gospel as he understood it, Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King, Simpson put a strong emphasis upon the subsequent experience of Sanctification.

He, as did many of his day, saw Salvation as a distinct starting place but saw as well a subsequent crisis experience in which the believer came to terms with their need for complete surrender to the Holy Spirit. Other traditions have termed this, “The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.” That term today has come to be identified with the Charismatic movement and often to include the experience of tongues and so many movements which used the term and concept with ease and conviction prior to this have moved away from the terminology. Unfortunately, they have moved away from the teaching and promotion of the experience as well.

Unfortunately, in today’s C&MA, Sanctification as it was understood, experienced, preached and promoted by AB Simpson and the early Alliance is no longer given the emphasis it once was. Part of this may be a recoil to the exodus that took place in the early 20th century from the Alliance into what is now the Assemblies of God. With that exodus, the Alliance, while never overtly becoming anti-charismatic, has eschewed the terminology and experiences of its earlier heritage and has lost this theological distinctive or at least seen it diminish greatly.

Simpson himself was something of an enigma. He doesn’t always neatly reconcile his Calvinist theology with his revivalist experience. He is content in many ways to move with passion and trust to the fact that what he is living is working and tying into the power of the Holy Spirit without always exegeting why that is the case.

It is part of his appeal in some ways, and that passion attracts many to his preaching and leadership in the days of his ministry and from it cam a great Missionary movement.

This book is fundamental to understanding Simpson and the source of that power and success.

This reviewer loves the denomination that came forth from the Four-Fold Gospel and recognizes the need for there to be a renewal and return as such to the power that drove it. Unfortunately is not being pushed strongly from C&MA pulpits today.

This book is a wonderful place to start. It’s message is timeless and needed today.

5 stars

bart breen

Book Review of Love Wins by Rob Bell

Past the Hype and into the Content

I’m rarely intimidated approaching a book review. However, this book presents some unique challenges, many of which have very little to do with the book itself. This book has become something of a lightening rod for both opponents and proponents of a particular form of universalism that it was reported to contain, by some prominent critics of Rob Bell, based upon their viewing a promotional video and before they read the book. There’s a great number of people who have drawn conclusions about this book, the author Rob Bell, and what the book is or is not saying, and a remarkable number of those people have not read the book themselves either. That’s the way things are. Issues of public attention like this take on a life of their own.

So, as much as I have tried to avoid getting too deeply drawn into the conversation before actually reading the book, I have to confess that I’ve heard a great deal of things and it’s perhaps not possible to take things and set them aside completely. To the best of my ability though, here’s what I saw as I read the book and then I’ll make some comments following about my observations of the controversy surrounding the book.

Often times, when evaluating a review of a book, the views of the reviewer are as important to know as a point of reference. I am a former evangelical pastor and denominational worker who left formal ministry about 6 years ago for honorable reasons. Since that time, I’ve also left institutional church membership and am a proponent of organic or simple church. I have a degree in Biblical Literature and am fairly broadly read in several different veins of theology. In the past, I’ve been closely associated with reformed theology or Calvinism and while I do not reject everything in the tradition, I am moving away from several elements of it. Not too surprisingly, the most vehement renouncings of this book and the author tend to come from a reformed theological bent.

So, my initial response to all the hype was and to some extent still is, to come to the defense of Rob Bell and advocate restraint in jumping to unwarranted conclusions. Much of the criticism to me has the whiff of smoke from torch and pitchfork carrying critics and that type of reaction tends to take on a life of its own to where people feel almost obligated to take a position in order to confirm their own identity. So because certain leaders, whether fairly or not, have made some public statements and declared Love Wins to be heretical, that settles the matter and to argue otherwise is to draw your own faith into question.

Setting that aside and now after having read the book I’d make the following general observations. Rob Bell’s writing style is highly conversational and employs a Socratic technique of asking questions which are obviously designed to lead people in a particular direction, but it avoids for the most part making declarative statements. Because of that Bell has been criticized for being indirect and that quality maddens several of his critics who would much prefer that he just come out and say something as opposed to teasing. If Bell were writing a formal theology that would be a fair criticism. As it is, Bell book while certainly theological, appears to be directed to an audience for which that sort of book would not appeal. Post-modern unchurched people for the most part are more concerned about the questions and impressions they have about the nature of God and the church that are what they are, and Bell expresses the questions and guides the conversation in a manner that appears designed for them, not academics and theologians. Bell too, has been writing books and pastoring for quite some time and he’s obviously well aware that people follow stories much more willingly than they follow lectures. Part of effective story telling is maintaining tension. Bell isn’t about to make a clear statement that resolves that tension until the time is right. Anyone going into this book who’s looking for a 3 point outline and clearly stated conclusion will be disappointed.

Bell opens his book with a preface that makes clear what he is attempting to do. He notes that Jesus has a story. Further Jesus’ story is often very different than the stories told about him by others who knowingly or not, are hijacking it for some other story the source of which is decidedly not Jesus, not necessarily Biblical. In fact Bell goes further than that and states that the purpose of his book is to reclaim that story and that includes revealing some of those other stories. Many of those criticizing Bell and this book I think are completely justified in believing that Bell is rejecting many things that they believe to be important. Bell is clearly taking a stand here and that stand is to refute and dispense with several popular representations of the nature and character of God. Not surprisingly many of these are part of the reformed tradition and they’re not misreading his intent, even if they’re frustrated that he’s not being completely direct about some of his premises.

Bell intends for his book to initiate some dialog about God, Jesus, Heaven, Hell and what a relationship with God looks like. He intends to be controversial and he clearly wants to call into question some things that are tightly held by Evangelical, Fundamentalist and Reformed traditions (to name a few.) Bell clearly intends to widen the definition of what is “Christian” and to draw to the attention of people outside of Christianity or on the fringes that the popular representations of many of these issues are not all there is to Christianity.

Bell asks provocative questions. He opens with asking if Ghandi is really in hell, as a note he examined suggests is irrefutably true. He moves things from theory to where the rubber hits the road for many people, speaking of tragedy, accidents and the death, not just of theoretical people, but real people; people we know and love and with whom we can identify. He then speaks about how people come to Christ. The sinners prayer, a relatively recent development in Christian history and it’s vitality is questioned, not to exclude but to put in the context of 2000 years most of which never heard or thought of such a formula in its precise form. Bell looks at some Scripture passages and questions why some are elevated above others and some are seemingly unaddressed or ignored.

A dominant theme of Love Wins is to remove the separation of ”Now” and “Then”. He clearly questions the value of what is sometimes called “pie in the sky by and by” meaning the disconnection of the present from the future. He doesn’t discount the future state of heaven. He questions the current view and shows from scripture and culture that this isn’t the only view that has characterized the church in the past. Moving on he goes to the more controversial issue of Hell and addresses it in similar terms in essence stating that Hell is more than just a future state; we can and do create hell for ourselves by the choices we make. He doesn’t deny evil and he doesn’t deny hell as a future state. He does however bring questions and makes observations that are not new, and are indeed fair and must be addressed by anyone seeking to understand what the scripture has to say and the impact of those beliefs upon us today.

To answer the more direct questions that come about the book, it appears to me that Bell does believe in heaven and hell. Bell is not a universalist in the manner that he is being accused of, and he clearly affirms the uniqueness of Christ. What is evident as well is that Bell is not afraid to question traditional definitions and redefine what familiar words and concepts can mean apart from their standard issues.

More at the heart of this work I do identify something that comes through clearly and I’m frankly a little surprised that it doesn’t take center stage in the discussion swirling around the book. Bell clearly rejects the “traditional” view of penal substitutionary atonement as the exclusive means of understanding the nature of God and the analogous understanding of Christ’s death on the cross. He appears to pretty clearly accept a broader understanding that is usually referred to as Christus Victor. This is in keeping with the broader questions that he is asking and if anything, this should in my opinion be the target of focus of discussion by those seeking to call his views into question. Here there’s clear indications in the book than the spurious charge of universalism. That said, Bell’s work falls into the category of other equally controversial books and authors of recent years such as The Shack, and Greg Boyd. That said, personally I find Bell’s thinking and positions appealing and I agree with him, that many of the traditional positions within the church don’t really have a great appreciation of what the history of the penal substitution theory of the atonement is, when it appeared and how the church viewed things before it came along. Some study in that regard reveals a lot. Frankly what it reveals makes a lot of people angry who either don’t want to face the implications of the answers or who prefer to deny them.

Love Wins is indeed a provocative book that asks hard questions and it’s clear it demands careful consideration. Those who are most angry about it are those who appear to prefer that the questions not be asked in the first place.

4 stars. I’m not completely on board with everything Bell states or implies. I think the questions are worth asking and Bell asks them well.

bart breen

Book Review of Crossing the River by Ole Henrik Skjelstad

Deep, Reflective and Mystical

Ole Henrik Skjelstad is someone whom I have met and interacted with on facebook. I was drawn to him by the mutual connections we share with many writers whom I respect. Indeed several of those authors provided introductory remarks to this work and what they had to say proved prophetic as I read through this book itself.

It’s difficult to put this book into a particular category. On the one hand, it is a collection of stand-alone essays and thoughts and in that regard it can be considered a devotional. In addition, many of the essays give some very in-depth and insightful examinations of familiar passages of scripture and in that regard it can be considered a collection of teachings. Further, many of the essays give some very clear examples of how the Old Testament can be interpreted through the lens of Christ in the New Testament and in that regard it can be considered somewhat mystical in the tradition of A.W. Tozer and Brennan Manning. In short, it’s hard to nail down exactly what this book is, but what it definitely is, is the thoughts of someone who clearly has connected to the grace and love of God.

Whether you’re looking for a book to supplement your devotional reading or wanting to delve into a strong book that focuses upon the nature and character of God, the grace available to us through Christ or the power of a daily walk and relationship with the Holy Spirit with a strong reminder of who we are in Christ, you should find this to be an encouraging and worthwhile read.

I recommend it with 5 stars

bart breen

I was provided a copy of this book directly by the author as an invitation to provide a review. No promises were made as to the review, if any, that I would provide and the above represents my personal opinion free from any outside influence.

Book Review of Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity, and Productivity by Michael Lee Stallard

Originally Posted to Amazon.com on Nov 6, 2007

A Business “Devotional”

Fired Up or Burned out is a tightly written, challenging motivational-type book that serves as a summary of much of the popular Business Literature of late that focuses upon Emotional and Qualitative factors in business connectivity and the field of motivation. As such, there is not much that any current reader will find to recommend it as a ground breaking contribution to this field of knowledge.

What you will find however, is a succinct and focused repackaging of many of these elements found in a great many other volumes in tiny bite size pieces that anyone can read and benefit from either in whole or taken as brief opportunities to be reminded of these salient principles.

In fact, the final section of this work consists of 20 vignettes of leaders that seek to inspire the reader and that are recommended and can be used as part of a month long daily business challenge. The earlier portions of the book, while they do build upon one another, are short enough and stand alone enough that they can be used the same way.

Don’t look to this as an academic introduction or further contribution to the field. If you’re looking for something light and pithy or a portable Business Coach to carry around in one of the smaller pockets of your laptap carrying case to grab when you have 5 minutes on the bus, subway or between meetings as a refresher, this is your book!

4 Stars

bart breen

Book Review of “My 60 Memorable Games” by Bobby Fischer

This was originally posted to Amazon on Nov 2, 2005.  This was before the death of Bobby Fischer.

Brilliant

Bobby Fischer is without question a chess genius.

As a person, Fischer is an enigma. He is a very high genius who as a young man exploded on the chess scene like a supernova. He won the US Chess Championships at the age of 14, an amazing feat by itself but only the beginning.

He is best known for his winning the World Championship from Boris Spassky in the 1970′s. While many know this they do not know how amazing that feat really was.

International Chess is not the easiest forum to play in. In the 1970′s and before it was dominated by the Russians. That is still true to some extent today, but not like it was back in the 1970′s. Winning Chess tournaments where there were so many Russians involved was difficult especially because to put it nicely, the Russians would work as a team to help their designated leaders win. To put it not so nicely, they would help each other so that they would create the result that they wanted. Agreed upon draws after only a few moves were common. Collaboration on adjourned games was common.

Bobby Fischer’s accomplishment in winning the world championship in this setting is a testament to his brilliance and his perseverance. Bobby played to win …. always! A planned draw just wasn’t in his nature.

As an individual, Bobby Fischer beat them on his own, and he has never really been given the credit he deserved.

That having been said, Bobby Fischer has always been something of a recluse and for that reason the world has been robbed of his genius as he has dropped from the scene and arisen only occasionally to world notice.

He replayed Spassky and ran afoul of US immigration and has had legal problems since then. Recently he turned up in Japan and last I heard was granted citizenship and asylum in Iceland, where ironically he originally played Spassky back in the 70′s.

All this is to say that this book represents Fischer’s brilliance and unfortunately there are few other sources in which to find it in terms of his analysis and commentary.

Other reviews refer to the reprints which have altered the original and so the discerning buyer should make sure he is getting an original. Unfortunately, they usually are not cheap.

It is truly a gem and valuable for it’s insight into chess as well as the rarity of its existence and being hard to find.

Say what you will about Fischer’s social qualities, there has never been his match in Chess, and when you understand what he accomplished, how passionate he was (and is) about Chess and how difficult his accomplishments were, you have to just give him a tremendous amount of credit. 

5 stars

bart breen