Friday, January 13, 2012

My Review of THE GREAT BOOKS READER Edited by John Mark Reynolds





THE GREAT BOOKS READER edited by John Mark Reynolds is an incredible resource for getting into some of the classics of literature that have shaped the thought of Western Civilization. The book contains excerpts from the writings of some of the greatest thinkers, such as John Calvin, Augustine, Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and John Locke, among many others. In addition to the excerpts, there is a brief introduction to each excerpt, followed by a brief essay about each writer from respected theologians and Christian thinkers.

Any Christian who wants to be well-read should get this book. Because it brings together the writings from so many different authors, readers will be exposed to so many great thinkers.

While the book only contains small excerpts from each of the authors, ideally, readers will be encouraged to pick up the full writings of the authors excerpted. For example, while I'm not a Calvinist, I enjoyed both the excerpt from John Calvin's INSTITUTES and Russell Moore's essay, and I'd really like to read the full INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. The same with Augustine and Aquinas and so many others in this book.

THE GREAT BOOKS READER is a wonderful collection of writings that will stir your imagination and intellect, as well as introduce you to some of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known.

I received this book for free for review from Bethany House

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