Summer of the Sea Serpent (Magic Tree House #31)

Book Description

Jack and Annie are off on another mythical mission at the request of Merlin the magician. Luckily, they have a young sorcerer, Teddy, to help them. From underwater caves to a Spider Queen, from mystical selkies to a magical sword, this is a Magic Tree House adventure kids won’t want to miss!

Customer Reviews:

Summer of the Sea Serpent (Magic Tree House #31).......2007-08-29

I am trying to get my son to want to read and this book was very successful at getting him to want to continue reading to see what's going to happen next.

Action-packed but creepy.......2007-06-13

I love the Magic Tree House books, and Summer of the Sea Serpent is a very cool Merlin Mission, but it is very mysterious and creepy. In one part, they went into a cave where the Spider Queen who lives inside it, the drawing looks creepy because the spider has about 13 eyes! And some other parts are mysterious, too. I really appreciate Mary Pope Osborne's great fantasy books, but this not exactly the best nor the worst. If you are a fan of the Magic Tree House series, check it out in the library, but don't buy it. Still, I love Magic Tree House.

Summer of the Sea Serpent.......2007-01-06

You just got to keep up with the kids . If you have the collection the book is great as always. My kids really enjoy them.

Summer of the Sea Serpent.......2006-11-03

Summer of the Sea Serpent
By Mary Pope Osborne

The book I'm reading is called Summer of the Sea Serpent. In the book, Jack and Annie go to Camelot. They meet an old friend, Teddy. He is a boy sorcerer who turned himself into a dog by accident, and Jack and Annie free him. He enjoys going on adventures with Jack and Annie. Teddy respects his magic, but needs some work on his rhyming. He turned Jack and Annie into ravens during last mission by accident, and had the idea to turn them into seals this mission. Do you think Teddy is a good sorcerer?

Brian, 9
Cunniff School
Watertown, MA

At it again.......2006-08-30

Jack and Annie continue in this wonderful series. We read these books, and listen to them on audio tape and cd - acceptable for the whole family without being boring for the grownups

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Nick of Time
Ted Bell , and Theodore Augustus Bell III
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0738838179

Book Description

Here at a last is a new novel in the great tradition of grand adventure tales, the likes of which have seldom been seen since the works of Robert Louis Stevenson. This epic adventure is the story Nick McIver, a lad who sets out to become 'the hero of his own life'.

The setting is England, 1939, on the eve of war. Nick and his sister Kate live in a lighthouse on the smallest of the Channel Islands. Nick, Kate and their father are engaged in a desperate war of espionage with the German U-boat fleets that are circling the islands prior to invasion. The information they provide daily to Winston Churchill is vital as he tries to warn England of the imminent Nazi invasion.

In a surprising twist, Nick discovers an old seachest sent to him by his ancestor, Captain Nicholas McIver of the Royal Navy. Nick returns to the year 1805 via a time machine and help save Captain McIver and, indeed, Admiral Nelson's entire fleet from the treachery of the French and the mutinous Captain Billy Blood.

In the climactic sea battle with Captain Blood, Nick's love of the sea, and his feats of derring-do, indisputably prove his courage and heroism.

His sister Kate, meanwhile, has enlisted the aid of two of England's most brilliant detectives, Lord Hawke, and Commander Hobbes, to thwart the Nazis. They prove themselves more than a match for England's underwater enemies, when they discover the existence of Germany's super-secret experimental submarine.

In the end, Nick and Kate prove themselves heroes in the eyes of two of England's greatest warriors: Admiral Nelson and Winston Churchill.

Average customer rating:

The finest alternative history novel I've ever read

Ok but could have been great

Promising premise, well-researched and well-thought-out alternative history, but too many words

Travel to The Bronze Age With Some Modern Folks

A fun idea, well researched history and good writing equals four solid stars

Island in the Sea of Time
S. M. Stirling
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Against the Tide of Years

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ASIN: 0451456750

Customer Reviews:

The finest alternative history novel I've ever read.......2006-09-20

This is the single greatest piece of black-lesbian-sailboat-captain/ninja fiction ever written. More importantly, it is the most impressive alternative history novel currently available. Stirling's characters, outlandish though they are, are utterly fascinating.

While most books like this are highly formulaic and dull, this novel (like all of Stirling's work) is impecably well researched. Furthermore, it features a much more compelling, creatively structured plot than Eric Flint or the latest work of Harry Turtledove. The whole trilogy is as well written as the first book, and, unlike Turtledove, Stirling had sense enough to leave it be after three books. This novel is definitely worth buying.

Ok but could have been great.......2006-08-23

I am a fan of Alternative history, and I originally thought that I would really enjoy Stirling's work. I read the whole series, and I have to say that there were some great parts. I loved the parts wehre they are struggling to adapt modern technology to help them survive in a ancient world. I also enjoyed the way that he showed a ramping up of technology after they gear down (going from flinklocks to cartriges by the end of the series). What I didn't like was his poor characters, his blatant agenda, and his way of solving every problem by letting the Nantucketter's pull an expert out of the air every time they need one. Plus, the stupidity of having some Coast Guard commander being the greatest military commander there is. My father was an Army infantryman for 25 years, getting out as a Ranger Colonel having commanded a Regiment. He read this series, and said HE couldn't have done as well as this Coastie. Plus, the ninja stuff doesn't work as well as Mr. Stirling wants you to believe. Plus, these guys from the bronze age would be in killer shape. A big man with strength and skill will beat the crap out of a woman no matter how good she is, he will just be faster and stronger. All in all, a pretty good book, but not great.

Promising premise, well-researched and well-thought-out alternative history, but too many words.......2006-07-21

The premise is obviously an improbable one: Nantucket is thrown into the bronze age, and a Coast Guard sailing ship just happens to be thrown back with them, providing them with a lifeline to the rest of the world. Stirling does a good job of exploring how a modern group of folks would deal with the hard work of integrating a formerly modern fragment of the global economy into the pre-modern world, and the excitement of exploration all over again. That aspect of the book deserves high praise. What doesn't?

The improbabilities pile up, from the ease of learning languages to the protagonist's habit of getting almost killed, blacking out, and coming to with the problem solved (or, at least, being rescued from the problem). Many have commented on the improbability of the Coast Guard captain being a black lesbian super-ninja babe, or the improbable evilness of the antagonist. Improbabilities are inherent in the genre, but at some point you might say "come on." Some are probably simply oversights: what are the odds, for example, that native bronze-age Americans would be virtually wiped out by exposure to modern diseases but native bronze-age Europeans would be unaffected?

Too many words spent on the battles. It's apparent that Stirling is influenced by O'Brian's "Master and Commander" books, and O'Brian spends a lot of time discussing the minutiae of action. O'Brian's a better writer, and can mostly get away with it. Stirling lays it on a little thick.

Even so, I'm probably going to read the sequel.

Many reviews have focused on the politics and age-appropriateness of the book. First, the politics: Stirling, obviously, has no problem with black lesbian super-ninja babes, but he attacks a number of "left" ideas, from gun control to whale rights. I wouldn't describe the book as a "PC drumbeat."

Age-appropriateness: there's violence, sex, and sexual violence. The violence isn't unusual in the genere and not super-graphic. As I said, too many words are spent on the violence, but it would probably be a PG-13 movie. The sex isn't particularly graphic and would also probably be PG-13, although it seems mostly gratuitous (also, too many words). The sexual violence is mainly there to make the villains seem evil, and anyone too immature to put that into perspective shouldn't read the book.

Travel to The Bronze Age With Some Modern Folks.......2006-06-23

While reading this book I was reminded of Mark Twain's work: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." Although this book takes place in the Bronze Age. I am fascinated by the way Stirling recreates Indigenous cultures from BC dates. The story will paint images of bloody battles in the readers mind, but it does not stop there. There are some very detailed love scenes that seem very humours at times too. I think it is a well balanced book full of adventure and history. I cannot praise Stirling enough for having heroes in his book that practice an alternative lifestyle. I look forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy.

A fun idea, well researched history and good writing equals four solid stars.......2006-05-28

Island in the Sea of Time is a fascinating what if novel that asks the reader to imagine life for a group of 20th century Americans thrown back in time to long before the birth of Christ, into a world of polytheism, tribalism, bronze weapons, brutal wars and slavery.

One of the main characters is black, female and gay and also a military officer. Other reviewers I've perused seem to think Stirling spends too much time obsessing over Marian's self-dialogue. I disagree. An intelligent gay black female military officer's self-actualization would probably be pretty close to what Stirling writes on behalf of Alston, in my opinion.

Another character I found fascinating was Dr. Alice Hong, the S&M freak who takes advantage of the fact that she no longer lives in a world with central authority. I know some people like her who, in the absence of Rule of Law, would go hog wild, indulging their dark, animalistic passions at every opportunity. There are lots of humans like Hong floating around with no moral compass to guide them on their journey through life.

The research that went into Island in the Sea of Time appears to be meticulous. Two of the themes running through the tale that kept me reading were the 20th century American conservative prejudice towards gays and the 20th century group of "progressive" eco-idiots. Pamela Lisketter and her misguided buffoons' misadventures and ultimate horrific demise were at once interesting and repulsive. I'll leave other plot developments unmentioned to surprise you, but rest assured there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you reading.

Island in the Sea of Time is not a kid's book, and it isn't written for the squeamish or homophobic. The tendency to jump from character to character every page frustrated me slightly, but other than that I enjoyed Island in the Sea of Time quite a bit. I've read through it twice now.

The companion novel Against the Tide of Years is enjoyable as well.

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating Story that I found through Five In a Row
Educational and enjoyable
Beneath the Ice.....
Amazing Time
Wonderful - a genuine adventure for young girls.

Very Last First Time
Jan Andrews
Manufacturer: Groundwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 088899043X

Book Description

Eva lives in an Inuit village in northern Canada. In the winter, people search along the bottom of the seabed beneath a thick shelf of ice for mussels to eat. Eva usually helps her mother, but for the first time, she’s going to go by herself. She soon gathers a pan full of mussels. But then, her candle goes out, and the tide threatens to return! When she is finally safe with her mother, Eva proclaims, “That was my very last first time walking alone on the bottom of the sea.” An ALA Notable Children’s Book, Very Last First Time comes from one of Canada's most distinguished storytellers and an award-winning illustrator.

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Story that I found through Five In a Row.......2005-11-10

My children (1st & 2nd grade) really love this book. The premise had them leaping off the bed in amazement - "She goes under the SEA??? The ice is over her HEAD???? She goes by HERSELF????"

Every detail was interesting to them - the tools used to hack under the ice, the mother letting her child go alone, the small Inuit homes, Eva living in a land where no trees grew - and they had so many questions - most of which were answered by the end of the story.

We used the book to talk about:

1. mussels and how they grow & live,
2. tides, what causes them and how much the water level can vary between high tide and low tide,
3. the climate in northern Canada
4. the Inuits,
5. emergencies - what happens initially to our bodies when we are afraid, and what we should try to do so that we can get out of our emergency safely, and
6. pointillism and the artist Seraut, and we made our own pointillism art masterpieces with Q-tips and paint.

I did search the Internet for actual photographs of what Eva might have seen, but I couldn't find a single one! I couldn't find other references to the Inuit walking under the ice either. I would have loved to have shown those to my children.

Educational and enjoyable.......2004-01-21

It has been said that a good children's book is a good read for people of any age. This book is another example of the truth of that statement. It teaches people who don't live in the northern tundra on the seashore about what their life is like, and it does so in a way that you enjoy the learning.

My five year old son loved it; we read it over again a number of times. But the reason I knew it was such a good book was that I didn't dread reading it after several times. In fact, I looked forward to it.

Beneath the Ice............2003-05-05

"Eva Padlyat lived in a village on Ungava Bay in northern Canada. She was Inuit, and ever since she could remember she had walked with her mother on the bottom of the sea. It was something the people of her village did in winter when they wanted mussels to eat. Today, something very special was going to happen. Today, for the very first time in her life, Eva would walk on the bottom of the sea alone..." So begins Jan Andrews' tale of a young girl's first trip alone through the thick winter ice. In painstaking and intriguing detail she describes Eva's adventure; cutting a hole in the ice at low tide, descending to the dark ocean floor below, lighting candles to illuminate the sea bed, collecting mussels, and exploring this beautiful hidden world..... Ms Andrews' engaging tale, filled with history, mystery, drama, and suspense captures the imagination, and is rich in imagery and magic. Illustrator, Ian Wallace's quiet, dreamy artwork, in soft, textured tones, pulls the reader beneath the ice and right into the story. Perfect for youngsters 5-9, Very Last First Time is a fascinating and evocative experience that shouldn't be missed, and works well as part of a unit introducing the Inuit culture and way of life, or as a stand-alone for story time.

Amazing Time.......2000-09-08

The possibility of gathering mussels under the ice at low tide was absolutely amazing to me. I had never heard of such a thing or imagined it. What a wonderful world we live in! Andrews writes of young Eva's solo walk on the bottom of the sea and she does an intriguing job of it.

The illustrator,Wallace,enriches and expands the written story through his detailed pictures of the village and native life on Ungava Bay.

I hope Andrews & Wallace collaborate again and soon!

Wonderful - a genuine adventure for young girls........1999-07-26

This is one of the best books for young girls that I have come across. A young Inuit girl is sent under the ice at low tide to collect muscles for the family.. this time by herself. She gets distracted, the candles burn out leaving her in darkness just as she starts to hear the water returning. What an adventure. I buy this book as a gift whenever I need a present for a beginner reader girl.

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The last of the explorers - Read even if you don't sail
You'll smell the salt water
One of my favorite sailing adventure stories
Truly a race for madmen
literature of the sea

A Voyage for Madmen
Peter Nichols
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060957034
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Book Description

In 1968, nine sailors set off on the most daring race ever held: to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe nonstop. It was a feat that had never been accomplished and one that would forever change the face of sailing. Ten months later, only one of the nine men would cross the finish line and earn fame, wealth, and glory. For the others, the reward was madness, failure, and death.

In this extraordinary book, Peter Nichols chronicles a contest of the individual against the sea, waged at a time before cell phones, satellite dishes, and electronic positioning systems. A Voyage for Madmen is a tale of sailors driven by their own dreams and demons, of horrific storms in the Southern Ocean, and of those riveting moments when a split-second decision means the difference between life and death.

Customer Reviews:

The last of the explorers - Read even if you don't sail.......2007-08-06

I thought this book was great. These men, sailed at the end of the era just before the space age of satellites and gps and carbon fiber and kevlar changed everything in sailing. A man alone in a wooden boat sailing around the world, non-stop. This is the stuff of legends and heros. This book is worthy of your time, even if you aren't a sailor. It reads like a novel not like non-fiction. If you like O'Brien and Master and Commander, and you can imagine the seas, breaking over the bow, in a gale sailing through the roaring forties (around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.) You will love this book, as I did.

You'll smell the salt water.......2007-04-19

Perhaps the best way to point to this book's readability is to say that I stayed up until dawn to finish it. Nichols combines an authoritative, powerful adventure story with a thoughtful excursion into the minds of those who are most at home when at sea. His treatment of the nine sailors who attempted this trip is sober and clear-eyed, while sympathetic toward their undeniable idiosyncrasies. His explanation of the tragic Donald Crowhurst is the most persuasive I've seen.

One of my favorite sailing adventure stories.......2007-03-22

Loved this book. Stayed up all night reading it. I've given several out as gifts.

Chris

Truly a race for madmen.......2006-07-17

A reviewer described this book as a study in abnormal psychology. Having now completed this story I can only agree with him.

In many ways the story told reminds me of "into thin air" by John Krakauer, in that it asks what drives seemingly ordinary human beings to willing pit themselves against the elements in circumstances which can easily lead to their death. In this case the author asks what would possess nine sailors to undertake to sail around the world non-stop in an age before GPS navigation, Ultralight and tough building materials and satellite phones. An era when boats were constructed of steel and teak, where radio communications were unreliable and navigation a matter of charts and sextants.

The nine challengers proved to be a diverse group, from professional sailors, to electrical engineers to soldier adventures with no previous experience at sea, and the final results reflected this starting point with withdrawals, failure and in extreme cases insanity and death. In the end the final winner was the man who was most at home at sea, a simple man whose only weakness appeared to be that he lacked the imagination necessary to fully grasp the horrors that he faced on the journey.

Overall a classic true life adventure tale.

literature of the sea.......2006-02-07

Make no mistake -- this book is not just a jolly good sea story, although it is all of that. No, it is much more -- this is a work of literature, of the same general calibre as Moby Dick and Old Man of the Sea -- that is to say, a voyage of discovery, not just through the stormy ocean, but through the stormy heart and soul of the human being. By its conclusion, this book had brought tears to my eyes both for sorrow and for joy. If you want to be transported on an unforgettable adventure from the comfort of your home, read this book.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English

Average customer rating:

An ancient book, still a joy to read
Enlightening
BIASED?
All things old are new again
Exceptional Times Deserve Exceptional Opportunity

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English
Martin G. Abegg , Peter Flint , and Eugene Ulrich
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0060600632

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The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English is the first full English translation of the Hebrew scriptures used by the Essene sect at Qumran. (The Essenes, along with the Pharisees and Saducees, were among the three most influential Jewish groups of their time [150 B.C. to 68 A.D.]). Between 1947 and 1956, in 11 caves overlooking the Dead Sea, more than 800 manuscripts of two types were found. The first are called "biblical"--because they contain material that was later canonized in the Hebrew Bible; the second are called "non-Biblical"--because they contain poetry, rules for holy living, and imaginative, midrashic interpretations that are unique to the community that produced them.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible comprises the biblical manuscripts, including many new Psalms, Apocryphal books, and previously unknown readings of Deuteronomy and Isaiah (which appear to have been among the most important books of the Bible to this group of Essenes). The translation of each book is preceded by an introduction that describes the text's importance to the Essenes, their distinctive interpretations of the text, and suggestions of how historical and political events may have shaped these interpretations. Translators Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint, and Eugene Ulrich have loaded this volume with scholarly notes and commentary, but their interpretations are formatted in a way that does not impede the general reader's enjoyment of the book. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible breathes new life into scripture by delving into the earliest source material yet discovered. It is a crucial work to reckon with for anyone interested in Jewish life around the time of Jesus. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

From the dramatic find in the caves of Qumran, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible presents the world's most precious and ancient version of the Bible. One thousand years older than any existing manuscripts, these scrolls allow us to read the Bible it was in the time of Jesus.

Preserving parts of all but one biblical book, scrolls confirm that the text of the Old Testament as it has been handed down through the ages is largely correct. Yet, they also reveal numerous important differences. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible:

Offers new and striking textual readings that clarify millennia-old puzzles
Restores lost psalms
Reveals previously unknown details about the lives of biblical figures
Provides new information on how the Hebrew Bible was created

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible presents all 220 of the Dead Sea biblical scrolls, arranged to be read in canonical order. The texts are translated into English by Eugene Ulrich, one of the three general editors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Peter Flint and Martin Abegg Jr., the directors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. Commentary by the editors provides insight into the rich cultural and religious traditions behind the scrolls and the Bible itself.

Customer Reviews:

An ancient book, still a joy to read.......2007-03-19

I thought this was an interesting version of the old testament because while it comes directly from the oldest manuscripts, it took much devotion to get it right, given the wide ranging gaps in the parchments. Still, all in all, I am glad I have added this book to my faith literature.

Enlightening.......2006-03-10

As I continue to search for truth, I found this book most enlightening. This book in conjunction with other scholarly work concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls has enhanced my understanding of bibical history.

BIASED?.......2006-02-23

As much as I don't doubt that this is a good translation of the biblical texts from the dead sea scrolls, I am starting to question whether or not this book is Biased in the sense that it favors more of the author's, publisher's and reviewer's beliefs rather than what the actual texts really mean and really say. Could this edition be a Biased translation, with the author's comments and interpretation of the texts rather than just strictly, WHAT IT SAYS. First off they call it the Dead Sea Scrolls BIBLE, which, being that it contains most of the "biblical" documents in the scrolls, makes sense. But the fact that they even refer to it as a "Bible" tells me that they are selling it as a tool of present day mainstream Judaism and Christianity, which, we all know, are biased against the original true teachings to promote their own agenda and suppress and discredit evidence that suggest otherwise.

That is just my opinion, and I would like to know definitively if this book is Biased, because if it is, It defeats the purpose of a English translation...of knowing what it REALLY says rather than what the authors want it to say because it goes against their mainstream beliefs.

All things old are new again.......2005-12-06

The Dead Sea Scrolls may well be the most important archaeological discovery of the twentieth century; it is certainly among the top discoveries in any case. It has shed important light on one of the most influential and formative documents of the world, namely the collection of writings which we have come to know as the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament. A thousand years older than the next-oldest copies we have of these documents, this treasure trove has delighted, tantalised, and irritated scholars, clerics, and other interested parties since their chance discover some half-century ago.

'Preserving parts of all but one biblical book, the scrolls confirm that the text of the Old Testament as it has been handed down through the ages is largely correct. Yet, they also reveal numerous important differences.'

(Do you know which book is not included? For the answer, see the bottom of this article.)

This book presents material from all 220 of the biblical scrolls (there are hundreds of other scrolls that were not biblical, i.e., not copies of biblical texts). These were newly translated by Eugene Ulrich, Peter Flint, and Martin Abegg, who hold important positions in the continuing research and scholarship about the scrolls. These editors have also added commentary to help illuminate further the textual variations between the scrolls and the texts we have today.

'At the time of Jesus and rabbi Hillel--the origins of Christianity and rabbinic Judaism--there was, and there was not, a 'Bible'. This critical period, and the nature of the Bible in that period, have been freshly illuminated by the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls. There was a Bible in the sense that there were certain sacred books widely recognised by Jews as foundational to their religion and supremely authoritative for religious practice. There was not, however, a Bible in the sense that the leaders of the general Jewish community had specifically considered, debated, and definitively decided the full range of which books were supremely and permanently authoritative and which ones--no matter how sublime, useful, or beloved--were not.'

The editors first discuss what a Bible is, and what constitutes the arrangements, order, and contents -- the Jewish Tanakh and the Protestant Old Testament contain the same materials, arranged differently; the Catholic Old Testament follows the same order as the Protestant but has other books (in whole or part), which hearkens back to early biblical development and whether the scriptures follow rabbinical council decisions or the Septuagint.

The text is heavily annotated, with verse numbers, explanatory notes, gaps and fuzzy sections due to scroll problems, variant readings, and footnote annotations which include scroll identification (cave, scroll number, book, etc.) and ancient biblical texts (Masoretic text, Septuagint, and Samaritan pentateuch).

This is an incredibly useful text for those who are interested in what information the Dead Sea Scrolls have to bear on the actual text of the Bible. Here for the first time is a collection of the biblical scrolls laid out in the traditional Biblical order, which enables the average reader as well as the scholar and cleric to follow the texts with ease.

To answer the question above, the missing book among the biblical scrolls is the book of Esther. Why would Esther be missing? The editors give some possibilities:

'First, the fact that the festival of Purim was a later addition, not mentioned in the Books of Moses, might have caused the Dead Sea Scrolls community to reject the book. Second, the mere fact that the story concerns the marriage of Esther--a Jew--to a Persian king was likely repugnant to the group's conservative sensibilities. Third, the book itself makes no mention of God whatsoever. Finally, the emphasis on retaliation in the final chapters of Esther is contrary to the teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls.'

A truly fascinating and useful text.

Exceptional Times Deserve Exceptional Opportunity.......2005-10-16

September 11, 2007: Now that Amazon has provided a "Comments" section, please read my continuing annotations there, especially regarding further thoughts on the exclusion of 1 Enoch and Jubilees.

January 2, 2007: I've reconsidered the wisdom of excluding Enoch and Jubilees. My reasoning, based on Kenneth Hanson's observation in "Secrets from the Lost Bible", goes like this: If the apocrypha were so imporant to the Qumran Community that they kept multiple copies of these scrolls, then they must have been highly important. Who decided to leave out Enoch and Jubilees? The present editors, based on modern conventions, and not those of the ancients. Was "Biblical" different to the Essenes than to us? If so, then a proper Dead Sea Scrolls Bible should accurately portray the ancients' values, not our present ones.

February 22, 2006: The Book of Esther is the only known Bible book not represented among the Dead Sea Scrolls. In a 2004 Penguin edition of The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English, scholar Geza Vermes suggests that this may be just accidental, rather than intentional. The latest edition of Vermes' long standing work, which contains the greater body of noncanonical scrolls and fragments, recommends our present work, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible by editors Abegg, Flint & Ulrich, as the standard for Biblical DSS.

January 13, 2006: I now understand why neither the Jubilees nor the Book of Enoch were included in this anthology, except as a placeholder reference page. Jubilees and Enoch are not considered canon, and so do not properly fall into inclusion with the purely Biblical books as the editors of Dead Sea Scrolls Bible intended.

Incidentally, I am beginning to recognize the Florentino Garcia Martinez re-translation as the most important single compilation of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the lay library. If you don't own one yet, they ain't making any more of them. There are several scroll fragments of The Book of Enoch represented in the Garcia Martinez that you cannot get in the other major English translations extant. Reading them is an enjoyable excercise in reconstructing a single coherent document from several "broken" or fragmented documents.

My Living Review

I am into Exodus of this fine Bible, and as I study and read, I will avail myself for further commenting. I like to skip through the anthology, to break up the monotony.

First, a couple of criticisms:

(noted by previous reviewer) The changing of the names of God, including YHVH, or Elohim, into "the Lord". There is a clue here as to the paradigm from which the editors are framing the context of this Bible translation. The editors seem to have fallen back on traditional and safe renderings, when in doubt. I suppose the solution here is for me to read the original Hebrew and Aramaic.

Another clue to the editors' conservative frame of reference is found at least in the beginning (pun intended), in the Book of Genesis. I recently heard a rabbi speak about the phrase, "Let there be light". What this rabbi said was interesting, and made sense. The Creator, as this gentleman put it, would not have said, "Let there be light", which has the connotation of asking or requesting that another entity do the actual turning on of the light. What the Supreme Being really said, according to this rabbi, was something more along the lines of, "Light: Be it!" In this case, no intercession is inferred. I'll leave you to ponder and discuss this, as it is like the "number of angels dancing on the head of a pin" argument. But my point is that the editors were not thinking out of the box: If you have 2,000 year old Aramaic right in front of you, "Let there be light" is not an inspired (pardon the irony) translation.

(also noted by previous reviewers) Lack of reference headers at the top of each page. This book is over 600 pages long, and it is ever so irritating to put it down, and have to back peddal a few pages to remind myself which Biblical book I happen to be reading at this time. Maybe something good will come out of this discipline of memorizing which page corresponds to which Book. This problem is one of those annoyances that should be refined and cured in later editions. I suppose the Honda Civic wasn't a very fleshed out automobile, either, when it first came to market. This is one of the first indications that the editors seemed to be trying to beat someone else to the punch with this title or anthology of DSS.

A third criticism, a continuation of my previous statement, is the apology that the editors proffer for speeding this translation through to publication. Perhaps after maturing in further editions, a finer translation will be cultivated? Let us pray!

A fourth criticism is the use of little gray triangles to denote sections where two or more verses are missing. Is this gray triangle an original invention? I don't like it, it's too-- modern? Gimmicky? I think a better and simpler symbol to use should be the pipe symbol "|". For example, where one verse is missing, the symbol can be |. Where two or three verses are missing, multiple pipes in a row can be used, like || or |||. The pipe has got to be more enduring than the silly, ugly graphic triangle that stands out like a cornstalk in a barley patch. Can you guys take care of this, please?

Let's get past the small stuff: I am loving this book as an attempt to breath life into an old story. But this time, we get to see it pretty much as it was written and socked away long before Emperor Constantine's time. I feel like I have a leg up on established Christian sects, e.g. the Catholics and Protestants, who have been humbly democratized by these treasures. I am finally understanding something about the DSS, that we were lucky enough that several copies of most of the books are extant, making a reasonably accurate, complete and resolved composite. For example, by now many of you are familiar with the use of brackets [this is bracketed text] and why portions are bracketed. What I trust in this edition of the Bible is that what lies between the bracket is not just an educated guess, but is often taken from another scroll where that section of text was still intact. If there are three copies of Exodus, we can reassemble most of the Book of Exodus. And that is what the editors have done here. We have reasonably complete Biblical books that are at least 2,000 years old. It's like finding an ancient jar of strawberry jam, and being able to pick out enough of the preserved jam from the mold to make a sandwich. Sure, you don't have the whole quart of jam, but the jam you are lucky enough to be eating is 2,000 years old and delicious.

I have other books, like Eisenman and Wise's "The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered", and Wise, Abegg & Cook's "Dead Sea Scrolls", Vermes's translation in to English of non-canonical texts, which I like very much. You may wonder how they can all be different, and yet, they are, both in translation style and topic. For instance, "Uncovered" presents a more esoteric selection, Kabbalistic or Gnostic in their allegory. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible are manuscripts that were later deemed canonical and thus, entered as books of the Bible. I will promote this book a few notches in my list of DSS recommended reading, it serves a real purpose in the wealth of other publications on the DSS.

A lucky age in which we live, reading what the bishops of Nicea did not. Ofcourse, you can't just throw out a translation of the earliest Biblical manuscripts ever, without referencing the source(s) of our modern Bibles. These editors have done that, by providing the italicized differences with the Masoretic text and/or other DSS copies, and also comparisons with the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Septuagent (LXX). This is mildly useful, as the Masoretic text, to my less trained eye, doesn't reveal any substantial differences. To me, it looks like the Dead Sea Old Testament manuscripts differed very little from what we read in modern times. Amazing!

You should not give away your usual reference Bible, however, as there tend to be missing chunks of continuity, naturally. In the Book of Genesis, some serious chunks are missing, and we stumble into the scene where God is instructing Noah on how to build an ark (pg. 8, Ch. 5 to 6), before the story of Caine comes to its end as we normally read it. This kind of jumping from the middle of one story to the middle of another is frequent enough that I had to pull a King James off the shelf to see what it was I was missing. No fault of the editors, though.

added 10-18-2005: Check out the detailed treatment of the Psalms, starting in the "Other Books" section on pg. 505. This is succulent education, as is the history and sensual subtext of the Song of Songs.

Across an Untried Sea: Discovering Lives Hidden in the Shadow of Convention and Time

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Unconventional Women
Examines the lives of Victorian women

Across an Untried Sea: Discovering Lives Hidden in the Shadow of Convention and Time
Julia Markus
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679445994
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Book Description

From the much acclaimed author of Dared and Done: The Marriage of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, a new book that retrieves the lives of Victorian women--writers, actresses, poets, journalists, sculptors, and social reformers--celebrated in their day but forgotten in ours.
Julia Markus focuses in particular on the American Charlotte Cushman, the most famous English-speaking actress of her day, and on the Scottish Jane Welsh Carlyle, a brilliant London hostess who gave up private ambition to become the wife of her friend Thomas Carlyle.

Charlotte Cushman became an international star on the New York and London stage, and her Romeo and Hamlet were sensations. An independent woman with shrewd business sense who made her own fortune and supported her entire family, she dressed like a man from the waist up and had a succession of female lovers, each one of whom she planned to live with for life, each of whom she 'married.'

Jane Welsh Carlyle, literary hostess, unparalleled letter writer and chronicler of her times--who, after a passionate youthful love affair, resolved to marry genius or not at all--became the wife of the revered and lionized philosopher Thomas Carlyle, a difficult, demanding man with whom she had a sexless marriage.

Interweaving the worlds of Charlotte Cushman and Jane Carlyle--the worlds of expatriate Rome, literary London, New York, and St. Louis--Markus gathers together a number of interrelated and renowned women who were relegated in the public eye to the position of Virgin Queen (no matter how much married) or Old Maid, but who were, in fact, privately leading vibrant, independent, sexual lives. Among them: Matilda Hays, translator of George Sand; Harriet Hosmer, who resolved to become the world's first professional woman sculptor; and Emma Stebbins, whom Cushman 'married' and who created the Bethesda Fountain in New York's Central Park. Here, too, are the people who sought the friendship of Cushman and Carlyle, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Mann, Elizabeth Peabody, President Lincoln's Secretary of State William H. Seward, Geraldine Jewsbury, and Rosa Bonheur.
Making use of letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and journals of the day, many of them overlooked and unpublished, Julia Markus rediscovers lives forgotten in the shadows of convention and shows how these remarkable women--seemingly separated by nationality, class, and sexual inclination--met, formed alliances, and influenced one another, forging changes in themselves and in their time.

Customer Reviews:

Unconventional Women.......2004-06-07

`Across an Untried Sea' is an interesting, if scattered narrative of several women - both European and American -- who are revealed to have defied 19th C conventions both sexually and artistically. The main focus is on American actress Charlotte Cushman, a woman who found success in both female character roles and in playing male roles such as Romeo. A lesbian in an age where the Cult of Domesticity reigned (and dictated that all women should marry and bear children), Cushman pledges `eternal friendship' to several women in succession, although always returning to `spouse' Emma Stebbins (a sculptress best known for the Bethedsa Fountain in Central Park, New York). Included in Cushman's `possessions' were Hattie Hosmer, another female sculptress; Jane Carlyle, troubled wife of historian Thomas; Emma Crow, infatuated with Cushman and marries her nephew Ned; and the Brownings, whose love story fascinates Cushman and her circle. Markus' narrative becomes more cohesive as the book expands, but in the beginning, it's unclear what her message in these women's experiences is; at times, Markus seems to dismiss Cushman's `infidelities' to Stebbins as nothing, which begs the question: what if Cushman was a man? Would Markus have treated the clandestine relationship with Emma Crow any differently (and the `serial monogamy' of both Cushman and Crow before and after their individual affair)? I cannot imagine a man with the same habits being literarily forgiven as Markus does Cushman. In addition, Markus' prose seems almost from the era in which her narrative is set, making her words seem quaint - they lose their impact. The inclusion of Jane Carlyle and her troubled life could have been a book on its own; Markus implies much about the potential feelings between Jane and Cushman, as well as between Jane and good friend Geraldine Jewsbury (one photo describes their physical positions as akin to a wedding photo - is this a stretch?). Regardless of the sometimes scattered storylines, this remains a very interesting examination of women who did indeed cross an `untried sea' (the title is explained only at the end of the book), and as performers, writers, biographers, and artists, expanded the choices of women in their own time and for the future.

Examines the lives of Victorian women.......2001-03-12

This new title examines the lives of Victorian women, from writers and poets to sculptors and social reformers - all of whom were celebrated in their day, but forgotten in modern times. From Charlotte Cushman to literary Jane Welsh Carlyle, Across an Untried Sea provides a fine survey of women.

Nonstationarities in Hydrologic and Environmental Time Series (Water Science and Technology Library)

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Nonstationarities in Hydrologic and Environmental Time Series (Water Science and Technology Library)
A.R. Rao , K.H. Hamed , and Huey-Long Chen
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402012977

Book Description

This book presents a number of new techniques that have been discussed in the literature during the last two decades concerning the investigation of stationarity, linearity and Gaussianity of hydrologic and environmental times series. These techniques cover different approaches for assessing nonstationarity, ranging from time domain analysis, to frequency domain analysis, to the combined time-frequency and time-scale analyses, to segmentation analysis, in addition to formal statistical tests of linearity and Gaussianity. It is hoped that this endeavor would facilitate further research into this important area.

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Absolutely amazing!
Incredible photography!
beauty out of the water
Absolutely breathtaking!
Excellent pictures, nice commentary

Water Light Time
David Doubilet
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0714838284

Amazon.com

With a career that started as a National Geographic photographer in 1972, Doubilet has a lifetime of experience from which to make such a marvelous meditation on this otherworld that is vaguely familiar to most readers only through pictures and visits to aquariums. Doubilet captures what must surely be his own awe at the uniqueness of being a human in this nonhuman environment, and the reader can marvel at both the lushness of life in the water and at the beauty of the photographs themselves, which dominate almost all of the book's 240 pages. --Jennifer Cohen

Book Description

When David Doubilet was a child, he photographed swimmers in the waters off of New Jersey. Water Light Time is a collection of images that capture the underwater magnificence that seized the photographer's imagination in childhood and spurred a lifelong fascination. Underwater plant life floating like snakes, bright blue water filled with schools of silver fish, a diver immersed in a throng of bubbling yellow jellyfish, a close-up of pink and white sea anemones looking all the world like a floating bouquet of flowers--each image in this book is exquisitely photographed with preternaturally clear colors, full of detail and depth. Some images toy with perspective, creating surreal tableaux as a crustacean leg pokes out of the yellow-green water to appear almost as large as a nearby tree.With a career that started as a National Geographic photographer in 1972, Doubilet has a lifetime of experience from which to make such a marvelous meditation on this otherworld that is vaguely familiar to most readers only through pictures and visits to aquariums. Doubilet captures what must surely be his own awe at the uniqueness of being a human in this nonhuman environment, and the reader can marvel at both the lushness of life in the water and at the beauty of the photographs themselves, which dominate almost all of the book's 240 pages. --Jennifer Cohen

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely amazing!.......2007-03-22

Not only the pictures are artistically and beautifully photographed, but one cannot not wonder how Mr. Doubilet could be right there at the moment, with the right lights and the right angles to capture such incredible photos. If you appreciate nature's beauty and photography, this book is a must.

Incredible photography!.......2007-02-03

I couldn't imagine a more beautiful photography book! If you are fascinated with the underwater world, this is for you! The quality of the photographs are unmatched. Looking through the book is a magical experience.

beauty out of the water.......2007-01-17

great gift for ocean lovers. amazing photography. an enjoyable book for those that love the water, but don't want to get wet.

Absolutely breathtaking!.......2007-01-11

David Doubilet's photographs are simply beautiful...this book really blew me away. I could literally stare at the images for hours as they are that captivating. It's almost as if you're diving with Mr. Doubilet and seeing these creatures up close. The way he uses two separate views (i.e. shooting the ray underwater while also shooting the sky above the water) is amazing. While exhibiting his photography prowess, Mr. Doubilet also shows the viewer the strong connection of all the earth's elements. He also seems to have a strong relationship with the ocean life- the stunning photo of the seal peeping over the bed of kelp truly captures the seal's beauty without compromising its playful nature.

This book is a treasure!

Excellent pictures, nice commentary.......2006-07-31

Great underwater photographs. I wish there was a book with Doubilet's pictures taken in the Okavango Delta...

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