Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (3 editons:1886, 1950-60s)

I) A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, edited by Philip Schaff (HC, 1886, binding and covers are in rough shape but the pages are fine, 13 volumes of a 14 volume set, $35, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

The volume we are missing is #9.

The 1800s must have been an interesting time. First, Oxford's English Episcopalians published their Ante-Nicene Fathers in the 1840s. The Presbyterian Scots of Edinburgh later fired back with their own translation. Meanwhile, in Germany, the Roman Catholics had finished another version. The American one ended up almost identical to the one from Scotland. The story of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers translation followed pretty much the same course.

We of the internet age really can't understand how great an advance these books were. Before this a minister who wanted to read these classics had not only be able to read ecclesiastical Greek and Latin, but also to have access to a massive number of expensive books. Migne's Latin Patrology alone contained 222 volumes, and his Latin one "only" 167!

I loved reading the editorial comments on the earlier Episcopalian version- "incomplete and unequal". I was also impressed that Schaff had invited translators of other versions to "revise and edit" their earlier work. Some agreed, but some only "expressed their kindly interest in the enterprise".  Of those in the latter category, the most famous was Dr. Newman, who had been Anglican when he translated for the Oxford edition, but had now become a Roman Catholic Cardinal!

Also, the editor's comments on price made me realize how much we take cheap books for granted. Before these books were published, the editors must have done a lot of planning to make sure the price was low enough for some ministers to buy,  and yet of good enough quality that they would last. And last they have. More than a hundred years later, and even after hard use (we hope) in a college library, its pages are still in great shape.



2) A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, second series, translated into English with Prolegomena and explanatory notes, edited by Philip Schaff (HC, various volumes from both the 1950s and 1960s editions, $4 each)

We are missing volumes I and II completely.
We have books from both editions of volumes V and VI.
The rest of the volumes we have in just one edition (III, IV, and VII through XIV).

Look for these books in boxes on the floor of the religion room. Volume I of the 1886 edition, and Volume III of the latter one, are on top of the box, so you can check them out without having to move boxes.

Ante-Nicene Fathers (1885 Buffalo edition)

The Ante-Nicene Fathers- Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to AD 325, the American reprint of the Edinburgh edition, revised and chronologically arranged, with brief prefaces and occasional notes,  edited by Rev. Alexander Roberts (seven HC volumes: volumes 1-4, and 6-8, 1885, in rough condition, $30 for the set, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

From an add for the Edinburgh edition, "The Ante-Nicene Christian Library  is meant to comprise translations into English of all the extant works of the Fathers down to the date of the first General Council held at Nice in AD 325."

Back in the 1840s Oxford put out its 48 volume  Library of the Fathers. Many scholars were upset to find it leaning heavily toward a Roman Catholic interpretation. This was probably a valid concern, because at the time many important Anglicans were leaving the Church of England to become Roman Catholic priests and even bishops! Edinburgh decided to take matters into its own hands, and produced its own Ante-Nicene Christian Library. Buffalo's Christian Literature Publishing Company would publish the American version. Except for some reorganization, their version was almost the same as Edinburgh's.

We are missing volume V of the set, which apparently included translations of writings by Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, and Novatian (whoever they were). This set is ex-library, and needs to be rebound, but the pages themselves, though darkened, are in good shape. Look for this set on the floor of the religion room in a box marked Ante-Nicene Fathers. Look for the first volume to be on top of the box, where you can check it out without having to move all the other boxes to get to the other volumes.

Travel the world with Stoddard and his magic lantern slides.

John L. Stoddard's Lectures, 15 volumes (HC, 1925, in fine condition, $79)

John Stoddard taught Latin and French at an exclusive private school, but he wanted to travel. And so in 1874 he did. For two years he explored the world with a passion. Eventually he returned to teaching where he could pass on his stories of the world's cultures and histories. Word of his exciting talks got around, and soon he was sharing stories with adults. Historic Camera's History Librarian writes,"This launched a surprising new career that would prove to be far more lucrative than teaching at a private school."

That may be true, but it wasn't his lectures that got me excited, it was his photographs. When he gave his talks, he would also show magic lantern slides from his trip. And what photographs they were! He may have considered them secondary to his lectures, but he still made sure they were of the finest quality.

His lectures "became truly unique visual experiences. For example, his lecture on Constantinople included a mixture of photographs, engravings, recreations of historical scenes, and reproductions of drawings from noteworthy sites. Typically contemporary slide shows offer[d] no such media variety..."

John Stoddard never took a photograph. He only told his  personal photographer exactly how to take them. "Many of his photographs were not retouched in any way, while others were artistically enveloped in shadows or ornately framed. Mr Stoddard would frequently display artistic reproductions alongside actual location photographs. His attitude was essentially, 'Anything goes," as long as the visuals emphasized his verbal descriptions."

These are amazing books. The inside cover pages are darkened, with remnants of tape on them, but the rest of the pages are purest white. How can that be when they are almost 90 years old? I remain amazed.

Then there are those photographs! Who knows how many there are. Somewhere in these books there must be a set of pages without a drawing or  photograph, but I have yet to find it. So sit back, read his stories, enjoy his photos, and be thankful a set of books like this exists.

I bought this set for myself a year ago, but now it's time to share them. Look for them in the sets section.

Bill Clinton, The Survivor

The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, by John F. Harris (HC, 2005, autographed, $6.50, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

This is another book from my own collection. Harris signed it after a talk at Rundel Library. This Rochester native started as a Washington Post summer intern and worked his way up. He "covered the Clinton White House from 1995 to 2001 for the Post, earning the White House Correspondents' Association's Aldo Beckman Award and the Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency from the Gerald R. Ford Library for his work during that period." So, I guess he know his stuff.

Look for this on the new non-fiction table.

Famous Hymns, where did you come from?

We have two books that tell the stories behind a lot of well loved hymns.

The older of the two:
Famous Hymns with stories and pictures, by Elizabeth Hubbard Bonsall (oversize HC, 1923, $2) The reason I love this best is its old time printing and art. I just want to curl up on the sofa while I read through the pages. (This is also the only book to include music with the hymns.)

The second book:
Popular Hymn Stories, compiled by Don Sanford (TPB, 1962, $1.75) This one is enjoyable, just not as special as the first one.

Look for them both on the new non-fiction table.

What can a woman do?

What Can a Woman Do, or Her Position in the Business and Literary World, by Mrs. M. L. Rayne (HC, late 1890s (?), 552 pages, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

This is a beautiful book. The cover is dark purple with black and purple decorations. A gilded square in the top left corner tells the book's title. I loved the marbled design of the page edges.

I expected little from the content, but I was wrong. She may be writing over a hundred years ago, but the author believed women could succeed at many jobs. Some jobs on her list are the usual ones held by women of the time: housekeeper, nurse, stenographer, cook, dressmaker, and clerk. Others on the list amazed me: journalist, lawyer, doctor, and even entrepreneur. My favorites, though, are the chapters on raising chickens, ducks and bees. (Bees?)

I was disgusted by her chapter concerning telegraph operators. In those days, it would seem, women were considered to have less endurance, and to be absent more frequently than men. I wonder if this was really true, or if it was just the reason men gave for paying their women workers 1/3 less.

The end half of this book introduces us to women's writing of the time, both poetry and prose. At the very end of the book is a weird rendering of the poem, "Curfew must not ring tonight". For some reason the poem, which is also quoted earlier in the book, is presented here in a 24 page, large print, fully illustrated version. Strange.

Since half of this book is non-fiction, it can be found on the new non-fiction table.

A Partially Complete Stephen King

The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia: The definitive guide to the works of America's Master of Horror, by Stephen J. Spignesri (oversized TPB, 1991, 780 pages, $6)

Included here are articles:

about Stephen King and his work,
about his fans, collections and conventions,
about his newsletter,

on his motion picture adaptations,
and on his poetry.

There are-
interviews with the people that knew him,

and an index-
of the first lines of his works,
of his published works,
of his unpublished works,
of his characters,

and an annotated bibliography.

The scary part for me is that all this "complete" stuff ends here in 1991, so a whole other 780 page book could be written about Stephen King and his works. That's a lot of words. Is he worth it? Yup, in my opinion, and I don't even read his stuff.

Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.  (L-SK area)