The Book of Revelation presents the fascinating and terrifying story of what John reports happening to him while on the Mediterranean island of Patmos. It is a far more interesting story than the tired predictions of other would-be prophets whose many forecasts of the future have always failed to materialize. Tales of the End invites readers to hear John s story anew. Rather than forcing John s story into our time, it takes the reader back to the time of its original telling, exploring both what is told and how it is told examining its plot, characters, point of view, temporal perspective, narrator, listener, author and audience. Only then can we ask how this story bears on the modern world and how it addresses enduring human concerns. David Barr s narrative analysis uncovers a complex and compelling story addressed to the communities of Jesus followers in first-century Asia Minor, a story told vividly so that the audience can participate in John s extraordinary experience and so be transformed, adopting new values, new perspectives; indeed, a new understanding of what the world is really like.

This provocative new book invites us to forget all we have heard about the meaning of the Book of Revelation. Instead David Barr shows us ways to give this familiar text a fresh new reading. If we can think of the right questions to ask the text, and listen without prejudice, there are new things we can learn.The questions David Barr asks the Book of Revelation are about stories: how they are told, whom they are about, what they consist of, where they go. His commentary, written with little technical vocabulary, provides the knowledge and detail needed to make a fresh reading of the story ourselves.

Over more than four decades J.R.R. Tolkien's son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, published some twenty-four volumes of his father's work, much more than his father had succeeded in publishing during his own lifetime. Standing on the mountain of his son's colossal publishing effort and extraordinary scholarship, readers today are therefore able to survey and understand the vastness of the landscape of Tolkien's legendarium. This collection of essays by world-renowned scholars, together with family reminiscences, sheds new light on J.R.R. Tolkien's work, his son Christopher's unique gifts in communicating and interpreting that work and the debt owed to Christopher by the many Tolkien scholars who were privileged to work with him. What was Tolkien's intended ending for 'The Lord of the Rings'? Did it leave echoes in the stripped-down version that was actually published? What was the audience's response to the first ever adaptation of 'The Lord of the Rings' - a radio dramatization that has now been deleted forever from the BBC's archives? What was the significance of the extraordinary array of doorways which confronted the hobbits as they journeyed through Middle-earth? The book is illustrated with colour reproductions of J.R.R. Tolkien's manuscripts, maps, drawings and letters and, with the kind permission of his estate, photographs of Christopher Tolkien and extracts from his works, some of which have never been seen before, making this volume essential reading for Tolkien scholars, readers and fans.

Describes the rural adventures of Mrs. Apple and her dog, two cats, and horse.

"On a crisp October morning in 1996, Emma Milne started her first job as a newly qualified vet, a career captured on camera for eleven series of television's Vets in Practice. Now she tells the full story"--Cover p. [4].

Most historical accounts of "the West" take it for granted that the guiding principles of the Western tradition—reason, progress, and freedom—have been passed down directly from ancient Greece to modern Europe, evolving in isolation from all non-Western cultures. Today, many political analysts and cultural critics maintain that the Western tradition is fast approaching its end, for better or worse, as it becomes more and more integrated with non-Western cultures in an increasingly globalized world. But what if we are witnessing something else entirely—not the "end" of the West but rather another historical mutation of the idea of the West itself? This groundbreaking work shows that whether the West is hailed as the source of all historical progress or scorned as the root of all cultural imperialism, it remains a deeply problematic concept that is intrinsically connected to an ethnocentric view of the world. In a critical reading of the continental philosophers Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, and Derrida as well as the postcolonial thinkers Said, Mohanty, Bhabha, and Trinh, Sean Meighoo strikes at the intellectual foundations of Western exceptionalism until its ideological supports show through. Deconstructing the concept of the West in his provocative interpretations of Martin Bernal's controversial publication Black Athena and the Beatles' second film Help!, Meighoo poses a formidable question to philosophers, writers, political analysts, and cultural critics alike: Can we mount an effective critique of Western ethnocentrism without reinforcing the very idea of the West?

Action, intrigue, and danger follow Scarboy wherever he goes, especially in the Enchanted City, where the “imperfect” are cast away and orphans are enslaved. Scarboy manages to escape the evil Enchanter to safety in Great Park, but has yet to confront his greatest fear—and he’ll need enormous courage to conquer it! An exciting series from best-selling authors David and Karen Mains, the gold-medallion award-winning Tales of the Kingdom offers fast-paced action and exciting storytelling with a enduring Christian message. Enjoy these classic allegories teach kids and adults the importance of trusting God as they unveil fundamental truths about good and evil.