The collection of 27 narratives and letters known as the Christian New Testament were produced in specific historical contexts and with specific religious, social, and political purposes in mind. Achtemeier (Union Theological Seminary), Joel B. Green (Asbury Theological Seminary) and Marianne Meye Thompson (Fuller Theological Seminary) discuss the literary and historical contexts of the New Testament and attempt to explain the spiritual and other intentions of the original authors. Beginning with a discussion of the environmental and institutional contexts of the world of the New Testament, the text looks at the gospel tradition and the purposes of epistles. Each of the Gospels is afforded a separate chapter, as are the Pauline letters and discussions of the Acts of the Apostles and the Book of Revelations, but the other epistles are grouped thematically. A final chapter examines the internal and external forces that led to these particular documents being formed as the official canon. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Birds of Ecuador comprehensively treats the nearly 1600 species of birds that can be found in mainland Ecuador. The authors describe Ecuador this way: "One of the wonders of the natural world. Nowhere else is such incredible avian diversity crammed into such a small country. . . . Birds are, happily, numerous in many parts of Ecuador: even the downtown parks of the big cities such as Quito and Guayaquil host their complement."

Volume II, the field guide volume of this two-volume set, contains 96 full-color plates and facing pages of descriptive text, a color map of Ecuador, along with two line drawings of bird anatomy, 115 silhouette outlines, and nearly 1600 distribution maps. All species are illustrated in full color, including migrants and vagrants and visually distinctive subspecies. The text focuses on the field identification aspects of each species, including their behavior, vocalizations, and nest appearance.

The two volumes of The Birds of Ecuador are available separately or may be purchased as a slipcased set.

This joyful Sesame Street song embraces the notion that no matter where children live, what they look like, or what they do, they're all the same where it counts -- at heart.

Paul Meisel's colorful illustrations lovingly illuminate this vital message, and the enclosed CD lets kids sing along.

The Birds of Ecuador comprehensively treats the nearly 1600 species of birds that can be found in mainland Ecuador in two volumes. The authors describe Ecuador this way: "One of the wonders of the natural world. Nowhere else is such incredible avian diversity crammed into such a small country. . . . Birds are, happily, numerous in many parts of Ecuador: even the downtown parks of the big cities such as Quito and Guayaquil host their complement."

Volume I, Status, Distribution, and Taxonomy, contains detailed information on the ecology, status, and distribution of all species. Introductory chapters deal with geography, climate, and vegetation; bird migration in Ecuador; Ecuadorian ornithology; endemic bird areas in Ecuador; and conservation. Individual species accounts treat habitat, distribution, and taxonomy.

The two volumes of The Birds of Ecuador are available separately or may be purchased as a slipcased set.

Renewing Biblical Interpretation is the first of eight volumes from the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar. This annual gathering of Christian scholars from various disciplines was established in 1998 and aims to re-assess the discipline of biblical studies from the foundation up and forge creative new ways for re-opening the Bible in our cultures.Including a retrospective on the consultation by Walter Brueggemann, the contributors to Renewing Biblical Interpretation consider three elements in approaching the Bible---the historical, the literary and the theological---and the underlying philosophical issues that shape the way we think about literature and history.

Communities rallying in the name of history have become a common phenomenon. Typically, the potential loss of a historic building or site serves as the catalyst. In the case of An Augusta Scrapbook: Twentieth-Century Memories, a book brought Augustans together in the name of history. The community participation created a historical collage, representing a spectrum of photographic recollections. It is a glimpse at the significant, the uncommon, and the ordinary. The compilation of images, nevertheless, captures Augusta’s community fabric.

Introduces equivariant homotopy, homology, and cohomology theory, along with related issues in modern algebraic topology. The work begins with a development of the equivariant algebraic topology of spaces culminating in a discussion of the Sullivan conjecture that emphasizes its relationship with classical Smith theory. It then introduces equivariant stable homotopy theory, the equivariant stable homotopy category, and the most important examples of equivariant cohomology theories. Finally, it gives an introduction to "brave new algebra." Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Sleepyheads will wish they had Sammie the dog to hurry them along in their morning routines. Read along as Sammie builds colorful time lines to keep track of passing time -- from a goodmorning snuggle to an off-to-school hug.

The Celtic World is a detailed and comprehensive study of the Celts from the first evidence of them in the archaeological and historical record to the early post-Roman period. The strength of this volume lies in its breadth - it looks at archaeology, language, literature, towns, warfare, rural life, art, religion and myth, trade and industry, political organisations, society and technology. The Celtic World draws together material from all over pagan Celtic Europe and includes contributions from British, European and American scholars. Much of the material is new research which is previously unpublished.
The book addresses some important issues - Who were the ancient Celts? Can we speak of them as the first Europeans? In what form does the Celtic identity exist today and how does this relate to the ancient Celts?
For anyone interested in the Celts, and for students and academics alike, The Celtic World will be a valuable resource and a fascinating read.

This book offers a reassessment of the international monetary problems that led to the global economic crisis of the 1930s. It explores the connections between the gold standard--the framework regulating international monetary affairs until 1931--and the Great Depression that broke out in 1929. Eichengreen shows how economic policies, in conjunction with the imbalances created by World War I, gave rise to the global crisis of the 1930s. He demonstrates that the gold standard fundamentally constrained the economic policies that were pursued and that it was largely responsible for creating the unstable economic environment on which those policies acted. The book also provides a valuable perspective on the economic policies of the post-World War II period and their consequences.

Celtic Myths explores the mythology and beliefs of the pagan Celts between about 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. At their peak, the Celtic peoples inhabited a vast area of Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland. As non-literates, they have left no written record of their lives, their beliefs, and the stories which were such an important part of their culture; however, contemporary commentators from the Classical world, later Christian scribes recording oral traditions, and the archaeological evidence can give us fascinating, though fragmented, glimpses. Dr. Green draws on all these sources to discuss the myths and the religious beliefs and ritual which she believes inform them. The heroic and magical tales of the Book of Invasions, the Fionn stories, the Ulster Cycle, and the Mabinogi are the subject of the first chapters. These stirring stories, though recorded in medieval times by Christian writers, preserve fascinating evidence of their pagan origins. Dr. Green then goes on to look at the evidence for Celtic religious beliefs and raises some interesting questions as to how far we can establish links and recognize common features between the story material and the archaeological record.

F. F. Bruce commented on the first edition, "I am glad to give it my warm commendation. As an introduction to the criticism of the New Testament it has . . . no equal in English." Since Bruce's comments on the original edition thirty years ago, this clear and comprehensive introduction to New Testament textual criticism has remained a popular text for beginning and intermediate students. Diagrams, an appendix of Latin terms, supplementary readings, a bibliography, and an index make this revised edition an invaluable resource.

Describes Washington's government institutions, explaining what the inhabitants of each building do on a day-to-day basis, and covers museums, monuments, embassies, and the Washington metro