Jesus Creed

Jesus Creed

How about this for a book deal?

posted by xscot mcknight | 6:39am Saturday December 17, 2005

Sorry, nothing to stir the pot today. I don’t know if you buy used books, but, like a microbrew, it’s a good habit to acquire. When I was a seminary student, my professor, Murray Harris, gave us all a list of exegetical commentaries and I began looking for them. Every fall a few of us drove up to Grand Rapids to spend the entire day shopping for books for which we didn’t have the money.
To make matters easier but no less expensive, I was prepared. I made up a little notebook with authors listed in alphabetical order. Most stores have books in categories (say OT, NT, Theology) but the books are shelved in alphabetical order. I had major names on my list, and I could get through the books quicker by looking for names rather than looking at each book — and many of you know that old books have rubbed spines that make names blurry and used book stores have bad lights that make rubbed spines with blurry names blur even the youngest of eyes.
When we were in England, I made my way into lots of used book stores, carrying my little notebook, and eventually found a few boxes of books I shipped home. I continued to go to Grand Rapids when we moved back to the midwest, but now there is the internet. And I can’t think of the last time I went to Grand Rapids (maybe my first or second year at North Park) for used books.
If you have suggestions for good internet used book stores, pass them along. (Stores should avoid advertising here as it could be read as spam.)
My two favorites are www.abebooks.com and www.bookfinder.com. I like abebooks.com the most, in part because I can sign in for used books not now available. If the book suddenly becomes available through their internet connections, they notify me. Like this one this week:

Your Want: # A14501925
Author: Harris, Harriet A.;
Title: Fundamentalism and Evangelicals;
Publisher: Oxford University Press;
We have matched your Want with one or more books now available on our Web site, including the following (please note that only the lowest and highest price matches are displayed):
1. Fundamentalism And Evangelicals,
Harris, Harriet A. (Lecturer In Theological Studies, University Of Exeter)
Oxford University Press, UK 1998 Oxford Theological Monographs. Off-site delivery item – usually 1-2 weeks extra, but can be more., 1998, 0198269609, 0198269609, BRAND NEW HARDBACK. 214 X 138mm. 392 pgs. Religion. ‘Fundamentalism’ is a label used often pejoratively of religious conservatism. Evangelicals are growing in number and power around the world and are frequently regarded as fundamentalist.
Bookseller: TheBookCom, Horsham, WSx
Price: £ 83.67 (US$ 150.91)

I’d like to have this book, but I’m not THAT interested. One hundred and fifty dollars, plus shipping I guess, for 214 pages of historical detail about fundamentalism and evangelicals. That’s about 75 cents per page! Sorry, Harriet, you’ve got a good book, but I wouldn’t pay that much to play golf.
There’s a parable there, somehow. There’s a better way to spend that money.



Previous Posts

This blog is no longer active
This blog is no longer being actively updated. Please feel free to browse the archives or: Read our most popular inspiration blog See our most popular inspirational video Take our most popular quiz

posted 3:10:39pm Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Our Common Prayerbook 30 - 3
Psalm 30 thanks God (vv. 1-3, 11-12) and exhorts others to thank God (vv. 4-5). Both emerge from the concrete reality of David's own experience. Here is what that experience looks like:Step one: David was set on high and was flourishing at the hand of God's bounty (v. 7a).Step two: David became too

posted 12:15:30pm Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Theology After Darwin 1 (RJS)
One of the more important and more difficult pieces of the puzzle as we feel our way forward at the interface of science and faith is the theological implications of discoveries in modern science. A comment on my post Evolution in the Key of D: Deity or Deism noted: ...this reminds me of why I get a

posted 6:01:52am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Almost Christian 4
Who does well when it comes to passing on the faith to the youth? Studies show two groups do really well: conservative Protestants and Mormons; two groups that don't do well are mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. Kenda Dean's new book is called Almost Christian: What the Faith of Ou

posted 12:01:53am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Let's Get Neanderthal!
The Cave Man Diet, or Paleo Diet, is getting attention. (Nothing is said about Culver's at all.) The big omission, I have to admit, is that those folks were hunters -- using spears or smacking some rabbit upside the conk or grabbing a fish or two with their hands ... but that's what makes this diet

posted 2:05:48pm Aug. 30, 2010 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(10)
post a comment
Duane Young

posted December 17, 2005 at 8:40 am


is a good place to check on more current books (more pedestrian than you are looking for). I found “Hero Mama” there on your recommendation and got a handfull for gifts. And . . . with every search on Amazon you can pull up access to used book listings–I have been finding good deals on like new books there recently. Have been very pleased with both price and service–these merchants are rated and their customer’s “experience” with them shared. Happy Shopping.



report abuse
 

Duane Young

posted December 17, 2005 at 8:41 am


Sorry–the e address didn’t come through. It is bookcloseouts.com



report abuse
 

James

posted December 17, 2005 at 9:09 am


Scot,
When I am trying to find rare books, I use http://used.addall.com. One I came across the other day is http://www.campusi.com/. It seems pretty good and is fairly new.
James



report abuse
 

Jean

posted December 17, 2005 at 10:25 am


“Harriet, you’ve got a good book, but I wouldn’t pay that much to play golf.”
*snicker*
I carry a little notebook list myself, makes traveling a little more purposeful.
Jean



report abuse
 

marko

posted December 17, 2005 at 11:04 am


hey scot – speaking of purchases… fahrney’s pens turned out to be a huge disappointment. i ordered those six great pens, got a confirmation email, then two weeks went by and no email saying they’d been sent. i finally went on the site and found that the entire order was backordered. i went to a local store and bought pens instead, and when i called fahney’s to cancel the order, they said only two of the pens (pens i easily found at my local store, by the way) were on back order, but they’d been holding the whole order. their selection is much bigger than their sense of customer service!



report abuse
 

Susan

posted December 17, 2005 at 8:42 pm


We have a great little shop here in the Denver area called Christian Used Books, and the owner, Eddie, will find whatever you want if he doesn’t have it. It’s great. I buy everything I can from Eddie before I go anywhere else. love buying old books, seeing what others have underlined and sometimes even notes left in the pages. I found one Metaphysics gem published in the early 1900′s with pages of insightful notes scribbled on scraps and stuck inside well-preserved. Fabulous.
Here in Boulder we also have Mountain Sun – best Microbrew this side of the Divide.



report abuse
 

Scot McKnight

posted December 18, 2005 at 8:40 am


Marko,
Thanks for saying this. I have not had any problems with Fahrney’s, but I’ve never bought more than one pen at once either. You might tell them we’re blogging about them.



report abuse
 

Scot McKnight

posted December 18, 2005 at 8:41 am


Susan,
I’ve got FF Bruce’s copy of Joachim Jeremias’ book on the unknown fragments of Jesus’ sayings. I feel the same way about others’ comments, though I don’t like too much writing in a used book.
Never heard of, nor tasted, Mountain Sun.



report abuse
 

Steve Menshenfriend

posted December 18, 2005 at 1:47 pm


Scot. Great blog. Keep up the good work. I once bought a book at a library sale for under a dollar. It was a novel. I loved it, but I’m not in the habit of keeping books. I’ve got no place to put them. Ten years passed and I wanted to read that novel again. I looked and looked … I never found it. Then my wife found it for me through a book finding service. She paid … $95. Ouch.



report abuse
 

Alan

posted December 18, 2005 at 6:51 pm


I’ve found http://www.alibris.com quite useful.



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

Share this story


About Beliefnet

Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

Help

Media Kit

Subscribe

Legal

Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

Advertisement

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.