Product Description
Originally published in 1914.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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Donald B. Kraybill has spent his career among Anabaptist groups, gaining an unparalleled understanding of these traditionally private people. Kraybill shares that deep knowledge in this succinct overview of the beliefs and cultural practices of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites in North America.

Found throughout Canada, Central America, Mexico, and the United States, these religious communities include more than 200 different groups with 800,000 members in 17 countries. Through 340 short entries, Kraybill offers readers information on a wide range of topics related to religious views and social practices. With thoughtful consideration of how these diverse communities are related, this compact reference provides a brief and accurate synopsis of these groups in the twenty-first century.

No other single volume provides such a broad overview of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites in North America. Organized for ease of searching -- with a list of entries, a topic finder, an index of names, and ample cross-references -- the volume also includes abundant resources for accessing additional information.

Wide in scope, succinct in content, and with directional markers along the way, the Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites is a must-have reference for anyone interested in Anabaptist groups.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great experience
Great purchasing experience.Fast shipping.Book description just as he described.Very helpful in correspondence! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description

In a blind rage, King James, ex-slave and now Marlowe's comrade in arms, slaughters the crew of a slave ship and makes himself the most wanted man in Virginia. The governor gives Marlowe a choice: Hunt James down and bring him back to hang or lose everything Marlowe has built for himself and his wife, Elizabeth.

Marlowe sets out in pursuit of the ex-slave turned pirate, struggling to maintain control over his crew -- rough privateers who care only for plunder -- and following James's trail of destruction. But Marlowe is not James's only threat, as factions aboard James's own ship vie for control and betrayal stalks him to the shores of Africa.

Customer Reviews (11)

Naval history with a new slant
This book is the second in the "Brethtren of the coast" trilogy and it is bestto read the first book "The Guardship" before tackling this title as several characters and their relationships were established in the earlier book .
It opens in Virginia in the year 1702 when it was a colony of England ,a nation then at war with Spain and France .Marlowe ,the protagonist of the series and a man of some substance in the Colony returns to the seafaring life as a privateer for the Crown ,He is overtaken by events when his vessel comes across a slave ship ,a "blackbirder" and his trusted lieutenant ,the freed slave King James kills the crew in a fit of rage and escapes .Marlowe must now direct his energies to hunting down his friend and ally ,who has his own problems in the form of the scheming Madshaka -a slave on the blackbirder- who is determined to resume his former position as a slave trader by returning to Africa and setting himself up in business again .James is an obstacle and must be removed.

The story frequently cuts back and forward between the high seas and Africa to events in Virginia where elements opposed to Marlowe's earlier to decision to free his slaves and make them employeesclamp down hard andthis results in a revolt against the white landowners ,despite the best endeavours of Marlowe's wife Elizabeth and her staunch ally Billy Bird.

The juggling of the plot strands is astute and deftly handled and the authorhas the courage to kill a major and sympathetic figure in the series .There is a lively pace to proceedings with vigorous battles by land and sea ,and the book is a goodread for lovers of naval fiction and pre -Revolutionary era fiction .

A Fine Addition to The Bretheren of the Coast
James L. Nelson has a penchant for putting his characters in a pickle. This is the second book of the Brethren of the Coast Trilogy. We have advanced in time to June of 1702 and Thomas Marlowe and Elizabeth are married. Marlowe is about to observe the final fitting out of his new private man-of-war, the Elizabeth Galley and he is also about to receive a private letter of marque from the governor. War with Spain has erupted and a letter of marque gives the holder the right to sieze and take the ships of the enemy. It is legalized priacy and fits Thomas Marlowe, former pirate in another life to a tee.

In the previous book, Marlowe purchased the estate of James Tinling and after doing so, freed the slaves thereon, not so much out of ideology, but out of a realization that they would be more productive as paid laborers in harvesting his tobacco crop and less trouble. It was a decision which did not sit well with his neighbors. It particularly did not sit well with a new arrival to the area, one Fredrick Dunmore who has been agitating for laws to make the lives of freed slaves as miserable as possible.

Dunmore seems to be more of a nuisance than a threat until King James, one of Marlowe's freed slaves and commander of this sloop Northumberland, is sailing down the James River to Point Comfort with a load of building materials for the house he is about to have built for himself and his new wife. In doing so they encounter a ship in distress and on boarding it they discover that it is a slaveship, a "Blackbirder" which was attacked by pirates and left in woeful condition. King James recalls his time as a slave on such a ship and when he is met with hostility and aggression by the captain of the ship a fight breaks out and the captain and several of the crew are killed. James realizes that he cannot return and takes command of the ship, sending one of his crew back to tell Marlowe what has happened. When the door is opened and Sam is seen standing there, torn clothes, shirt smeared with blood and vomit and his eyes wild, Marlowe knows that his life has just changed, even before a word is uttered.

In a meeting with the governor, Marlowe is denied his letter of marque until he takes his ship and kills or captures King James. The governor takes the position that Marlowe has set the example of freeing the slaves and it puts them all in danger of their slaves rising up against them. The guns on Marlowe's ship were salvaged from the former Guardship commanded by Marlowe and the governor considers them the proprty of the colony and reasons that they need to be used to protect them from the dangers that Marlowe has exposed them to. Angry and resentful, Marlowe accepts the task as the only way to keep his ship and eventually be allowed to sail it as a privateer.

As Marlowe goes in search of James, Dunmore takes his absence as an opportunity to attempt to capture and imprison his freed slaves. Elizabeth takes up that challange with help from an old friend which leads them to Boston to discover the reasons for Dunmore's obsession with Negroes.

Meanwhile King James is dealing with a myriad of problems in the running of the former slave ship and there is treachery afoot there as well.

Marlowe continues his quest to kill or capture James and as I said at the beginning, Nelson does a wonderful job of putting his characters in a real pickle and how these issues are resolved makes for entertaining and sometimes agonizing reading as the story unfolds.

Nelson writes with gripping realisim, keeps his characters true to themselves and once again delivers a tale that will hold one's interest to the end. The third book awaits and I am looking forward to it.

only 3stars not 5
the main story is good except HE HAS TO INSERT the fifthy languaqe in the book.

On Par With Hornblower
(...).I have been reading the Horatio Hornblower Series and other books from this era.This book was different in that it dealt with other topics (i.e. slave trade, racism, sexism, etc.) in the context of the Napoleonic era.I thought that the characters were interesting, but I could not help thinking I would have enjoyed Blackbirder more had I read the first book in the series beforehand.Marlowe is a great character, but I think that the author did not spend enough time letting us get to know him in Blackbirder.The plot of this book was really interesting...I consider myself a "plot sniffer", but I did not have this one figured out until Nelson revealed it.Nice touch...now I wish I could find the first and third book of the series in the bargain area (doubtful).

I am very excited to find a good author in the genre.I would recommend to anyone reading O'Brien or Hornblower to check him out.

Even better than 'The Guardship'
A premonition - and suddenly the comfortable world of Marlowe is turned on its head.
King James, the freed slave, slaughters the crew of a slave ship in a fit of passion, and to save face and reputation, Marlowe has to run him down and bring him to justice. Meanwhile, his sworn enemy is intent on destroying all that Marlowe holds dear ...

This sets the scene for another gripping tale in the same vein as 'The Guardship' - the same flowing prose and command of language endows this book with the mark of a master storyteller coming into his stride. Many threads, at sea and at home, combine to make this a thrilling, un-put-downable period story.
As the tale unfolds, we are taken into the minds of the protagonists, taking a glimpse behind the facade that each one has created, seeing the tale from several different perspectives, each with its own ideals and agenda, making us more and more involved in this wonderful complex story.

Even better than 'The Guardship' - and that's saying something. *****
Look out for 'The Pirate Round', book 3 in the series. ... Read more

Product Description
Thoughtful Seventh-day Adventists are perplexed and constrained to ponder the reason why the second advent has been so long delayed. "Time" is expensive. The longer the delay the greater the cost in human woe and suffering. This plight of the human race must be of great concern to the heavenly host. God's justice is facing a crisis.What can heaven do to bring the reign of sin to an end? The Creator's investment in humanity is yet to be fully appreciated even by Christians. The majority believe that Jesus' sojourn in human nature in this world was like a loan made with exacting repayment conditions. The idea prevails that mankind must do something to appease and pay off an angry God. Until the truth is brought into the open God's name will con­tinue to be held in contempt.This book seeks to explore some of the reasons for the existing confusion and delay. Is the problem ours or is it God's? Could the delay have anything to do with understand­ing our Lord Jesus, His relation to sin, and why He was "made like unto His brethren"? The church needs to know. While the world waits and suffers, God suffers too! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Are we Protestants Luther's 'warrior grandchildren?"
If, as John Frame famously asserted, modern orthodox Reformed people too often see themselves as "Machen's Warrior Children," (thus hopelessly sectarian, perpetually at war), I wonder if we Protestants are not also Luther's Warrior Grandchildren.

I bought Mark Edwards' Luther and the False Brethren in 1991 and finally started to give it a serious read last week.SO SO interesting, and chilling.If we are looking for heros, we can't find many here.

Mark Edwards wrote this in 1975.I can't believe there are zero Amazon reviews.This is an important work. by Standford Univ Press, by one of America's great mainline Reformation historians.

Edwards notes that when Luther began his struggle for Reform, he was fighting the Roman Catholics.But soon he opened up a second front -- against other Protestants ("evangelicals").He saw the Baptists (just about all of them, I think) as explicitly non-Christian, Satanic, unsaved.His concerns (if not the absolute value he assigns them) were very legitimate-- for starters the Baptistic were by definition invalidating the sacraments, and thus the most basic Christian identity, of everyone else. And yet (unlike the other moderate reformers like Calvin, Bucer, etc.) he was doing the same thing the Baptists were doing (invalidating their Xian identity) toward the Baptists!And further, Luther also used virtually the same language against Zwingli, Bullinger, and even Bucer (not Calvin, though).

The Roman Catholics at the time returned Luther's bile with interest -- depicting him as the greatest heretic in church history.(I remember years ago reading in the huge Catholic Encyclopedia the same sort of unqualified language --they were likely more charitable to Pelagius and Arians than toward Luther).

Interestingly though, unlike the Catholics, most of the Protestants that Luther attacked did not return the same to Luther.Edwards shows that they mostly attacked his ideas, not his person or salvation; they attacked his language in his polemics; and they attacked his lack of Christian charity.But, according to Edwards' account, the other Protestants never accused Luther of being Satanic, unsaved, or non-Christian.

Sadly, it makes me see that the Protestant movement I am heir to was truly birthed in schism and lack of Christian charity. Just because the Catholics may have been wrong on some theology and seem to have even worse charity doesn't excuse this sin of Luther's.

And yet, it also gives me hope.The other Reformers do seem to be able to put the brakes on the sectarianism to some extent.(Though their fragmentation into so many denominations stinks, they are an improvement on their pioneer). And I think: the Church endured a Luther, we can endure our modern individualists and ecclesiastical war-mongers.

BTW -- I am not any less taken by so much of Luther's theology.I'm just thinking in the terms that good ethos is as important as good theology.They are equally essential.Good ethos with bad theology is terrible.Good theology with bad ethos (Luther, Machen): also terrible.

After readings Edwards, it seems that the Roman Catholic's top leaders, in their Luther interactions, come off as: mixed theology, terrible ethos;
Luther: better theology; terrible ethos;
Zwingli and Baptists and the radicals: mixed theology, good ethos;
Bucer and Oecolampadius and Bullinger: better theology, good ethos.

That's an over-symplification, but suggestive of the need for more who will stand for firm theological convictions, but in a way that treats other Christians as brothers and that debates with charity and love toward those who differ.Bucer and his ilk are a good model for that. ... Read more

Product Description
The Azerbaijani people have been divided between Iran and the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan for more than 150 years, yet they have retained their ethnic identity. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an independent Azerbaijan have only served to reinforce their collective identity.In Borders and Brethren, Brenda Shaffer examines trends in Azerbaijani collective identity from the period of the Islamic Revolution in Iran through the Soviet breakup and the beginnigs of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1979-2000). Challenging the mainstream view in contemporary Iranian studies, Shaffer argues that a distinctive Azerbaijani identity exists in Iran and that Azerbaijani ethnicity must be a part of studies of Iranian society and assessments of regime stability in Iran. She analyzes how Azerbaijanis have maintained their identity and how that identity has assumed different forms in the former Soviet Union and Iran. In addition to contributing to the study of ethnic identity, the book reveals the dilemmas of ethnic politics in Iran. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent
An excellent book to highlight the plight of Azerbaijani people in Iran under Persian apartheid. Azerbaijanis are suffering from one of the worst racial discriminations today in the planet. They are not allowed to learn their language or have a media or even name their streets, businesses, or even kids with an Azerbaijani name. As a matter of fact Azerbaijani language is considered a foreign language according to Iranian regulations and is banned from any sort of usage unless authorized by the goverment!!!! Thanks Brenda.

important study on Azerbaijani issue in Iran
As seen from previous review the topic itself is complex, emotional and sensitive. People from Iran and Azerbaijan will differ their opinion on the subject of the book - the identity of Azerbaijanis in Iran. But the problem of Azerbaijani identity in Iran exists despite the denial of Iranians. Yes, some part of Azerbaijani population align themself with Iranian state and culture. But the significant other portion DO NOT. And this problem emerged not yesterday - we have to recall the attempt of Iranian Azerbaijanis to create its own state and unite with North in 1945-46 (I would advise Turaj Atabaki's book on this subject). With current Iranian regime, supression of Azerbaijani language and culture, the problem is going to be exacerbated. Brenda Shaffer did a good job enlighting this problem in last two decades of the XX century - aftermath of Iranian revolution, collapse of USSR and the establishment of independent Azerbaijan.

Founding premise of book is wrong
I read through half of this book and decided it is not worth my time to read the rest. The founding premise of this book.. that there is a North and a South Azerbaijan that are seperated for 150 years is, simply put, factually and historically incorrect. Historically, what is called the Republic of Azerbaijan today was only called so after the Tsarist Russian takeover of the territory from Iran in the treay of Turkomanchai. Prior to this, this territory was actually three provinces in Iran, and the main one was known as Arran. None of the three were called Azerbaijan. The only Azerbaijan land at the time was what is today Iranian Azerbaijan (ie, the territory below the Aras river). The Tsarist (along with pan-Turkic extremists) created the name of Republic of Azerbaijan to create the illusion of seperation and North-south so that they could lay the foundation for an eventual annexation of Iranian Azerbaijan, as Tsarist (and eventually Soviet) Russia was very keen on further territorial expansion into Iran. The second issue I have with this book is the continual mix up of ethnicity and language. Azerbaijan's ethnicity is a mix, but clearly much more Indo-Iranian than Turkic. The language was Turkified (from a previous mix of Kurdish, Persian, Talish, and Tati) after the multiple waves of Turkic (Oguz, Mongul) invasions, where the invading armies became the ruling elite and their Turkic languages dominated as they started dominating the region's economy and power structure. Consider it similar to what happened to Syria or Iraq or Egypt after the Arab/Mulsim invasion during the caliphate times. Persian words, phrases, vocabulary, are all so well entrenched and dominating Azeri Turkish language that it is easy to see the integral part of Iranian (Persian, Kursidh, Talishi, Tati) languages in modern day Azeri Turkish. Finally, and this is probably the most obvious of all... the clearest evidence of a common history and background is cultural aspects of people's lives. Azerbaijan of Iran has most, if not all, of its culture common with and part of a greater Iranian culture. Everything from Noroz, the food and cooking, eating, non-religious (Zorastrian) ceremonies (charshanbe sori, mehregan etc), geime Tabrizi, everything is one and the same, part of the Iranian cultural fabric that has united the people of the Iranian plateau since even before the Achmenid dynasty. Azerbaijanis, their Turkish speakers, Talish speakers, Tatis, Kurds, are all part of the Iranian culture, and are one and the same with the rest of the Iranian people. This same cultural unity is applicable to the people of Arran/Republic of Azerbaijan. It is unfortunate that people such as Brenda try to create artificial seperation between people along arbitrary lines, and try to create a false history to support their inaccurate theories.

An intriguing rough guide to Azerbaijani society and history
Although the title of the book might suggest otherwise Brenda Shaffer deals with both the independent Republic of Azerbaijan and their Southern co-ethnics in Iranian Azerbaijan. She offers the reader an extensive and a well-documented account of Azerbaijani Identity in Iran and Azerbaijan from beginning of the 20th century and up till present. She analyzes and gives new answers to old controversies; i.e.the deceleration of an autonomous republic in southern Azerbaijan at the end of the 2WW. Later on she offers a thorough analysis on the impact of the Iranian revolution, the Russian revolution, the break-up of the Soviet Union and the subsequent independence of northern Azerbaijan on the Azeri identity. Throughout the book she argues that there is a common Azeri identity that transcends the almost 200-year-old division between south and north Azerbaijan. The investigation and analysis does not limit itself to the historical and political arena, she does also deal with cultural, lingual, religious and social sides of life in the two Azerbaijans. All in all, the book stands out as an excellent rough guide to Azerbaijani society and modern history.

Very Academic
While I have yet to finish this book, I was somewhat disappointed as the book is extremely academic and somewhat dryly written.This is an interesting topic, but it is approached in a somewhat sterile way. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS 48 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Romantic Biography of the Age of Elizabeth or Sketches of Life from the Bye Ways of History V1, by The Benedictine Brethren of Glendalough . To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766163121. ... Read more

Product Description
Collection of 130 engaging Brethren anecdotes on topics such as worship, peace, western migration, Annual Conference, and Brethren personalities. Some stories appeared previously in The Brethren Encyclopedia; others are new. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Delightful Collection!
Preaching In A Tavern (and 129 other surprising stories from Brethren life) is a delightful collection of stories from Brethren experience over the last couple hundred years.As a Brethren minister today, I was lookingforward to having a resource of illustrations that relate closely to ourreligious heritage.My only disappointment was that many of the storieswere the same as those included in the Brethren Encyclopedia, which I ownand have read.The stories are categorized into eight different areas -worship, peace and justice, witness, migration, Annual Conference,vocation, Brethren personalities, and celebrity connections.The storiesare well written and insightful - most are quoted from other sources, whichare well documented.Some are old familiar classics (such as theundocumented story of President Lincoln's baptism by night,) and otherswere new to this reader (such as how "Quantrill's Raid - A Most DastardlyEpisode" impacted Brethren families living south of Lawrence, KS.)

Notonly does Morse's book provide a special look into the past for Brethrenpeople today, it also provides for entertaining and instructive reading forthose unfamiliar with the Brethren movement.The book itself is a pleasinglittle square handful, appropriate both as a gift, a coffee table book, orcasual reading of any kind. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: London : Houlston ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more