Reading a great book during my travels this week – a book not in my scheduled reading, but nonetheless a pleasant surprise (as many spontaneous reads have been). The book is an interesting book in that it is an invitation and introduction to read other books. So, take this blog entry to be an Invitation to An Invitation to the Classics [Louise Cowan and Os Guinness, Invitation to the Classics (Baker Books, Grand Rapids:MI, 1998)] Invitation to the Classics is just that – a renewed invitation to the corpus of great literature that has shaped Western Civilization. Beginning early in the Hellenistic era, tracing great works through the Roman Empire, to the Latin Church Fathers, through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and into contemporary times, the book stands as a great introduction to a treasure trove of literature. Organized as a chronological encyclopedia, each section centers on a major work/author (i.e. Plato’s Republic, circa 375 BC). The section is organized with introductory material, a discussion of themes, questions to ponder during reading the work and suggestions for further study. Although most properly used as a reference or a launching into the works themselves, Invitation stands on its own as a fun “mini-introduction” to each of the authors and works. Interspersed throughout are several great articles on literary streams such as “Western Histories,” “Roman and Italian Classics,” “Early Christian Writers,” and “Medieval Christian Writers,” “Spanish Classics,” “Devotional Classics,” and many others. A fun and recommended read... Out

--------