The Bible and the people

by Lori Anne Ferrell. This energetically written, wonderfully illustrated book seeks to demonstrate how generations of people have sought, through a seemingly endless array of methods (some quite strange), to make the Bible their own in their personal and religious lives. Ferrell (Claremont Graduate Univ.) admirably succeeds in her goals, once the reader understands that her focus is the "Christian Bible" and adherents of Christianity. As a professor of early modern literature and history, Ferrell is on firmer ground when she writes about the period and the people she knows best. But she is absolutely superb whenever she concentrates on a particular document (almost all housed at The Huntington Library, San Marino): she has a rare talent for bringing a wide variety of biblical texts to life, often starting with a stray note or short inscription and imaginatively building to construct a lively account of how and by whom such materials were constructed and subsequently used. Because of Ferrell's engaging style, her volume is accessible to everyone and holds surprises and delights for anyone with an interest in the Bible as it is, and has been, experienced by actual people in real-life circumstances for hundreds of years. Most libraries should acquire this volume. --Choice (Check Catalog)