Books received from various publishers.

From Rodopi, Tijnmuiden 7, 1046 AK,

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

(Tel. in NY, U.S.A.: [phone].)

Peter A. Redpath, Ed., A Thomistic Tapestry: Essays in Memory of Etienne Gilson, 2003, $62. U.S., softcover, 244 pages. The students of Gilson present this special collection of essays honouring their teacher. Thomistic realism is presented in the tradition of Gilsonian humanism covering such themes as aesthetics, philosophy, historical method, politics, epistemology, and metaphysics. To be reviewed.

From Virtual Bookworm.com Publishing,

PO Box 9949, College Station, TX, 77842.

Osward Sobrino, Unpopular Catholic Truths, 2003, $12.95 U.S., softcover, 100 pages. A no-nonsense title adorns this unpretentious work. Sobrino, a graduate student in theology, offers a defence of Catholic teaching on such "unpopular" (read politically incorrect) issues as abortion, contraception, abstinence, Church teaching authority, and the all-male priesthood, as a counterbalance to the distortions in the secular media.

From Brazos Press, P.O. Box 6287, Grand

Rapids, MI 49516-6287.

Tel.: [phone].

Dwight Longenecker and David Gustafson, Mary: A Catholic--Evangelical Debate, 2003, $14.99 U.S., soft cover, 240 pages. This is a respectful argument between Catholic Longenecker and Evangelical Gustafson on the role of Mary in the plan for salvation. It could serve as a valuable reference in Catholic-Evangelical ecumenism or, as Father Richard Neuhaus suggests in the Foreword, "this book reflects the growing reality of conservation replacing confrontation between Evangelicals and Catholics." To be reviewed.

From Random House of Canada Ltd., 2775

Matheson Blvd E., Mississauga, ON,

L4W 4P7.

Laura Boswell, The Christian Book of Questions, 2003, $14.95 Cdn or $9.95 U.S., softcover, 198 pages.

This pocket-size booklet consists of 350 questions pertaining to various matters of faith. Questions are presented to the reader, who may ponder them in search for the answer (e.g. through the help of the Bible, friends, or other sources).

W.G. Sebald, After Nature, 2003, $19.95 Cdn, softcover, 116 pages. Michael Hamburger's translation of Sebald's poetry conveys the lucidity of the original. The poet was remarkable for originality of forms and emotional seriousness and a fascination with the themes of stillness, migration, and remembering.

Douglas Coupland, Hey Nostradamus!, 2003, $34.95 Cdn, hardcover, 246 pages. The protagonists experience violence and alienation; they try to resolve their problems by applying confused and strange concepts of religion.

Bert Ghezzi, Sacred Passages: Bringing the Sacraments to Life, 2003, $26.95 Cdn or $17.95 U.S., hardcover, 166 pages. In this slim volume Bert Ghezzi seeks to simplify the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. As the title suggests, Ghezzi upholds the sacraments as life-transforming experiences that serve as passages to a heightened sense of the spiritual. An American Catholic author with 15 previous titles to his credit, Ghezzi is on familiar turf with this offering.

Joseph Telushkin, The Ten Commandments of Character, 2003, $38 Cdn or $25 U.S., hardcover, 317 pages. Rabbi Telushkin offers "comfortable" compromise solutions to problems such as abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, homosexuality, and other vices; a view to which no Catholic should subscribe.

From Goose Lane Editions, 469 King St.,

Fredericton, NB, E3B 1E5.

Tel.: [phone].

Daniel Coleman, The Scent of Eucalyptus: A Missionary Childhood in Ethiopia, 2003, $24.95 Cdn, softcover, 254 pages. This is described as a finely crafted memoir of missionary life in Ethiopia during the early to mid-1960s. As the Canadian son of missionary parents working in a strife-torn African nation, author Coleman reflects on the experience of living between two cultures. The tension between missionary imperative and native relief adds drama to this narrative. The author is an authority on cultural identification and its depiction in literature.

From Harper Collins, 2 Bloor St. E., 20th

Floor, Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8.

Tel.: [phone].

Philip Yancey, Rumours of another word, 2003, $29.99 Cdn, handcover, 272 pages. This can best be described as a skeptic's efforts to find a sense of the spiritual in non-traditional ways. A prolific author with a best-seller to his credit, Yancey invites readers to consider an unseen world of meaning co-existing with our own often harsh reality.

From Harper Collins, 1995 Markham Rd,

Scarborough, ON, M1B 5M8.

Tel.: [phone].

Waller R. Newell, The Code of Man: Love, Courage, Pride Family, Country, 2003, $39.95 Cdn, hardcover, 629 pages. This is the commentaries of what constitutes proper manhood. Author Waller Newell, a professor of political science at Carleton University in Ottawa, argues that a proper emphasis on the five foudations (love, courage, prider, family and country) will help guide today's young men back to a more thorough understanding of the traditional male role. The author juxtaposes pop culture with classical texts to chart the right path of today's more thoughtful man.

From Random House of Canada Ltd.,

2775 Matheson Blvd. E., Mississauga, ON L4W 4P7.

Paul Perry, Jesus in Egypt: Discovering the Secrets of Christ's Childhood Years, 2003, $37.95 Cdn, hardcover, 269 pages. This is an ambitious (or presumptous) effort to shed light on the early life of Christ, spent in flight from Herod in Egypt. Despite the author's admission that the Scriptures have little to say on Christ's experience in Egypt, Perry speculates on what happened the Holy Family there, and how the experience might have changed Christ's life and influenced His teachings. The author writes from the stance of a believer, but his book appears to be as much speculation and travel adventure as it is history.