Humanism: What's in the Word.

Humanism: What's in the Word by Nicolas Walter (London: Rationalist Press Association, 1997); 96 pp.; 6 [pounds sterling] paper.

Crammed into a mere ninety-six pages, Nicolas Walter's book is a readable, comprehensive, almost encyclopedic exploration of the origins and meanings of the word humanism and a guide through the history of the humanist movement across the world. Written by a knowledgeable British humanist, the book is an indispensable reference for writers, speakers, and the general reader. Walter identifies some of the controversies and disagreements among humanists but does not take sides.

The worst thing about Gregory Wolfe's anthology is its misleading, deceptive title. Though the terms humanism and religious humanism are not copyrighted or trademarked, this book is not about the mainstream religious humanism found in the Unitarian Universalist, Ethical Culture, and Humanistic Judaism movements and congregations. Indeed, few of the book's nineteen contributors even use the word humanism, none fit the standard picture of a religious humanist, some specifically attack mainstream humanist positions, and nearly all, while not fundamentalists, appear to be in the center-right of the Christian spectrum. Be warned, then, that this book, while not without some limited value, is not about any recognizable form of religious humanism.

Edd Doerr, president of the American Humanist Association, is editor of Timely and Timeless: The Wisdom of E. Burdette Backus (Humanist Press, 1998).