The Bible for Bibliophiles

In the "unadulterated wow" category is the dazzling offering The Book: A History of the Bible by paleographist Christopher de Hamel, who served for a quarter century as the head of the Western Manuscripts department at Sotheby's in London. Packed with full-color representations of illuminated manuscripts, ancient scrolls, stained glass windows and early published editions of the Bible, the art takes center stage here. (Even the back cover should win an award for the most imaginative, startling religion book jacket design in recent memory.) The narrative history of the Bible's many translations and editions is also captivating, particularly the closing chapter on 20th-century biblical discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library. (Phaidon, $39.95 352p ISBN 0-7148-3774-1; Nov.)

For All the Saints

Although most of the Christian saints were celibates who never had children (Monica, much-touted mother of Augustine, is an obvious exception), parents who are at their wits' end may still find comfort in praying to them. In The Patience of a Saint: How Faith Can Sustain You During the Tough Times of Parenting, Charlene Giannetti and Margaret Sagarese offer heartfelt advice to beleaguered moms and dads, particularly those who are struggling with a rebellious teen. Parents who are stretched to the limits of their patience can draw comfort from a St. Christopher medal, and those who find it difficult to live harmoniously with their teens can abide by the Rule of St. Benedict. (For Benedict, silence—even the sullen silence of adolescence—was a virtue.) And when all hope seems lost, there's always St. Jude—the patron saint of hopeless causes. (Broadway, $12.95 paper 224p ISBN 0-7679-0901-1; Jan. 15)

In the catchy title department, there's Dear Saint Anne, Send Me a Man: And Other Time-Honored Prayers for Love, by Alice and Clare LaPlante. The sisters, whose good humor was evident in their previous book, Heaven Help Us: The Worrier's Guide to the Patron Saints, offer amusing tips for the lovelorn. Here's the full text of the Saint Anne prayer: "Dear St. Anne, send me a man. If he lies or if he dies, please, Mary's mother, send me another." Sprinkled throughout such tongue-in-cheek prayers are interesting historical anecdotes about the saints. (Universe, $16.95 paper 128p ISBN 0-7893-0655-7; Jan.)

Catholics seeking relief from temptations and difficulties may find comfort in Saintly Solutions to Life's Common Problems—from Anger, Boredom, and Temptation to Gluttony, Gossip, and Greed, by Father Joseph Esper. Esper notes that "the saints, too, had to struggle with life's problems," and their example can be inspirational to those who are in need. Although the book's concept is not very original, it is full of useful anecdotes and practical suggestions. (Sophia Institute, $21.95 paper 400p ISBN 1-928832-37-7; Jan.)

American Religious History

In Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History, Deborah Vansau McCauley described the history of Appalachian Christianity using a broad canvas, using 551 pages to give a sweeping overview of how the region "got religion." Since its publication in 1995, a trickle of studies has followed, filling in the blanks of Appalachian history and focusing on some of its major players. John Sparks's The Roots of Appalachian Christianity: The Life and Legacy of Elder Shubal Stearns argues for the importance of the 18th-century traveling preacher in establishing Appalachian Christianity as a distinctive, populist movement. The story is well-told by Sparks, who is not an academic but describes himself as an unpaid "country preacher" in Eastern Kentucky. This is a fine addition to the University Press of Kentucky series on Religion in the South. ($32.50 320p ISBN 0-8131-2223-6; Nov.)

At the dawn of the 20th century, representations of the Amish were rarely sympathetic and often bordered on caricature; at the beginning of the 21st, the Amish are the objects of fascination and even reverence. In The Amish in the American Imagination, David Weaver-Zercher explores how Americans have "fashioned the renowned sectarians for their own purposes—to mark boundaries, express fears, support causes and, in many cases, make a profit." Weaver-Zercher does an especially fine job of revealing how Americans' anxieties about modern technology are demonstrated through their changing cultural representations of the Amish. This is a fine and well-written study, its prose a winning mixture of plain and fancy. (Johns Hopkins, $34.95 268p ISBN 0-8018-6681-2; Nov. 15)