Books published by publisher Eerdmans Publishing Co.

George MacDonald (1824-1905), the great nineteenth-century innovator of modern fantasy, influenced not only C. S. Lewis but also such literary masters as Charles Williams and J. R. R. Tolkien. Though his longer fairy tales Lilith and Phantastes are particularly famous, much of MacDonald's best fantasy writing is found in his shorter stories. In this volume editor Glenn Sadler has compiled some of MacDonald's finest short works-marvelous fairy tales and stories certain to delight readers familiar with MacDonald and those about to meet him for the first time.

The first book written by C. S. Lewis after his conversion, The Pilgrim's Regress is, in a sense, the record of Lewis's own search for meaning and spiritual satisfaction -- a search that eventually led him to Christianity.Here is the story of the pilgrim John and his odyssey to an enchanting island which has created in him an intense longing 7mdash; a mysterious, sweet desire. John's pursuit of this desire takes him through adventures with such people as Mr. Enlightenment, Media Halfways, Mr. Mammon, Mother Kirk, Mr. Sensible, and Mr. Humanist and through such cities as Thrill and Eschropolis as well as the Valley of Humiliation.Though the dragons and giants here are different from those in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Lewis's allegory performs the same function of enabling the author to say simply and through fantasy what would otherwise have demanded a full-length philosophy of religion.

Simms Sylvanus is nine years old and enormously wise. He knows more about active volcanoes than his father knows about business, and more about electromagnetic fields than anyone in his class. His ideas to improve things are amazing! Yet nobody — not even his parents — will listen to him. Cricket is living a lonely life beneath the floorboards in Simms' room. His bride-to-be has left him after a fight, and he doesn't know how to help the other creatures who live underground and fear for their lives. Everything changes one winter's day when Simms and Cricket discover they can communicate with each other. Through Morse Code, the two tell of their troubles, listen to each other's ideas, and together learn that it's sometimes difficult to do the right thing. Reissued with charming new illustrations, this beloved classic is sure to delight a new generation of readers.

In this breathtaking chronicle of the most spectacular shipwrecks and survivals on the Great Lakes, William Ratigan re-creates vivid scenes of high courage and screaming panic from which no reader can turn away.Included in this striking catalog of catastrophes and Flying Dutchmen are the magnificent excursion liner Eastland, which capsized at her pier in the Chicago River, drowning 835 people within clutching distance of busy downtown streets; the shipwrecked steel freighter Mataafa, which dumped its crew into freezing waters while the snowbound town of Duluth looked on; the dark Sunday in November 1913 when Lake Huron swallowed eight long ships without a man surviving to tell the tale; and the bitter November of 1958 when the Bradley went down in Lake Michigan during one of the greatest killer storms on the freshwater seas. An entire section is dedicated to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald -- the most famous maritime loss in modern times -- in Lake Superior in 1975.Chilling watercolor illustrations, photographs, maps, and news clippings accentuate Ratigan's compelling and dramatic storytelling. Sailors, historians, and general readers alike will be swept away by these unforgettable tales of tragedy and heroism.

The beloved words of The Lord’s Prayer serve as the text for this remarkable book, in which Tim Ladwig illustrates how the words of this ancient prayer can have real meaning in our lives today.In Tim’s paintings, a young girl and her father spend a day together helping an elderly neighbor. The love and guidance the child experiences in her relationship with her dad reflect the heart and will of our Heavenly Father in concrete ways children of all ages will understand.

In the mid-1800s, a turbulent time when women were often thought to be unworthy of higher education, Maria Mitchell rose above the prejudices of her day to become America's first professional woman astronomer. This exciting biography tells the story of Maria Mitchell's life, her amazing achievements, and her faith that saw God's handiwork in the heavens.

"What are you doing, mister?" The old man ran a creased hand over his half-completed woodwork. "I'm carving a Jesse tree, if you must know. Now run along out of here. A church isn’t for playing in." "Is that your name, then? Jesse?" The carpenter was impatient to get back to work. "Of course not. A Jesse tree is a very ancient tradition. A thousand years ago, every church had a Jesse tree. A stained-glass window or a carved wooden screen . . . Nowadays, it’s a lost art."As Mr. Butterfield carves a Jesse Tree in an old dusty church, a curious young boy distracts him, asking about the various symbols on the tree. Against his better judgment, the old man finds himself retelling the familiar Biblical tales that trace the lineage of Christ, from the Garden of Eden to Jesus’ birth. Under the carpenter’s skilled hands, the Jesse tree grows — and an unlikely friendship begins to take root as well.Geraldine McCaughrean's fresh retellings of familiar Bible events and Bee Willey’s whimsical and striking illustrations create a rich and contemporary tale, perfect for reading during Advent or anytime.The Jesse Tree will captivate readers who know and love the Bible stories as well as those who are reading them for the first time.

Around the year 1200 Francis and Clare were born in Assisi, Italy. Although born into wealthy families, they chose lives of poverty instead. Francis preached to both people and animals throughout the towns, while Clare cared for the sick in the convent of San Damiano. Both gave a joyful face to the spirituality of the Middle Ages and set examples that live on even today.Here the story of Clare and Francis is told in simple words and illustrated through striking images adorned with gold. Opening with a short chronological biography accompanied by miniatures and closing with Francis's "Canticle of Brother Sun," this inspiring book will bring the tale of Assisi's two great saints to life for readers everywhere.

The Lives of Ordinary People tells the untold story of how the vast majority of Israelites ― the people who are usually overlooked in "typical" histories of ancient Israel ― lived during the eighth century b.c.e. William G. Dever applies the latest archaeological evidence and his own considerable expertise to answer the question What was it really like to live in Israel's divided kingdom? Writing as an archaeologist who is also a secular humanist, Dever relies primarily on archaeological data rather than the Hebrew Bible for his source material. He uncovers and analyzes rich archaeological troves that provide vital clues about how most people lived. Illustrated by photos, maps, charts, site plans, and specially commissioned drawings, Dever's work brings vividly to life a world too long buried beneath dusty texts and stony landscapes.