HISstory books?

bigheavyq · #1 (**permalink**) 12-10-2004, 06:44 AM

this for you experts in history like virginiahuguenot

where do you get your info?
what historical books do you have in your library?
please help?

VirginiaHuguenot · #2 (**permalink**) 12-10-2004, 08:28 AM

Who, me?

There's plenty of other good historians on PB too, that's for sure.

It's not easy to answer this question, but I'll try.

My library pays homage to church history in that I have been blessed to collect over the years a number of books dealing with the Reformation, English and American Puritans, Scottish Covenanters, French Huguenots and other branches of the church.

Here's a sampling of books on my shelves as referenced in a thread in the Church History forum:

Quote:

Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot
The Scottish Covenanters are among the most noble heroes of the Christian faith in all of history. Adherents to the Reformed Presbyterian branch of the Reformation, defenders of liberty in both church and state, martyrs for the cause of Christ's Crown &amp;amp;amp; Covenant, these Scots Worthies remain a "cloud of witnesses" to Reformed principles today.

For further information on their glorious heritage, see the following links of interest:

History:

http://www.sorbie.net/covenanters.htm

http://www.tartans.com/articles/covmain.html

http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/...covenanter.htm

http://www.rampantscotland.com/know/...ovenanters.htm

Memorials:

http://www.covenanter.org.uk/

Further reading:

Fair Sunshine by Jock Purves
Men of the Covenant by Alexander Smellie
The Scots Worthies by John Howie
Religious Principles of the Scottish Martyrs by Andrew Syminton
Sketches of the Covenanters by J.C. McFeeters
The Dictionary of Scottish Church History & Theology
by Nigel M. De S. Cameron, David F. Wright, David C. Lachman
Treasury of the Scottish Covenant by J.C. Johnston
Scottish Covenanters by J.G. Vos
The Story of the Scottish Church by Thomas M'Crie
The Lion of the Covenant - The story of Richard Cameron by Maurice Grant
A Cloud of Witnesses by J.H. Thomson
The Covenanters by J.K. Hewison
Lives of the Covenanters by Patrick Walker
History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland by Robert Wodrow
Memoirs of the Church of Scotland by Daniel Defoe
Scottish Covenanter Stories: Tales from the Killing Times
by Dane Love
Torchbearers of the truth: sketches of the Scottish Covenanters by A. Sinclair Horne

As you can see, there are many informative history resources to be found on the Web too. Don't discount Google.

Church history is my particular passion (I spent three years, for example, preparing a Year 2000 calendar on important dates in Church history, which I self-published), but the history of Western civilization in general is a gold mine waiting to be dug. You never know where it will take you. The Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans (if want to read about the Romans in Gaul and enjoy a slightly skewed sense of humor, then by all means check out the Asterix series, it's hilarious, but back to serious history...), the Celts, the Germans, the Vikings, the Crusaders, the Moors, the Renaissance men, kings and queens of Europe, the American colonists, the Founding Fathers, Latin American freedom fighters, military heroes, dictators, philosophers, artists, scientists, inventors, politicians, and so many more can lead you down remarkable and stimulating paths of enlightenment. What's your pleasure? Is there a particular time and place that you want to study in depth? Do you like biographies or general history books? I am building a collection of Landmark history books for my children to read on numerous different subjects. Homeschooling really forces one to investigate the different options for learning about history and other subjects. We must always be discerning about the sources of information that we rely on. What are the author's presuppositions? Conventional history is worth knowing, but remember that you can usually learn some interesting facts by digging further. Many Christian histories of America, for example, portray George Washington as a great Christian hero, but neglect to mention that he was a Mason. It's unlikely that one book alone will give you the full story and even then remember that history is written by historians. Few books mention that the French Huguenots colonized America 50 years before Jamestown and Plymouth. To me, that's a fact worth knowing, but I didn't learn it in school; it took a lot of personal research and now I have books and books on the subject. Anyway, I don't mean to go on and on...I just mean to encourage you down the road to learning more about history, because although it is hard work, it is also tremendously rewarding. God is Lord over his story, to him be the glory!

[Edited on 10-12-2004 by VirginiaHuguenot]

bigheavyq · #3 (**permalink**) 12-11-2004, 10:12 PM

thanks for the info.
I am interested in all types of history, especially american, early, indian and the west.
As far as church History, I'm interested in reformed in holland, america and especially south africa (since my grandmother's from there).
any help would be appreciated

Ivanhoe · #4 (**permalink**) 12-11-2004, 10:35 PM

Andrew has said pretty much everything on Scottish History, especially that of the Reformation; I have little to offer. For the standard Neo-Evangelical interpretation of American history (which in the long run I have disagreements with), I would recommend Noll, Marsden, and Hatch. Reformed Theology in America edited by David Wells is top notch. Doug Kelly's The Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World is quite good. For non-Christian history written by a Catholic, Cambridge historian, Paul Johnson is about the best conservative out there. Otto Scott is interesting. Iain Murray's works are always soul-stirring.

If you want an exciting, albeit skewed, version of Celtic history cloaked in fantasy, yet trying to employ Christian themes, Stephen Lawhead is a good writer.