What is(are) Your Favorite Book(s) in Your Library?

[N. Eshelman]

Many of us here on the Puritan Board are bibliophiles. We LOVE books! Some of us have huge libraries, some of us have small but sanctified libraries. Many of us have antiquarian books or books that mean a lot to us for a number of reasons.

What is/are your favorite/s book/s in your library and why? Do you have a great story about the book? How you acquired it. Who previously owned it, etc?

Just some light booknerd fun to start the weekend:

 

[Frank Brito.]

Bible is number one, of course...

After that, I'd say, "The Institutes"...

 

[Augusta]

I can't choose between my top three: An Alarm to the Unconverted, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, and The Bruised Reed.

 

[NRB]

The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

 

[JennyG]

well, if it's just favourites...not necessarily the ones you most esteem or profit from, but just the ones you love, including for nostalgic reasons... that really narrows it down, maybe even to as few as 300, hahaha!
Some books I could never, ever part with:
The Heir of Redclyffe by Charlotte M Yonge. Through that book, though I didn't know it the day it caught my eye in the Library stacks, God was to set my feet on the long road that led me to him.
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. Set in Roman Britain, lots of the action near where I grew up. The best adventure story ever (forget LOTR).
Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell. Hauntingly sad, and my daughter loves it too so we bond over it.....we can't believe anyone else really appreciates otters!!
Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten and all the other Beatrix Potters. They're all covered in baby scribblings, which makes them yet dearer.
The other 200-odd will have to wait...

-----Added 11/20/2009 at 04:21:56 EST-----

....I now realise that looks as if I stole my copy of The Heir of Redclyffe from the University library, but no, I went and bought one!

 

[Sgt Grit]

When I was a baby Christian Our Sufficiency in Christ John MacArthur, and later Holiness by Ryle.

 

[Daniel Haley]

For me it's always the book(s) I'm currently reading, which happen to be:

A Christian View of Men and Things by Gordon Clark, and

A Case for Amillennialism by Kim RIddlebarger

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

I love biographies. I really love J. C. Ryles Light from Old Times.

I really love my Nehemiah Coxe book, Covenant Theology From Adam to Christ.

My new favorite book right now is The Marrow of Modern Divinity. I am reading it now.

An old favorite of mine is William Symington's Messiah the Prince. It is on the mediatorial reign of Jesus Christ. Of course you know Dr. Roy Blackwood had some influence on my love for that book.

I have Read John Bunyan's Pilgim's Progress 5 times.

Jeremiah Burrough's Gospel Worship is another of my favorites.

I can keep on going.....

And oh yeah, I love Pooh bear.

 

[Reformed Thomist]

Although I'm only a 6.5-step Osteenian.

 

[calvinich]

I love how the book is so humble and pronounces itself "*The* #1 New York Times Best Seller". And not even in a particular period of time... It must be just sort of floating there as a persistent best seller.

Although I'm only a 6.5-step Osteenian.

 

[Dragoon]

It would have to be Holiness by J. C. Ryle not only because it was instrumental in me excepting the doctrines of Grace but because I have lent my copy to three of my friends which caused,

The first one, to embrace the doctrine of grace.

The second, to realize he was counting on his good works to make him right with God at which point he went to the cross and embraced Christ.

The third, to also embrace the doctrine of grace as well as helped her out of a bad case of depression.

 

[Rich Koster]

Spurgeon: Morning & Evening Devo. (confession..it is an e-book)

 

[sastark]

I have a few books that are signed by the author: a couple by Cornelius Van Til, one signed by Al Mohler, a pair signed by Kenneth Samples, one signed by Peter Hammond and a few others. I also own the first Bible my Dad owned after becoming a Christian, which I think is a pretty cool thing to have.

And, of course, my 1599 Geneva Bible from Tolle Lege Press.

 

[Wayne]

Or to put it another way, what would you rescue if you could only grab a few?:

A leather-bound set of Matthew Henry's Commentary that was originally my great-grandfather's.
and my nearly complete collection of the works of Jeremiah Burroughs (SDG reprints), especially his commentary on Hosea (a rare jewel indeed!).

 

[SolaSaint]

If it counts, I would say my E-Sword. After that it's Grudem's Systematic Theology.

 

[Knight]

The books I have by Gordon Clark.

 

[Pilgrim72]

I have too many books to list. But one book that has become a recent favorite is a first edition Jeremiah Burroughs "Moses His Choice" from 1641. It's not only special to me because Burroughs is one of my favorite authors, but also because of how I acquired it.
I was honored to be allowed to spend a whole day at David Lachman's home, where he has a treasure of antiquarian books. His collection is one of a kind. I was blessed beyond measure to be able to handle and peruse many Puritan works from the 1600s, for example. And the Lachmans' kindness was a blessing to me as well. (I hope to be able to visit again some day.)
Anyway, I'm going through it now, much to my spiritual benefit.

 

[Don Kistler]

David Lachman is indeed a treasure, Alex. My favorite book of all the many I've edited (350+ titles) is "Gospel Worship" by Jeremiah Burroughs, although a close second is his book "The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit." Also Christopher Love's book "Grace" and Thomas Vincent's book "The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ."

 

[TaylorOtwell]

Cardiphonia - John Newton
The Godly Man's Picture - Thomas Watson

 

[PresbyDane]

I collect old Bibles and have one from 1740 I really like that one. I also love my ESV studybible and after that Calvins institutes Sprouls holiness of God ans etc, etc....

 

[Berean]

My little Valley of Vision book of Puritan prayers. The Holiness of God by Sproul.

 

[fralo4truth]

I LOVE MY BOOKS!

1) The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. This is one of the greatest historical works ever written.

2) In the Beginning by Walt Brown. For anyone interested in creation science and its defense, this book (more like an encyclopedia) is incredible.

3) The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen. NOTE TO ALL UNIVERSALISTS: BE AFRAID! BE VERY AFRAID!

4) 10 VOL. COLLECTION OF SPURGEON'S SERMONS. What I would have given to be under the sound of his voice!

5) The Works of Josephus. Great extrabiblical material!

 

[JM]

A Christian Directory.

 

[RTaron]

Man's Guiltiness before God by Thomas Goodwin.

 

[N. Eshelman]

Good show! Good show! Keep it up! I am TOTALLY driving to Orange County to snatch a book from Alex!

I have some that are favorites due to intrinsic value:

1. United Presbyterian Worship Manual called The Book of Common Worship which Dr. Charles Krahe gave to Ray B. Lanning on his ordination to the ministry in 1976- and Ray (who was my mentor) gave it to me on my ordination. I hope to pass it on someday as well. It is a very useful book for young pastors and the prayers are quite devotional.

2. An Associate Presbyterian Westminster Standards from 1770. Wonderfully bound in brown leather.

3. The Work of the Civil Government by James Willson that was owned (and signed) by WM Glasgow. This is part of my historic RPCNA library. I have about 25 1st edition RP pastor books that are of historical value to RPs. At least three are signed by WM Glasgow (he is THE RP historian).

4. A Bible in Swedish that my Great-grandmother brought from Sweden when she came to the US in the 1800s.

 

[jambo]

Other than the bible,

Pilgrim's Progress
Rutherford's letters
Flavel's Fountain of Life
Watson's Godly Mans Picture
Westminster Confession containing larger/shorter catechisms, directory of public worship, sum of saving knowledge etc
Valley of Vision
Careys biography by S Pearce Carey
Operation World

 

[JBaldwin]

And oh yeah, I love Pooh bear.

Me too!

I have different favorites at different times. It's amazing how God has used books in my life when I needed them, and I can almost trace my christian walk through my favorite books.

Next to the Scriptures, these are the ones that have had the most impact on me over the years. Two are no longer in my library. (from the earliest in my life until now) This list is not exhaustive.

"By Searching" Isobel Kuhn (autobiography, part 1)
"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" C.S. Lewis
"Here I Stand" (The biography of Martin Luther) Roland Bainton
"le Prie de la Joie" (The Price of Joy) The authobiography of Blanche Gamond
"The Four Loves" C.S. Lewis
"That Hideous Strength" C.S. Lewis (I can't remember how many times I've read it)
"Predestination" Loraine Boetner
"The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God" John Piper

My favorite young children's book is "The Library" by Sarah Stewart. My daughter and I checked that book out of the library so many times, I finally went and bought a copy.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

I have a little over 1000 books. There are many that are special to me.

My new KJV bible by R.L. Allan is my most prized book. I love it.

 

[historyb]

I would say mine is A History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill and a series on the Civil War.

 

[reformed trucker]

Besides the obvious, Horton Hears a Who. It's not in my library, because it was located elsewhere. This was a book that my little girl loved. I read it to her at naptime everyday for almost a year. It was right after some hard family times. It has a lot of bittersweet nostalgia attached to it.

Dr. Seuss rocks! Every night I would read my oldest daughter a story; she always talked me into two books. I read her "The Foot Book" so many times, she knew it by heart. One Christmas when the family was over, my grandma was amazed that she was 3 1/2 years old, and "reading" every page (she knew it by heart).

Other than that, all 500+ in my library (after the Bible).