Friends told me last night that they had seen hardback copies of my book,
"First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St.
Andrew" (Paraclete Press, 2006) at an outlet chain in the
Maryland-Delaware-Pennsylvania area called "Ollie's", for $3.99 each. You
may not live in the area, but I expect this means that it could be at other
discount outlets around the country too.
The book is a study of a long, poetic hymn known as the Great Canon, written
by St. Andrew of Crete around 720 AD. In it, St. Andrew searches through the
Scriptures from beginning to end, seeking out examples of people and events
that spur him to greater repentance and yearning for God. It's a profound
and moving work, and Eastern Orthodox Christians offer this hymn as a
worship service during Lent.
In the book I divided the Canon into 40 readings, with annotations,
explanations, and the citations for each Scripture. Each daily entry
includes questions to aid discussion or reflection. It's a good work to read
during Lent--
--which is coming fast this year,
because Easter is so early. For both East and West it is April 4. We
Orthodox begin Lent this year on Valentine's Day, Feb 14, and, in the West,
Ash Weds falls on Feb 17.
It's disconcerting to an author to hear a book has been sold off like this,
"remaindered" in the lingo, but I expect what's happening is the publisher
trying to get rid of the last of the hardback copies, so that all that is
left is the paperback. As the paperback is still in print and doing fairly
well, I'm not too worried about it.
So I recommend "First Fruits" for those who are thinking about selecting a
book to read devotionally during Lent, or to discuss with a small group. If
you can't find it at Ollie's or equivalent, the paperback is available
online and in bookstores, and at Paraclete's
website<http://www.paracletepress.com/first-fruits-of-prayer-a-forty-day-journey-through-the-canon-of-st-andrew-paperback.html>,
of course. If you'd like an autographed copy, you can get one through the
bookstore at my church, Holy Cross
Bookstore<http://holycrossonline.org/our_parish/khourias_corner/>
.
A blessed Feast of Theophany / Epiphany to all!
********
Frederica Mathewes-Green
www.frederica.com
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