What would a water cooler be without a little March Madness? For this transplanted Tar Heel living in Cougar country, the tournament won’t get much better than today’s game between WSU and UNC. My call: WSU’s stifling defense will hold Carolina’s fast-break offense to twenty-five points less than their tournament average so far. Bad news for WSU, that still puts Carolina on top by about 20.

86-62, UNC.

Here’s a sweet new thing: Canon Press now has an online library, courtesy of Google Books. (What is Google Books? Click here.) The library includes some of our own books which have been uploaded (thanks, Frank!), but primarily it’s a collection of books we’re fond of, for one reason or another. There are over 150 books in the Canon Press Library, and each one is available in full for online browsing (and searching!). Put these two together and for starters, you could—

1. Study Shakespeare using Brightest Heaven of Invention, plus the six plays Leithart analyzes.

2. Sate your wild desire to read Mother Kirk. (I know, it’s been out of print for too long…but have you seen the new cover?)

3. Start a book study for The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Reforming Marriage, or Building Her House.

4. Get a start on the New St. Andrews reading list with The Seven Lamps of Architecture, Robinson Crusoe, On Rhetoric, Faust, or Plutarch’s Lives.

5. Laugh yourself silly reading The Mantra of Jabez.

6. Lull yourself to sleep reading Calvin’s Institutes.

7.Browse Book Tree recommends like Animal Farm, The Owl and the Pussycat, Treasure Island, or Anne of Green Gables.

Zoinks! Other titles you’ll want to watch for amongst the many: The Baptized Body, The Divine Comedy, Augustine’s Confessions, The Odyssey, For a Glory and a Covering, and Bondage of the Will. Have fun! (P.S. Go for the “cover view” option in the top right corner; it’s the best.)

We’re about a month-and-a-half away from the release of The Book Tree (Second Edition), and here at Canon, we’re all excitedly looking forward to watching this book make its way into new homes, schools, and libraries. But some of you may be scratching your heads and wondering, “What’s all the fuss?” or worse, “Why should I be interested in some stuffy reference book?” So, we’ve put a few questions to authors Elizabeth McCallum and Jane Scott, asking them to explain where their vision comes from and what excites them about children’s books.

What first sparked your interest in children’s literature, and what led you to turn that interest into a reference book?
Our love of children’s literature developed over many years of bedtime stories. Our family has always been a reading family, and we have enjoyed many wonderful stories together. We discovered first hand the value of reading books aloud, not only to develop vocabulary and build cultural literacy but perhaps more importantly to build memories and community within the family. Children who are read to from their earliest years are much more likely to see the value of reading good books themselves. (more…)

A new monthly feature from Canon Press.

From Doug Wilson:
A book I am reading now, and would like to commend to the entire Christian population of North America, is Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. One of the many sobering lessons of this 2008 campaign season is that many activist Christians—the kind who vigorously support glib, populist candidates, say—are Christians who don’t understand economics at all. It is easy to imagine Christian “third way” alternatives to the common way of doing things, but the fact that God is triune and that Christ was incarnate at Bethlehem does not make water run uphill. One of the best things for the Christian world to do is a little basic study in what some have falsely called the “dismal science.”

Are you still asking yourself these questions:

• How do I eat soup?
• Why do I have to open the door for her?
• How do I respond when introduced by somebody?
• What’s this little fork on the right side?

Well, I have just the book for you. Protocol Matters is an easy read, packed with helpful details and answers to all those questions you have. Christian protocol [proh-tuh-kawl, -kol, -kohl] is one of God’s lovely means of grace. The everyday details of protocol /ˈproʊtəˌkɔl, -ˌkɒl, -ˌkoʊl/ Pronunc may seem mundane or of small importance, but their impact in a community and society is great. (more…)