Canon has had the great opportunity to publish two terrific new titles, A Welcome Shore by current Canon author Suzanne Rhodes and Through the Veil by new author Lisa Ohlen Harris.

The first book, A Welcome Shore is a skillfully crafted collection of prose poems presenting a series of reflective essays on life, loss, and new life. Well known Christian poet Luci Shaw had this to say:

From the Foreword:
It is an ongoing wonder when a writer is able to infuse her prose with such poetic quality and tenderness that each piece becomes a poem in itself. Suzanne Rhodes has this magical facility of seeing to the heart of things, so that in her brief narratives each little hook for the imagination is a small pixel that adds to the whole and, in an obervation, makes of complexity a simplicity that sticks in one’s mind. She paints color and texture with words so that it all adds up to such a truth that I wonder why I hadn’t come to the same conclusion on my own, in a similar circumstance.

This is a terrific book and helps one recognize much of the beauty around us, putting many things in perspective.

The second book, Through the Veil, is another new book we’re very excited about. It follows an American ethnographer, Lisa Ohlen Harris, during her years living in Syria & Jordan. In it she captures a wealth of experiences from her interactions with various people in a culture that is really quite different from ours.

Captivating. “Through” is the operative word in Through the Veil as Lisa Ohlen Harris—with curiosity and compassion—chronicles her unique contact with women of the Middle East. Beautifully orchestrated with honesty, insight, and humor, this book penetrates another culture and, at the same time, helps us understand what it is to be American, in the best sense of that word.
—Judith Kitchen, author of Distance & Direction

Both of these new books exhibit great insight into the complexity of humanity and the sheer gloriousness of it. We hope that you will not only enjoy the moving poetry and prose but that they will help increase your sense of wonder at the world around us.

Related Link:
http://imagejournal.org/imageupdate/198_100721.html

Canon Press is pleased to introduce The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education, by Leigh Bortins (Palgrave Macmillan: New York, 2010).  Leigh is the founder and CEO of Classical Converations, Inc., the host of the weekly radio show Leigh! for Lunch, and a friend of Canon Press.

In a time when may parents are rediscovering the classical methods of education, wheither at home or in the classroom, it is heartening to see more and more educators studying, applying, and refining these methods. - Douglas Wilson

From the book:

“Children are natural learners, and building a core foundation at an early age is critical to their success both educationally and in life. Yet academic excellence is lacking in many school systems throughout the country. In this book, education expert and author Leigh A. Bortins incorporates the best ideas from the ancients and gives parents the tools to revive classical learning. In this prescriptive guide you’ll learn:

1. Techniques to help your children expand their knowledge base

2. Methods to strengthen effective self-expression

3. How to use great books and historical documents to deepen your worldview

The Core is an important resource that helps parents create ways to incorporate study into daily routines involving the entire family.”

Inside this little gem, in the “Resource Section” (pgs. 217-229), you’ll find several books published by Canon Press:

Introductory Logic (Nance, James B., and Douglas J. Wilson)

Intermediate Logic (Nance,  James B.)

Our Mother Tongue: A Guide to English Grammar (Wilson, Nancy)

Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays (Leithart, Peter J.)

Heroes of the City of Man (Leithart, Peter J.)

The Roar on the Other Side: A Guide for Student Poets (Rhodes, Suzanne)

And a few more selections from Douglas Wilson:

Recovering the Lost tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education

The Case for Classical Christian Education

Read a review of the book by Stanley Fish of the Opinionator in the New York Times and then pick up your copy here.

(Words by Samuel Crossman, 1664)

My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me,
Love to the loveless shown
That they might lovely be.

If you didn’t make it to the “Good Friday” joint service for Christ Church and Trinity Reformed Church, here in Moscow, Idaho, you missed Pastor Sumpter’s thought provoking sermon. And even those who were there said they wished they could hear it again. Unfortunately, we didn’t record the service.

However, we asked Pastor Sumpter to re-record it in our humble, basement studio. So step on over to Canon’s online sermon page and listen to the sermon, in all it’s fullness, listed under Trinity Reformed Church. You won’t hear people coughing, babies crying, or general signs of life in the background, but the words will still wrap around your heart and squeeze ever-so-gently. Please feel free to copy, upload, duplicate, and whatever.

You’ll find the words and music for My Song Is Love Unknown, by John Ireland, on page 366 of the Cantus Christi.

A giant-sized “thank you” to Pastor Sumpter.

You wouldn’t believe how excited we are that the third edition of Latin Primer 1 texts have finally arrived!

Officially speaking, the books still don’t release until March 31st. However, we have already begun fulfilling orders, so if you order the texts now, we’ll ship them out immediately. Please note that the new Flash Cards and Audio Guide are still in the final stages of production, which means we won’t be able to send any of those out until the end of the month.

Those of you familiar with the older editions of Latin Primer 1 are probably wondering what’s different about these new editions.

To begin, the content and teaching approach of this third edition is fundamentally the same as before. We have added a few exercises, moved some of the vocabulary around, etc., but these new editions won’t force teachers or parents to struggle through a long period of adjustment. If anything, this new edition will be much, much easier to use.

Why is that? Well, actually, there are several reasons.

First, we have completely redesigned the layout. While older editions were arranged by category—a word list section, exercise section, and test section—the new edition has been arranged in a simple lesson-by-lesson format. For example, all of Lesson 1’s components are grouped together, back-to-back. When you finish one lesson, you’re on to the next. No more flipping back and forth between sections—everything you need for each lesson is right at your fingertips, whether you’re the teacher or the student!

Second, we’ve added exercises to each lesson, giving students greater opportunity to practice and review their Latin skills, as well as providing teachers with more material to gauge their students’ level of understanding.

Third, the teacher’s edition has been significantly expanded. Mirroring the student book, it includes not only the answers, but also weekly quizzes and new teacher’s lesson notes. The lesson notes have been redesigned to explain the standard flow of every lesson and offer tips on preparation and focus for everything from weekly derivatives to unit goals. Whether you’re a homeschooling parent or a classical school teacher, these convenient notes will save time, provide a clear direction for the course, and better help your students grasp the language.

And last, but not least: you’ve heard that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but who doesn’t like to use a good-looking book? Latin Primer 1 will debut in its new perfect bound form with perforated exercise pages for easy grading. And don’t miss out on taking a look at the new, kid-friendly cover.

These new editions will be especially helpful for those brand-new to Latin. Our goal is for parents and teachers who have no Latin background to still be able to walk their students through these texts with ease. (And maybe even learn a thing or two themselves!)

Don’t forget to stop by the Latin Primer 1 website to see for yourself what the changes look like! And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or give us a call: we’d be more than happy to provide any information or answers you need.

That’s right, today marks the release of Dandelion Fire, book 2 of N.D. Wilson’s 100 Cupboards series!

Don’t have your copy yet? Well, hurry! We still have a few copies left from our initial order, but they won’t last long. Order now, and we’ll send the books right out so that you can continue your own journey through the cupboards.

(And in case you missed out on Book 1, 100 Cupboards is over here.)