Significant books are published every year. Here’s a personally curated list that I hope sparks some good memories and honors the works of the past.
Crazy Love, by Francis Chan (2008) – 15 years
Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller (2003) – 20 years
The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel (1998) – 25 years
A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers (1993) – 30 years
Trusting God, by Jerry Bridges (1988) – 35 years
Loving God, by Charles Colson (1983) – 40 years
The Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster (1978) – 45 years
Knowing God, by J.I. Packer (1973) – 50 years
The God Who is There, by Francis Schaeffer (1968) – 55 years
The Cross and the Switchblade, by David Wilkerson (1963) – 60 years
The Shadow of the Almighty, by Elisabeth Elliott (1958) – 65 years
The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis (1953) – 70 years
The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer (1948) – 75 years
Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis (1943) – 80 years
Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis (1938) – 85 years
The Pilgrim’s Regress, by C.S. Lewis (1933) – 90 years
Tomorrow About This Time, by Grace Livingston Hill (1923) – 100 years
Orthodoxy, by G.K. Chesterton (1908) – 115 years
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (1843) – 180 years
And now for really old books:
The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan (1678) – 345 years
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe (1563) – 460 years
The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis (circa 1418) – 605 years
Confessions, by Augustine of Hippo (circa 398) – 1,625 years
On the Incarnation, by Athanasius of Alexandria (318) – 1,705 years
The treasured writings of the past
are what my soul’s leaned towards,
but now, fell days, I am aghast
for they’re reissued with new words
that publishers in blandness say
fit the modern paradigm,
and Fleming’s bite has gone away,
with imagery of Dahl and Stine.
We’re told that we must kowtow
(but is that very word taboo?)
to the arrogantly sacred cow
whose raison d’etre’s to undo
our culture and our heritage
as homage to offended rage.
I’m so thankful for this list so I can leave it for my grandchildren. At 80 years old, I was nurtured by a number of those books. Reminds me of God’s loving attention all my life. Now I write to prisoners who don’t have access to them. I am challenged to write words of blessing (and they can speak blessing over me as well).
I bet it was a challenge to keep the list that brief. Gems. When we age and need to downsize, the hardest thing is giving up books. If I choose someone specific to give one to I like to pen a brief note about the impact the book has had on me and my hopes for its benefit to the new owner. But I’ve grieved to find that some young people thank me but don’t want books! The downside of the tech age.
WOW! What a great list! Thank you, Steve, for reminding us of all the fab books we haven’t read yet!!!
Got some shopping to do!
Andrew, amen! (So steamed up I can’t even cobble together a poem–thank you for yours!!) I ran out and snagged a copy of the incredibly politically incorrect “Gone With The Wind” a few weeks ago when I realized it will probably be cancelled/neutered/Bowdlerized any minute now. (Also the DVD, which I’m sure will be graffitied and torched by the elite momentarily.) Funny, they tried this nonsense somewhere else…hmm…let me see, where was it? Oh, yes. Nazi Germany. Ray Bradbury and George Orwell cannot be too far behind in the chain gang, can they?
Karen, yeah.
Looking back a few years (2018), the remake of A Wrinkle In Time, by Disney, of all of companies, ditched the Christian basis of the book for a more ‘inclusive’ narrative that elevated Mohandas Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to the status of Jesus Christ, and pretty much omitted Christianity.
I kinda hate to indulge in schadenfreude, but I am more than a bit pleased that the film was a financial catastrophe for the Mouse.
The future is in our hands. If we are vocal in pushing back against post-mortem editing (Stine is still alive, and not pleased), we can win.
But we do need to see that it’s a war .
Your use of the word “schadenfreude” in this forum gives me hope for the future of Western Civilization. When the intended audience deems the “new and improved” version as dreck, there’s more hope.
Thank you for putting together a list of “Treasures,” for yesterday and today.
So wonderful! Thank you, Dan!
Thanks, Dan. It was a joy reading through the book list and noting those I’ve read. Classics all!
A wonderful list! Thanks for curating it, Dan!