Bible Stories: Illustrated Old & New Testament Stories for the Family

by James Harpur (Adapter), Archbishop of York

Open the pages of this lavish family book to discover 30 of the Bible's most significant and dramatic stories. From the exciting account of the world's creation to the stirring tale of David and Goliath, from the astonishing life of Jesus to the story of the early Christian church, every featured Bible story here is related in an accessible and dynamic fashion without compromising the original texts. Each spread showcases a main story-such as the Parting of the Red Sea or the Baptism of Jesus-accompanied by a selection of boxed items with background information and biblical references. Ten special features, such as pull-out psalm cards and a fold-out map of the Bible lands, create an interactive experience for the whole family.

64 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2010

About the author

James Harpur has had four poetry collections published by Anvil Press: A Vision of Comets (1993), The Monk’s Dream (1996), Oracle Bones (2001) and The Dark Age (2007). Anvil have also published his Fortune’s Prisoner, a translation of the poems of Boethius. In addition, he has published a sequence of religious poems called The Gospel of Joseph of Arimathea (Wild Goose, 2008). His prose publications include Love Burning in the Soul (Shambhala, 2005), an introduction to the Christian mystics.

After studying Classics and English at university, he taught English on the island of Crete then worked as a lexicographer. He is now a freelance writer.

James has won a number of prizes for his poetry, including the 1995 British National Poetry Competition. He has received various awards and bursaries, such as from Cork Arts, the Eric Gregory Trust, the Society of Authors, the Arts Council (UK), and the Hawthornden Foundation. His poems have been broadcast on national and local radio in Ireland and the UK and have appeared in various anthologies. These include Staying Alive (Bloodaxe, 2002), Ireland’s Love Poems (Kyle Cathie, 2000), The New Exeter Book of Riddles (Enitharmon, 2002), The Forward Book of Poetry (Faber, 2001), Voices in the Gallery (Tate Publishing 1986).

He has performed his poetry widely at poetry festivals and venues, including the Triskel Arts Centre (Cork), the Voice Box (London), the ICA (London), and the Irish Writers’ Centre (Dublin). He has held poetry residencies at the Munster Literature Centre in Cork and at Exeter Cathedral in the UK.

He is currently poetry editor of the Temenos Academy Review, a publication founded by the poet and William Blake scholar, Kathleen Raine, and of Southword, one of Ireland’s leading literary journals.

He lives in County Cork, Ireland.