Customer Reviews

Abide with Me: A Photographic Journey Through Great British Hymns

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the most beautiful books I've seen in years. The photographs of British countrysides and ancient towns are awesome. Makes you want to go there now! The stories behind how men and women of God wrote such timeless hymns are fascinating, some inspiring. It's wonderful to know they were human souls like ourselves, yet used by God to comfort us in times of difficulty, to give praise to our lips, to exalt the name of holy God.

"Abide With Me" by John Parker and Paul Seawright is a beautiful volume containing charming stories and photographs of the most breath-taking churches in Great Britain. The accompanying CD has 24 of the loveliest hymns ever written or sung. These songs are superbly arranged and they compliment the written material magnificently. This elegant volume and accompanying music will transport you to another time and place while it elevates you to another level of worship of our Savior!

This is a gorgeous coffee-table book with lots of beautiful photographs and wonderful historical background sketches of some of the most beloved hymns of all time. The included CD features the hymns as they would have been sung during the era of the hymn. Very interesting, educational, and inspiring! The only downfall (if you want to call it that) was the listing of the pictures. The pictures do not have captions, however, the pertinent info can be found in the back of the book.

This would not only make a great gift - but a great addition to your own library!

Show and Tell comes alive in this historical book about twenty-five of Britain's--and indeed, America's--most popular hymns. It's beautifully laid out and illustrated with spectacularly colored photographs on every page. Why, even the Table of Contents contains colored photographs! Descriptions read as if an informed tour guide leads the reader through the towns, fields, and churches, pointing out many details of interest, making this a book chock full of valuable information.

A high quality, a cappella CD of twenty-four of the twenty-five hymns is included. I was excited to hear Caedmon's Hymn, the first known English language hymn in its original language as well as in translation. Note: early English requires translation! When I taught high school, students were often amazed to learn this fact.

Truly, it is the next best thing to being there. This volume would make an amazing gift for anyone who has an interest in Britain, music, history, photography, or the things of God. What a treasure!

This book is so beautiful from cover to cover. The photographery is so amazingly beautiful, and the story behind the Hymns is so detailed.
This is a very detailed accoount of how each writer brought about the hymns we know and love. I loved learning about every beautiful song that has a place in my childhood. From who wrote it to the circumstances behind its writing...it is all in here.

The CD has 24 Hyms on it. Each one is beautifully sang by an amazing choir. The melodic notes melt together so perfectly. It is a ture joy to listen to.

After reading the book. I told my husband that I want to visit each place. Every picture is so beautiful that you can't help but want to visit. I think this would make an excellent "tourist trip"! I would be the first one to sign up.
It would make a lovely gift, but I won't part with mine!

This book is simply beautiful. For anyone who has any interest in these hymns or in history this book would be a perfect gift. The pictures are beautiful and glossy and give the reader some insight into what inspired the words of the hymns. The accompanying CD has beautiful renditions of the hymns and you can follow along in the book. Either book or CD can stand alone, but together make a wonderful resource/gift for anyone.

If you have anyone who likes listening to hymns or who is involved in music, this would be a wonderful gift!

I have seen very few books that stack up to "Abide with Me" as far as depth and beauty goes. It is of the most superb quality for gift giving and should not just be relegated to the coffee table for its breath-taking photos, but needs to be in a place of prominence where you will pick it up often and read about the amazing places that were the inspiration for many of our most loved hymns.

I think that knowing the reason why a particular hymn was written in the first place makes the lyrics that much more poignant to our own souls as we sing them. "Abide With Me" is the perfect blend of explaining the lives of the authors and the stories of the hymns with the sheer beauty of the places they were surrounded with as they wrote and lived.
Not only is the book amazing, but it includes a cd filled with the beautiful hymns that are discussed in the book. There are a variety of different choirs and groups that sing them which is actually quite nice because it means that they don't all sound the same and makes for a lot of enjoyment in the listening.

All in all, if you or someone you know loves singing the good ol' hymns then you will want to add this excellent book to your collection.

This is a special book. The photography alone is breathtaking.

If you're a lover of the old British Hymns you can't go wrong with this treasure. And if you're like me, you want to read the stories behind events. Who doesn't love to read John Newton's story and how he came to write Amazing Grace? The song takes on a whole new meaning.

In this book there was quiet a few stories, biographies to songs I wasn't familiar with. But old ones like, "Take My Life and Let It Be," "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "Rock of Ages." are among the list of compiled songs. Along with the stories are vivid, beautiful photographs of churches in England, where some of the most beloved hymns sung today were born. It's likely that this book is the only place you'll ever see them so vividly. The century old pews and the pulpits, the stained desks, the cemeteries I've always wanted to tour. The scenery and the gardens truly surreal...

I give my compliments to the dedicated research for the song-stories, but the book wouldn't be the same without the photography; it compliments the book so richly. This collection of stories and photos are the compilation of three years old labor. I'd say it was worth it.

Lastly, the authors have included a CD with 24 hymns and praise songs!!

There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book. Highly recommended.

This is a fabulous book! I could easily see this sitting out on a coffee table for years to come or a guest room bedside table for enjoyment. Also, this book is a perfect gift idea for my father. Written by John H. Parker and filled to the brim of photography by Paul Seawright, this square-shaped book is a perfect historical lesson on Christianity's most famous British Hymns and their authors lives. Each chapter gives an oral history of the hymnist life and a photographic journey of those locations in modern day. Each picture and page is to die for.

Over the years my father has always been interested in the history of hymns and their authors and collected various books on the topic. This one is like no other that he has in his collection. The pictures open a different kind of view into the lives and homes of these historical figures, both male and female and really brings a relaxation to the experience. In addition to flipping through these glorious pictures and learning of the lyrical poetry written by such masters this book also contains a free CD with 24 songs of beloved hymns, performed by Ray Walker of the Jordanaires and other artists all arranged to sound as they would have in the time they were written.

This book and CD is quite the experience, and I cannot wait to share it with my dad. But I think he'll have to wait until I get him another copy, because I do not want to give mine up!

What a charming book! More importantly, as a history lover, context is sooo important to me. I loved having the context of songs that are such a part of the worship fabric of our faith. And the pictures! Breathtaking! I loved being able to dig deeper. I think that this book will make the worship more meaningful every time I hear one of these songs.