The King's Legacy: A Story of Wisdom for the Ages [Paperback]

Jim Stovall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009

In a land and time far from our own, there was an enchanted kingdom ruled by a benevolent and much-loved king. He had led his people through times of uncertainty and turmoil into a golden age of prosperity and peace.

Now nearing the end of his storied reign, the king longs to leave a lasting legacy for future generations. He considers soaring monuments, precious coins bearing his likeness, larger-than-life statues. But then the king's most trusted advisor steps forth with a remarkable idea: To discover the wisdom of the ages, the greatest secret of the known world to benefit the entire human race.

So the king invites citizens from all walks of life and all corners of the realm to share with him the best of their life lessons. Yet as the king encounters a wealth of wisdom from his subjects, he faces a new dilemma, just how to determine the single greatest truth in life. Little does he know that the profound answer will come from the most unexpected and unassuming of places.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Stovall has been a national champion Olympic weightlifter, a successful investment broker and entrepreneur. He is Co-Founder and President of the Narrative Television Network, which makes movies and television accessible for our nation's 13 million blind and visually impaired people and their families. Although originally designed for the blind and visually impaired, over 60% of NTN's nationwide audience is made up of fully-sighted people who simply enjoy the programming.

Jim Stovall hosts the Network's talk show, "NTN Showcase." His guests have included Katharine Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Carol Channing, Steve Allen, and Eddie Albert, as well as many others. The Narrative Television Network has received an Emmy Award and an International Film and Video Award among its many industry honors.

NTN has grown to include over 1,200 cable systems and broadcast stations, reaching over 35 million homes in the United States, and NTN is shown in 11 foreign countries.

Jim Stovall joined the ranks of Walt Disney, Orson Welles, and four United States presidents when he was selected as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Americans" by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. He has appeared on "Good Morning America" and CNN, and has been featured in Reader's Digest, TV Guide and Time magazine. He is the author of a previous book entitled You Don't Have To Be Blind To See, as well as his new book Success Secrets of Super Achievers. The President's Committee on Equal Opportunity selected Jim Stovall as the 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434765938
• ISBN-13: 978-1434765932
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,390,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Stovall has been a National Olympic weightlifting champion, the President of the Emmy Award-winning Narrative Television Network, and a highly sought after author and platform speaker. He is the author of the best selling book, The Ultimate Gift, which is now a major motion picture starring James Garner and Abigail Breslin.

Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes magazine, says, "Jim Stovall is one of the most extraordinary men of our era."

For his work in making television accessible to our nation's 13 million blind and visually impaired people, The President's Committee on Equal Opportunity selected Jim Stovall as the Entrepreneur of the Year. He was also chosen as the International Humanitarian of the Year, joining Jimmy Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Mother Teresa as recipients of this honor.

More information is available at www.jimstovall.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational for all Religions, January 18, 2010

By 

Nicola Manning (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The King's Legacy: A Story of Wisdom for the Ages (Paperback)

Reason for Reading: The fairy tale nature of the story caught my attention.

Summary: The king is getting older and wants to leave something behind for the people in ages to come to remember him by. Various items are suggested: a building, a statue, a coin then his eldest wise man suggests he proclaim the wisdom for all ages. After several nights of consideration, the king chooses wisdom but he doesn't know what the wisdom of all ages is so he asks his wise men to tell him. Well they take a few nights and days then the king calls them and is rather perturbed when his wise men admit even they cannot agree on what the wisdom for all ages is. So the king decides to take it to the people and every day forth his court listens to a citizen impart the wisdom he has to share while the king takes it all in trying to find what is the single greatest wisdom of the ages. "Little does he know that the profound answer will come from the most unexpected and unassuming of places."

Comments: This is an inspirational book. Each chapter has a different towns person from physicians and judges to farmers and labourers describing the wisdom they have learnt through living their own life, working their own job. Each one leaves the reader with a truth and something to ponder. While each chapter does focus on the towns person's speech, there is room enough at the beginning of each to keep the storyline of the king and his court going forward. The king himself turns out to be much more wise than those surrounding him and the reader feels secure the king is capable of making this big decision.

The book's promotional material promotes the book for all readers and a quick glance at the book with the simple illustrations and page decorations mistakenly make the book look like a children's book. It is not a kid's book; I'm more apt to say it is an adult book that can also be enjoyed by children. Older children can read it themselves but younger ones will want to have it read to them, even if they can manage the reading level, as some of the chapters' messages are a bit deep and would benefit from discussion. I also see this as a nice gift book for a reflective type of person who likes to read inspirational, meditative material.

The King's Legacy is published by a Christian publisher but it does not contain any religious material whatsoever. It simply presents Christian themes which are relevant to all of humanity, no matter what creed, such as honesty, work ethic, good health, collective knowledge, service to others, etc.

3.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom in a small package, October 18, 2009

By 

Wyn (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Legacy: A Story of Wisdom for the Ages (Paperback)

I enjoyed this small book. It is easy to read but filled with immense knowledge and wisdom. The king has decided that rather than a monument to his greatness he will proclaim something as "The Wisdom of the Ages" as his legacy. Each chapter finds a medieval king sitting in his Throne Room listening to someone from his land explain what they think is the Wisdom from their point of view and experience. It reinterates that everyone has wisdom and knowledge no matter what their status in society or age. It also points out that no matter what century we live in, wisdom is universal and ageless. Although this book is billed as a children's book it has much to teach the adult. An excellent book.

4.0 out of 5 stars The King's Legacy, October 18, 2009

By 

Laura Davis "Laura" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Legacy: A Story of Wisdom for the Ages (Paperback)

The King's Legacy: A Story of the Wisdom of the Ages, by author Jim Stovall returns in an updated gift edition. This delightful children's book comes with a profound message: sometimes wisdom is where you least expect it.

In a land far away, in an enchanted kingdom, the king is nearing the end of his reign and he longs to leave a message for his people. But he can't decide on what would be best - a fitting memorial to his throne? A coin bearing his image? A statue carved in his likeness? But he then has a remarkable idea: To discover the most profound words of wisdom in the world. So he invites citizens from everywhere in his realm to share the best of their life lessons. From the wisdom that they share, the king will select the one bit of wisdom that will benefit all people everywhere - The Wisdom of the Ages.

While this edition has a new look with new illustrations the message is still the same - wisdom is something you should continually strive for. This is an excellent bedtime story for children in grade school and would make a wonderful gift for someone this Christmas.