The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

Pink Dandelion (Author)

Book Description

Series: Very Short Introductions | Publication Date: March 20, 2008

Here is the perfect introductory guide to the history and ideas of the Quakers, one of the world's most fascinating and enigmatic religious groups. Emerging in England in the 1650s as a radical sect challenging the status quo, the Quakers are now best known for their anti-slavery activities, their principled stance against war, and their pioneering work in penal reform. Famous Quakers include Thomas Paine, Walt Whitman, Lucretia Mott, Herbert Hoover, James Dean, Judi Dench, and A.S. Byatt. And while the group still maintains a distinctive worship method to achieve a direct encounter with God, which has been at the heart of the movement since its beginning, Quakers today are highly diverse: some practice a protestant evangelicalism, others are no longer Christian. In this generously illustrated book, Pink Dandelion, the leading expert on Quaker Studies, draws on the latest scholarship to chart the history of the sect and its present-day diversity around the world, exploring its unique approach to worship, belief, theology and language, and ecumenism. It concludes by placing the Quakers in the wider religious picture and predicting its future.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

"Ben" Pink Dandelion is a Reader in Quaker Studies and directs the work of the Centre for Postgraduate Quaker Studies, Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre and the University of Birmingham. He is the author of numerous books on the Quakers including The Liturgies of Quakerism and Introduction to Quakerism and edits the journal Quaker Studies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199206791
• ISBN-13: 978-0199206797
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Protestantism > Quaker

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The name says it all!, June 10, 2008

By 

E. Dodd - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

I bought the book with the hope of clarifing & focusing my answers when I am asked about the Friends. It is a great help, easy to read, concise, and to the point. I would recommend it to newcomers, who are begining to gather information, as a starting point.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very information introduction to what can be an enigmatic tradition, March 26, 2010

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

THE QUAKERS: A Very Short Introduction by Pink Dandelion is a pretty substantial presentation of Quaker life and belief in 160 pages. Dandelion divides the book into the chapters History, Worship, Belief, Theology and language, Ecumenism and finally The future of Quakerism.

I grew up in a Philadelphia suburb founded by Quakers, but I could never really get a handle on what the religion was all about. Dandelion delineates three clear strains of Quakerism today, from the Evangelicals who have structured services to the Conservatives who balance Scripture and the "inner light" and finally the Liberal Quakers who are not longer explicitly Christian and don't necessary acknowledge the existance of a God. In the final chapter, the author speaks of the probable developments in Quaker demographics, with the first two denominations surviving in the Global South, and the third declining just like other postmodern Christian denominations.

The author notes that Quakers are most visible in protests against war or injustice. The only failing of the book I see is that she does not talk more about the organizations involved and how they are viewed by various Quaker denominations, or how they respond to Cold War allegations that they are Communist fronts. That for me would have made this a perfect introduction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good primer, July 30, 2010

By 

a Christian family "a Christian family" (Milan, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

This books contains all the basic information that I was after: history, denominations, belief and the possible future of this religion are here presented clearly and thoroughly enough for a small book.
I found the scheme on denominational differences (page 108-109) particularly interesting to really understand the peculiarities within the various Quaker groups.
Recommended.