Biographies - Exodus Books

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"Did they tell you stories about the saints of old,
stories about their faith?
Stories like that make a boy grow bold,
stories like that make a man walk straight..."
—Rich Mullins, Boy Like Me, Man Like You

Stories about people have a way of affecting us in ways other stories can't. The Bible is primarily stories about people, and it is through these multiple biographies that we understand human nature, the history of redemption, and even to a great extent God Himself. The purpose behind any other biography is largely the same—to help us understand what it means to be human from the examples (sometimes even the bad examples) of those who have preceded us.

The biographies we have chosen for this section represent those of great leaders in history, social and military heroes, and Christian saints past and present who struggled to conform their lives to Christ's perfect example. We have avoided for the most part biographies of history's villains and chronic immoralists, not because they aren't interesting but because they don't represent lives worthy of imitation. We've also decided not to focus on athletes, actors, and celebrities, unless they've made important contributions outside their fields. That's not to say everyone found here was above reproach or even a Christian, but they all demonstrated real human virtues for which they are remembered.

Biographies are also useful for better understanding of a given historical period. While history books can provide good overviews of a period or events, the intimate detail of a good biography can better illustrate a time period and what it was like to be alive then. This also serves to demonstrate the universality of human nature, that people will behave basically the same during any given period and in any given place. Sometimes we get the impression that people of the past, especially people like missionaries and ministers, were somehow more pious than we are—the personal view offered by a good biography dispels this myth and offers encouragement that not even the best men and women are any closer to perfection than we are.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

	Antonin Dvorak Composer from Bohemia Julian Messner Shelf of Biographies by Clair Lee Purdy, illustrated by Edgard Cirlin from Julian Messner for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Bach's Goldberg Variations Once Upon a Masterpiece by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel from Charlesbridge Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS) $16.95
	Beethoven by Reba Paeff Mirsky from Follett for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Beethoven by David Jacobs from Harper & Row for 4th-8th grade in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
	Boyhoods of Great Composers Young Readers Guides to Music by Catherine Gough, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone 1961 Reprint from Henry Z. Walck, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Chopin His Life Told in Anecdotal Form by George Ruttkay from Hyperion Press for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney 1^st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press for 3rd-6th grade 1999 Caldecott Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Francis Scott Key by David Collins from Mott Media for 5th-7th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends (hardcover) by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher from Zeezok Publishing for 3rd-6th grade in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel from Charlesbridge Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
	Handel at the Court of Kings by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Mary Greenwalt 1958 Seventh Printing from E.P. Dutton & Co. for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Haydn by Reba Paeff Mirsky from Follett for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Haydn's Farewell Symphony Once Upon a Masterpiece by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel from Charlesbridge Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS) $16.95
	He Heard America Sing Story of Stephen Foster by Clair Lee Purdy from Julian Messner for 4-6 in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Jenny Lind's America by Frances Cavanah from Chilton Book Company for 4th-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Lion of Poland The Story of Paderewski by Ruth & Paul Hume, illustrated by Lili Réthi from Hawthorn Books, Inc. for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Masters of Music: Bach and Baroque Music by Stefano Catucci from Barron's Biography for 4th-9th grade in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
	Masters of Music: Beethoven and the Classical Age by Andrea Bergamini from Barron's Biography for 4th-6th grade in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
	Masters of Music: Mozart and Classical Music by Francesco Salvi from Barron's Biography for 4th-8th grade in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
	Minute Sketches of Great Composers by Eva v B. Hansl, Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Samuel Nisenson from Grosset & Dunlap Biographical sketches for 3rd-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition Once Upon a Masterpiece by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel from Charlesbridge Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS) $16.95
	Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Mary Greenwalt First Edition from E.P. Dutton & Co. for 1st-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Story of Beethoven Signature Books #41 by Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Haydn Grosset & Dunlap Signature #49 by Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by John Leone from Grosset & Dunlap Biographies for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Mozart Grosset & Dunlap Signature #34 by Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Eric M. Simon from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Stephen Foster Grosset & Dunlap Signature #31 by Esther M. Douty, illustrated by Jo Polseno from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 3rd-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story-Lives of Master Musicians by Harriette Brower from Frederick A. Stokes Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Young Brahms (hardcover) by Sybil Deucher from Zeezok Publishing for 3rd-6th grade in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL) $13.95 $15.00 (1 in stock)

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