[.ca] The Psalms of David (ISBN 0688013120)

From Amazon.com:
Of the scores of gift editions of the Book of Psalms, one of the strangest and most beautiful is The Psalms of David, with illuminations by James S. Freemantle. An Englishman born in India in 1859, Freemantle traveled widely in the Middle East during his years in the British Army before marrying a woman named Clara in 1906. Around the time they were married, Freemantle began work on this painstakingly rendered book as a gift for her. Nearly every page is filled with illustrations of magnificent Indian and Middle Eastern flora and fauna (including poinsettias, mimosas, canna lilies, kingfishers, storks, and pheasants) and of Brahmin temples and Christian and Jewish holy sites--even a gigantic iceberg. Almost 30 years after he began, Freemantle finished the book. In the foreword to this new edition (first published in 1982), Freemantle's son Stephen writes that his father was "not a religious man." Regardless of the precise nature of Freemantle's beliefs, his exuberant illuminations testify to his great love of his wife, of the world, and of the Psalms. --Michael Joseph Gross

SCATTER THOU THE PEOPLE THAT DELIGHT IN WAR-Psalm 68:30:
My mother gave me this book as a Christmas present. She must have sensed my reaction, I said nothing when I discovered the contents. (How many more bibles do I need, and I already have two books of Psalms, one in Hebrew, and I have too much stuff in my small apartment that I'm trying to get rid of!!! I thought all these things to myself). Later, in the midst of a room filled with my family's mounds of torn wrapping paper, she opened this book and began to point out to me how Mr. Freemantle inscribed each verse, highlighting those which meant the most to him. The one verse I picked out for the title of this review was written smaller than the others by Mr. Freemantle, yet it spoke to me at this time in our country's history. The Psalms are G_d-breathed as all biblical scripture is, as I've been taught in Sunday school, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Psalms are a classic, regardless of how they've been illustrated. Try praying these or with these, it's very powerful let me tell you! The author of most of the Psalms, King David, 'the sweet psalmist of Israel', was the second king of Israel and ancestor of Christ-see Jesus's geneaology in Matthew 1 and Luke 3:31. Mr. Freemantle includes drawings of India where he was born and pictures of his travels when in service as a British army officer. There are also pictures of various places in Israel: Nazareth, Sidon, Rachel's tomb. A picture of the Golden temple of Amritsar, town of the infamous massacre in Gandhi's time, on page 113. It took him a lifetime to hand write and illustrate each psalm. I love this book; my mother ALWAYS gives me good books to read. You can never go wrong with the Psalms. The whole range of human emotion is found therein and all sung to the Author of all souls. As I've said many times before, my mother always gives me good books to read!

Spoiling the Psalms:
It takes nerve to give the Psalms of David only one star, but I actually bought this book as a gift, but when it arrived I was horrified to find each page covered with the designs and original art of the editor, so intrusive that one could hardly find the printed words of the Psalms. And the artwork, obviously personally meaningful and fulfilling, certainly did not appeal to me. I returned the book, and finally bought an old, used Book of Psalms, just the words, no pictures.

Beautiful book:
The artwork was really the main reason I purchased this book. I think the story of Mr. Freemantle lovingly creating this gorgeous work of art for his wife is wonderfully sweet. I already have access to the Psalms through my Bible, but I have to say I enjoy the words even more when they are set in such a lovely format! The reason I am one star short of five is that I think the publisher could have squeezed out a bit more money for higher quality printing to really do this artwork justice. I was a bit disappointed by the small size of this book and the simplicity of the hardbound design. I have this book out in the family room and would love it even more in a more generous size with embossed leather cover and glossy pages that can open flat to really emphasize the delicate drawings of Mr. Freemantle. For the price, this is a nice book. I think it would make a nice gift when a sweet something is in order.

An Incredibly Beautiful Book:
I'm thrilled to see this book back in print. I bought it 20 years ago and have continued to be inspired by the beautiful combination of God's word and Freemantle's artwork. I plan to give several copies as gifts.

All Around Beautiful Book!:
I was a little nervous after reading one review that said the artwork in this book was intrusive, but after receiving my copy, I have to respectfully disagree. The artwork is beautiful, as is the calligraphy, and the design of the book is loose and comfortable. As you turn from page to page, you can't help but admire the beauty of the words and the art together. It seems to have been beautifully reproduced, exactly capturing each page in full color, including the soft yellowing of the pages, as well as acurately copying the stitching or tape in the margin that must have been used to hold the original together. I bought the 2001 reissue, and I think the printing is beautiful. Whoever heard of being able to buy a 340+ page book in full color without spending a fortune?!?! Well worth the price. I plan to give several away as gifts.