Mark Ford

That rare perfect mix of literary biography and criticism. The mark to which all criticism ought to aspire.

There is a wonderful prose type poem - Bare bones- in this anthology by Kenward Elmslie about Joe Brainard. Worth the purchase just for that.

A handful of Christians dedicated to an open search for truth. They accept the Millerite message in 1843 and the Seventh-day Sabbath in 1854. In 1851 Ellen White visits the congregation. Her detractor and critic, Stephen Smith, is seperated from fellowship. In 1857 White writes to Smith, but he locks the despised letter, unopened, in a trunk and forgets it. Slowly the fortunes of the congregation wane. By 1867 the congregation has dwindled. Services are no longer held. Attempted revival show more fails. "They're all hypocrites," cries one teenager. Then comes the dramatic visit by Ellen White. She publicly denounces the secret sins of the members, including preacher William Farnsworth's chewing tobacco. The members rise one by one to confess the accuracy of her testimony, and the church is transformed. One holdout is Stephen Smith. Then, in 1885, he opens the letter! A Who's Who of Adventist Pioneers, the church at Washington, New Hampshire, might be regarded as the birthplace of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Mark Ford's illustrated historical account is an inspiring record of God's leading in denominational history. show less