This Sunday!

A Best-Seller!

It’s not often that I ever make it onto a bestseller list--much less to the top of one! In fact, I don’t think I’ve had a number one since Grand Illusions very briefly made it to the top of the CBA non-fiction list nearly two decades ago! My book on the ACLU made it all the way to number nine once. The first edition of Blood of the Moon just barely broke into the top twenty-five. And some sixty book later, that’s been pretty much it. Until now.

This week The Patriot’s Handbook (the first edition was released over a decade ago and the second edition was released a little over three years ago) made it to the top of the WorldNetDaily bestseller list. OK, I know. So, this is not exactly the sort of thing that is going to make headlines anywhere (except here, I guess). Still, it is more than a little gratifying. Woohoo!

What I'm Reading

Fountain Pens

Ever since I was in high school I have used fountain pens. As you can probably imagine, I have gone through quite an arsenal of them over the past three plus decades. And you might have guessed that I have come to have strong opinions about my favorites.

Montblanc’s Meisterstuck fountain pens are beautifully handcrafted (meisterstuck is the German word for masterpiece). They are made of black precious resin with gold trim and the finest, smoothest nibs available anywhere. Over the years I have owned a Diplomat (I still have it but hardly ever use it), a LeGrand (my favorite “good” pen), and a Chopin (alas, lost one dreary afternoon on the London Tube).


I have an interesting Montblanc LaBoheme also. Given to me in the exotic city of Jakarta, I always think of the East when I write with it.


When I want to write elegantly, I almost always reach for a Montblanc. But of course, I don't always want to write elegantly. Sometimes I am just dashing out ideas, scribbling notes, sketching furious impressions, or just making lists. For such pedestrian fare, I typically use a cheap, but fabulously well-designed, Lamy Safari (I have three or four of them).


Or sometimes, I will reach for the "best everyday pen ever made," the Waterman Philias (I have two).


The pen that I most miss using (I gave it away on a trip years ago) is the Cross Townsend. I have often thought about replacing it, but honestly, I have a hard time justifying actually buying these kinds of things.

I prefer a fine nib, though I tend to apply a good bit of pressure when I am first breaking in a pen to give it some "leading and kerning" depth. When I have to do a lot of correspondence or book signings though, I really enjoy the heft and breadth of a medium nib.

I know, I know, all this sounds terribly persnickety and peculiar. But, my pen is my "axe," my "tool box," my "instrument." And having a sharp axe or the right tool or a tuned instrument can make all the difference.

What I'm Reading

Moleskines

I would not want to have to do without my Moleskines. These are the legendary pocket-size notebooks used by artists and thinkers for the past two centuries--from Van Gogh and Picasso to Ernest Hemingway and Bruce Chatwin, from Charles Spurgeon and John Ruskin to Hilaire Belloc and John Buchan.

I’ve taken them all over the world and rarely am I without one (or two). I use the lined journal as well as the daily diary. I keep a few with watercolor-specific paper for sketching and drawing. And I've just discovered the new Moleskine City Guide Series (a combination journal and map book for cities like London, Vienna, and Prague).

I have stacks of old Moleskines--filled with random notes, outlines, lists, reviews, goals, agendas, piorities, quotes, squibbed ideas, and journal entries. And I always keep a few extras on hand--just in case. Nothing's better:

The Well-Read Traveler

Jay Parini is a novelist, poet, and professor of English at Middlebury College. His most recent collection of poetry is The Art of Subtraction (George Braziller). He is also a well-traveled bibliophile. You won’t want to miss his commentary in the Chronicle of Higher Education on what books to read while jetting around the globe.

It's About Time

The latest issue of Time Magazine has a long--and for Time, an almost fair--article about the quiet vanguard of the pro-life movement: local crisis pregnancy centers.

Upcoming Conferences

In the next few weeks I will be speaking at two conferences. The first is the Greenville Seminary Worldview Conference on March 13-15 at Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church in Simpsonville, SC. Other speakers include Scott Oliphant, Anees Zaka, Gary DeMar and Joey Pipa. For more information visit the Greenville Seminary website

Karen and I will also be speaking at the PCA’s 2007 Mercy Ministry Conference April 20-22, 2007 in Atlanta. Other speakers include Phil Ryken, Diane Langberg, Randy Nabors, and March and Mariam Bell. For more information, visit the PCA website.

My Problem with G.K. Chesterton

My friend James Sauer writes, “I’ve got a problem with Chesterton. The problem is that I think he is a wonderful, wise, witty, and pious man; after reading his works, I never leave the page without feeling edified.”

So, “Why is that a problem?” you just might ask.

“Perhaps, the problem, if it is a problem,” Sauer responds, “isn’t in Chesterton, but in me.” You see, he explains, “I am a Protestant; but not just any Protestant. I am an American Evangelical Protestant. But there’s more. I am a Conservative, Capitalistic, Bible-thumping American Evangelical Protestant. And hold on to your seats folks, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse; I must confess, I am also a Calvinist. We all have our crosses to bear.”

OK. So far, so good. But then, Sauer gets to the sticky part, “Anyone who is familiar with the writings of Chesterton will see the great irony in my situation. I can only ask you not to blame me for this state of affairs, I didn’t choose to be elected; it was irresistible grace. I was predestined for Presbyterianism. But since I have received this unmerited favor of God, I might as well enjoy it. I can only thank my Sovereign Maker for His predestination. Not only did He choose me to be among his chosen people, but He also destined me to be among that other elect who have had the privilege of meeting through literature the great mind and good heart of Gilbert Keith Chesterton.”

I could not agree more. That is why I have been reading--and collecting--the works of G.K. Chesterton for more than 20 years now. I have a whole section of my home library exclusively devoted to Chesterton and his close friend, Hilaire Belloc--and this despite the fact that like Jim Sauer, I am an American Evangelical Calvinist!

I liberally salt virtually every lecture, every sermon, and every book I have produced with Chesterton quotes. So, it probably should come as no surprise that my students have caught the Chesterton bug as well. That fact is evidenced by the latest King's Meadow Newsletter. There are a host of great articles, appreciations, and reviews by my several of my students and former students including Ray Ware, Dave Raymond, Courtney Cahoon, and Wes Jackson. I couldn't be more proud!