SUMMER 2014 O BOOKS
GOD CALLING A J Russell This is one of the most intriguing books on the list. Certainly by far and away the most profitable. In fact, it gave us the finances to kick-start the paperback imprints. And still helps to keep it going. And will do for another generation. First published back around 1940, the two authors wanted to remain anonymous. It's a far cry from the modern celebrity circuit. The sales rapidly grew - hard to say what they are overall, because for about 40 years it was in the public domain in the USA until they signed the Gatt treaty back in 1994 or whenever it was. But, worldwide, it must be somewhere between 7 and 10 million copies, and it still sells 100,000 or so a year (sadly, our royalty % take on that is small, but it still counts for as much as all other titles put together). Why? It's not because of promotion. Or a great cover. And the last author died in 1964. We still don’t push it. It's one of those rare titles that seems to keep finding a new generation of readers. And it's surprising who it gets to. It’s not my personal bedtime reading, but I’ve come across the most surprising people - businessmen, cynics, atheists, who have been reading it for years, and swear by it. I think, perhaps, though the language is now a bit old-fashioned, it's because the insights it represents are still gaining currency. That it’s living in the present that counts. That materialism is not a way to live. That suffering can help burn off the dross. That basing life around the self, the ego, is a mistake. And if you're looking for another way, then why not a direct line to God - you don’t have to go through the church. If you were looking for one book on the list that the largest number of people would say "this book has changed my life/helped me", that would have to be it. It hasn’t changed mine, but it's a fantastic book to have in the stable. JH God Calling A J Russell Published by O Books ISBN: 978-1-905047-42-0 (Hardcover) £7.99 $12.95 ISBN: 978-1-78099-486-4 (eBook) £6.99 $9.99
IFF BOOKS
Mind Before Matter Paul Devereux I don’t think any of us are in this business just for the money. It’s the words that count. Whether it’s an imaginative fiction, or figuring out a better way of doing politics, or living with the natural world, or relating better to other people, or simply being ourselves, it’s the words on the page that drive us. And the ideas and questions behind them. One of the biggest, is whether consciousness survives death, in some form. The recent work of Sam Parnia at Stonybrook, State University of New York, in “resuscitation medicine”, bringing people “back to life” who have been clinically brain-dead for several hours, is interesting here. I’m not sure what to make of it all. But I get the sense that maybe the “mechanical reductionist” view of the world, of “biological determinism”, is running its course. That the universe, and perhaps the mind, is stranger than we thought. Or can ever imagine. Almost 10 years ago we published “Is There Life After Death?” by Professor David Fontana, and that’s led to a string of good titles in this area. I think one of the best, which gets to the heart of the matter, is this anthology by Paul Devereux. Whether all consciousness arises from the brain, and dies with it, or whether in some sense it exists independently, whether “consciousness” even predates “creation” – that seems to me the biggest issue. Maybe an unanswerable one. So in the meantime, we have to make everything else work as well as we can. JH
Mind Before Matter Paul Devereux Published by Iff Books Paperback) £11.99 $24.95
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