Bluethread Resource Reviews
The
making of many books is without limit.
Ecclesiastes 12:12
The
Book of Genesis: An
overview of some standard scholarly commentaries
Bluethread is frequently asked to suggest resources that help the amateur torah scholar with research and study. As stated above more than two millennia ago, there are many more publications available and being created than can be accommodated in anyone's collection. If one is to amass a useful working library with limited resources, some selectivity is in order. The Bluethread Resource Review pages are intended to aid in that. Generally speaking, we will only include those works that Bluethread thinks merit serious consideration for acquisition.
In these pages we will review books, journals, websites, CD-ROMs, software, audiotapes, and works in any other format that comes along that is of interest to us. Reviews will be written by topic so that different works can be compared, but also indexed by writer and title.
Criteria for selection:
- Authority. How long has the writer been studying in the topic, and in what circumstances? What else has the writer published? Are there adequate notes and bibliographies which can lead the amateur scholar to further exploration?
- Readability. As the saying goes, does the writing hurt the head? Are the concepts presented understandably, without the need for constant recourse to an unabridged dictionary?
- Currency. Does the writer recognize recent scholarship by others, even if not agreeing with it? This is not to say, however, that older works are not valuable. If it is a website, is it regularly updated as appropriate?
- Utility. Can the work, once read, be used again and again for reference. Are there good finding aids, such as tables of content, and indices.
- Importance. Is this the best or one of the best resources on a topic? How many others refer to it, or are influenced by it?
- Perspective. Although Bluethread operates from a Reform Jewish position, we are interested in other viewpoints, especially if they are well presented.
Bluethread welcomes suggestions of both topics and titles to consider for addition to these pages. Contributors' comments are gratefully received, and will be credited.
Count: 9/23/01
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