Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking, and Beautiful One of My Favorite & Treasured
Review: Breathtaking, and Beautiful One of My Favorite & Treasured Book.
Although I am not a Christian or Jewish, I have always had a great respect for the Book of Psalms and always use them for daily meditation and contemplation. So I was thrilled when by accident I cam across this beautiful book. From the first page to the last, the artwork is amazing, touching and uplifting. The book has a feel of an old mysterious tomb of days long gone. It was so beautiful that I purchased a few as gifts.
My greatest respects goes to the late James S. Freemantle for he truly was inspired by something out of this world. What touched me more, was that the book was inspired by love, the love of a man for his wife, and because of her "Clara" which is Spanish for Clarity (Ti See Clearly) James S. Freemantle saw and was inspired with the Clarity of Angels.
Each page is breathtaking, and it truly does inspire one to read the psalms. This book has become one of my most favorite and most treasured books, and one does not have to be neither Christian nor Jewish to appreciate the beauty of this book. If you are Spiritual, or follow any other Spiritual or Religious Faith, I have to recommend you get this book, it is truly Breathtaking.
Rating:
Summary: All Around Beautiful Book!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredibly Beautiful Book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredibly Beautiful Book
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Spoiling the Psalms
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: SCATTER THOU THE PEOPLE THAT DELIGHT IN WAR-Psalm 68:30
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: SCATTER THOU THE PEOPLE THAT DELIGHT IN WAR-Psalm 68:30
Review: 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!
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book for personal devotions
Review: The beautiful calligraphy is not only a feast for the senses, but slows the reader down so that the words of the Psalms can be prayerfully absorbed. A labor of love by the illustrator, and we are lucky his son published it (after his death).
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