"The multitude of books is making us ignorant." Thus commented Voltaire -- who, we should note -- went on to write several books of his own. Nevertheless, the explosion of books noted by Voltaire is eclipsed by the multitude of books now released by American publishers. In any given week, hundreds of new volumes are released to the general public or specialized markets. Though some have claimed that the end of the book is in sight, the book buying public seems to have no such vision.

Preachers have long been noted as particularly bookish. This is fully understandable, since so much of the preacher's work is tied to a literary culture. The so-called "Gutenberg revolution" greatly increased the bookish nature of the ministry, and democratized the profession and its books.

The most recent publishing year has seen the release of scores of volumes directed toward the preacher. As usual, many of these are quickly forgotten. On the other hand, the past year has seen the release of several books of interest to every learned preacher.

The field of homiletics and Christian preaching saw reduced publishing activity this year. Though several specialized volumes related to specific aspects of preaching have been recently released, few major treatises on preaching have emerged in the last two years. The host of comprehensive texts on preaching which emerged in the 1980's has not yet been supplemented by more recent offerings.

Barry L. Callen, University Professor of Christian Studies at Anderson University, has edited Sharing Heaven's Music: The Heart of Christian Preaching (Abingdon). The volume is a Festschrift to Dr. James Earl Massey, one of the deans of the American Pulpit and a Contributing Editor to Preaching. Fourteen major chapters of the volume are supplemented by a lengthy interview with Massey and three tributes by colleagues. Contributors to the volume are diverse, ranging from William L. Lane to David G. Buttrick. The book is an interesting compilation of essays which offers more than the usual Festschrift. The musical theme was chosen by the editor in order to demonstrate the nature of preaching as art form. As Callen notes in his introduction, "James Earl Massey, a prince of preachers also is a concert pianist who received his call to preach while sitting in church memorizing musical scores."

Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching, has edited Communicating With Power: Insights from America's Top Communicators (Baker Book House). Duduit has pulled together a collection of interviews from the pages of Preaching magazine and the collection represents a magnificent repository of material which will be of keen interest to preachers. The interview is one of the most powerful forms of communication for disclosure. In these interviews, gifted communicators speak from their own experience and out of the energy of their own ministry. Chapters include interviews with John MacArthur, Calvin Miller, John R. W. Stott, Gardner C. Taylor, William Willimon, Bill Hybels and George Barna. Readers will find much material for thought, reflection, and application in these interviews.