{"title":"Kevin J Gardner","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"faith-and-doubt-of-john-betjeman-book-kevin-j-gardner-9780826485786","title":"Faith and Doubt of John Betjeman","description":"Sir John Betjeman was one of the twentieth century's great makers of the Christian imagination. He was maybe the most significant literary figure of our time to declare his Christian faith and his terror of dying. Betjeman used his formidable gifts for poetry to show us how to think about the Anglican faith and about Englishness, and Christianity in general. Here is an anthology of about 75 poems on religious themes, with clarifying footnotes and a critical introduction that offers an overview of his life and poetry, as well as a commentary on some of his more difficult poems. The book is directed at three main audiences: poetry readers unfamiliar with Betjeman and his faith, readers interested in literature from a Christian perspective (C.S.Lewis or George Herbert) and, more narrowly, Christians who may be interested in discovering poetry that explores their faith. Betjeman's poetry has and continues to sell extremely well (Between two and three million copies of his Collected Poems). Here is a new perspective on Betjeman's life and beliefs. This new edition of Betjeman's religious poetry will demonstrate that Betjeman is the great poet of the Church in the twentieth century; it will also introduce delightful, accessible and important poetry to new readers who have not read much of his work. It will suggest to both British and American readers ways of thinking about spiritual, cultural and ecclesiastical matters as well as about the intersection of literature and art.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49511285293329,"sku":"GOR004215148","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53102196752657,"sku":"GOR011543973","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0826485782.jpg?v=1750818570"},{"product_id":"building-jerusalem-book-kevin-j-gardner-9781472924353","title":"Building Jerusalem","description":"Nostalgia and love of parish churches is deeply embedded in the British psyche. Following the success of Poems in the Porch, a collection of hitherto unpublished poems on parish churches by Sir John Betjeman, Kevin Gardner has now assembled a new anthology of poems on the same theme yet with a greater diversity of post-war authors – Philip Larkin, R. S. Thomas, John Betjeman, C. Day Lewis, U. A. Fanthorpe and many others. The collection is introduced by a fascinating critical introduction, ‘Anglican Memory and Post-war British Poetry’ and will appeal to church and poetry lovers alike in their droves.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49523449692433,"sku":"GOR007493782","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1472924355.jpg?v=1751338849"},{"product_id":"poems-in-the-porch-book-kevin-j-gardner-9781441142184","title":"Poems in the Porch","description":"Between 1953 and 1957, John Betjeman read a series of poems on 'The Faith in the West' programme on the BC's West of England Home Service. Among these 'Poems on the Porch' were at least 20 original poems, but our records for the series are incomplete. Kevin Gardner has pieced together 22 of these poems.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49526626648337,"sku":"GOR002824217","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49638898008337,"sku":"GOR005197937","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50477533528337,"sku":"CIN1441142185VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51528324579601,"sku":"GOR011854466","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52126061297937,"sku":"NLS9781441142184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52734195925265,"sku":"NIN9781441142184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1441142185.jpg?v=1751458112"},{"product_id":"poems-in-the-porch-book-kevin-j-gardner-9781847063281","title":"Poems in the Porch","description":"This book represents a genuine and important discovery in the canon of Betjeman's poems, often considered closed with the publication of the \"Complete Poems\".Between 1953-57, John Betjeman read a series of poems on 'The Faith in the West' program airing on the BBC's West of England Home Service. This series, called 'Poems in the Porch,' was so popular that Betjeman received constant requests to publish the poems. Although he deprecatingly referred to the poems as mere 'verses', Betjeman at last capitulated to the public. The result was a slim volume of six poems, entitled \"Poems in the Porch\". What few people now realize is that Betjeman read at least 20 original poems on the radio in this series, perhaps even more, although owing to the haphazard records of both the BBC and Betjeman himself it is impossible to reconstruct with complete accuracy the history of this series.Kevin Gardner has been able to identify and collect 26 of these poems and has written a fascinating introductory essay recounting the story of Betjeman as a radio poet and discussing the artistry of these poems. Most have never been published and currently exist only in manuscript. We know for certain of 20 occasions when Betjeman read his poems on the 'Faith in the West' program, and of these we know 16 specific titles. Despite the gap between the BBC records on the one hand and the printed and manuscript texts on the other, Gardner has been able to construct a relatively reliable edition of Betjeman's \"Poems in the Porch\".This book will cause a radical reassessment of his canon and will create great waves in the Betjeman community.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49531848753425,"sku":"GOR002547033","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49775721611537,"sku":"GOR008057865","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52786305696017,"sku":"GOR005651896","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1847063284.jpg?v=1750767717"},{"product_id":"betjeman-on-faith-book-kevin-j-gardner-9780281064168","title":"Betjeman on Faith","description":"Widely known for his poetry, radio broadcasts and television documentary films, John Betjeman was also a prolific writer of prose. Through the power of his pen, he publicly expressed his personal Christian beliefs as well as his doubts, made a case for the interconnectedness of religion and the arts, discussed the dependence of English society on its established Church, instructed his readers about the life and history of parishes, and lamented the loss of churches. He is arguably the most important voice of faith and culture in the twentieth century. This collection contains the best of Betjeman's prose of a religious nature. There are miscellaneous essays (from magazines and newspapers), regular columns (mostly from The Spectator and The Telegraph), contributions to others' books and extracts from his own. The volume also features book reviews, sermons, letters, radio broadcasts and some television documentary scripts. The vast majority of these pieces have not been reprinted or anthologized since their original publication, and as a result, Betjeman on Faith will refresh and inform as much as it delights.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49586420744465,"sku":"GOR004382913","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50468271227153,"sku":"CIN0281064164G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0281064164.jpg?v=1772103218"},{"product_id":"faith-and-doubt-of-john-betjeman-book-kevin-j-gardner-9780826482723","title":"Faith and Doubt of John Betjeman","description":"Sir John Betjeman was one of the twentieth century's great makers of the Christian imagination. He was maybe the most significant literary figure of our time to declare his Christian faith and his terror of dying. 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It will suggest to both British and American readers ways of thinking about spiritual cultural and ecclesiastical matters as well as about the intersection of literature and art.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49597857956113,"sku":"GOR004961669","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49788310651153,"sku":"GOR013785002","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52341502837009,"sku":"NLS9780826482723","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52740383736081,"sku":"NIN9780826482723","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0826482724.jpg?v=1751431461"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-kevin-j-gardner.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}