Both books reviewed this month—one hot off the press and the other more than 50 years old—make inspirational reading.

A Summer for a Lifetime: The Life and Times of George I. Purdy as Told to Thomas Caldwell by George Purdy, Lost Coast Press ($24.95, casebound, 6" X 9", 200 pages; ISBN 1–882897–45–5) and handled by book distributors Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Mother Pickle, and Partners. Orders can be made from the following website: http://www.cypresshouse.com/catalog/catalog.shtml. Look under the biographies section.

Brother Purdy has had a most remarkable life. Born in 1907, he had two careers in the Navy and was a key player in the reconstruction and economic recovery of Japan after WW II. His contributions were so significant that in 1985, the Emperor of Japan bestowed a medal on him. But the delight of this book is not just the sweep of history, although that is certainly there, and not just the insight into many of the important events of the last half of the 20th Century, although that is there as well. The delight is in the simplicity of the narration and the book's direct, easy style. For instance, there is a wonderful story about the youthful Purdy and his friends meeting a young man in his early 20s sitting on a beach, looking out to sea. They started a conversation and became friends. Purdy discovered that the young man was waiting while a local company built an airplane for him, a plane later known as "The Spirit of St. Louis"!

Some of the men Purdy worked with have written comments on the book. Walter Mondale, former Vice President of the United States and former Ambassador to Japan, says, "One of the joys of my time in Tokyo ... was getting to know and work with George Purdy." Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo, writes: "George and I are both men of the sea. I've known him since we worked together on the 1964 Olympics. He is all hard work, good humor and, most of all, guts."

There are others who praise the book and the man, including Grand Commander Kleinknecht, but you get the point. Sometimes, we are privileged to share in the lives of the men who make a difference on the world scene. Our Scottish Rite Brother, Ill. George Purdy, 33°, is such a man. (Also, see a "Current Interest" item about this book in the January 2000 Scottish Rite Journal.)

As with Bro. Purdy's book, the Internet is also a good place to find Edith Deen's book All of the Women of the Bible. I checked when writing this column and found a special on the hardback price, which was actually lower than the paperbound cost. Harper and Row first copyrighted the book in 1955, so it is hardly a new work. But it is very complete. Of special interest to members of the Eastern Star, it is a handy reference for anyone trying to understand a bit more about the Biblical context from which so much background of the Masonic Orders is taken. Also, it reads far more like a novel than a reference book. If, like some of us, you tend to confuse Sarah, Salome and Sapphira, this book will help.

Jim Tresner is Director of the Masonic Leadership Institute and Editor of The Oklahoma Mason. A frequent contributor to the Scottish Rite Journal and its book review editor, Illustrious Brother Tresner is also a volunteer writer for The Oklahoma Scottish Rite Mason and a video script consultant for the National Masonic Renewal Committee. He is the Director of the Thirty-third Degree Conferral Team and Director of Work at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma, as well as a life member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, author of the popular anecdotal biography Albert Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument, and a member of the steering committee of the Masonic Information Center. Ill. Tresner was awarded the Grand Cross, the Scottish Rite's highest honor, during the Supreme Council's October 1997 Biennial Session.