The Reference Board...

The Reference Board of the Good BookStall is chaired by George Taylor and the members are Melanie Carroll, Guy Marshall, Aude Pasquier, Guy Taylor, Mike Topliss, John Shepherd OBE FCA (Treasurer) and Mary Bartholomew (Editor/Secretary). Martin Brasier (Melchior Telematics) also attends as technical adviser.

George Taylor spent his working life in publishing; academic, general, children's and religious. After several years working in various departments at the Oxford University Press London Office he moved to Faber and Faber as Marketing Manager in 1974. He later joined the Board and became the Sales and Marketing Director before leaving to join Franklin Watts, the specialist children's publisher in 1984. He was invited to rejoin OUP in 1988 as as the UK Sales Director for the academic Division and finished his 30 years at OUP responsible for their international sales. The opportunity to join SPCK as Sales and Marketing Director in 1998 gave him the chance to see a further publishing aspect and an enjoyable five years until he retired early in 2003.

George loves football, giving regular support to Charlton Athletic, cricket; he is a long standing member of MCC, the theatre and of course good reading. He passionately believes that books are a vital ingredient to a full life and that any kind of reading is to be encouraged. To help TGBS provide good, unprejudiced advice on the best religious books available is a privilege.

Guy Taylor is a much respected member of the Christian Book Trade having worked for various Christian Publishers, at many levels, covering an area from the north of Scotland to the south coast of England and Ireland. Guy formed his own company (A. Guy Taylor Limited.) and employed a small rep. force which was very successful over a number of years. In 1964 Guy Taylor followed a suggestion given to him by Peter Nicholson (then Precentor at Peterborough Cathedral) for an inter-Cathedral Bookstalls Newsletter as a means of exchanging useful information. In 1968 he met John Mortimer at a church bookstall managers conference. John asked Guy if all church bookstall managers could receive the letter, previously only sent to Cathedrals, and so A Bookstalls Newsletter grew from one letter to a circulation of 4000 encompassing the whole of the Christian Book trade. On Guy's retirement he approached Paul Chandler, then General Secretary of SPCK and The Good BookStall website was born.

Guy Marshall is manager of St Andrew's Bookshop, St Albans (see www.standrewsbookshop.co.uk). He is a member of the CBC (Christian Booksellers Convention) Board and on the committee of the BA-CBG (Booksellers Association - Christian Booksellers Group). and is also a Panel member of Speaking Volumes. He has a large collection of books at his home, and as well as reading enjoys working on his allotment. Guy is married to Glenis, a childminder and has two sons, now both in their twenties. He still has links with Crusaders as a leader in the local group, and also finds time to run a Cub Scout pack.

Mike Topliss (a retired RE teacher) is Ecumenical Officer for Staffordshire and for the Black Country. He is a local preacher, with sermons published in the 4th, 5th and 6th Times Book of Best Sermons. The bookstall in his local Methodist Church in Bloxwich has been his pride and joy for over 30 years.

Mary Bartholomew (Editor/Secretary) worked for SPCK Bookshops in Chichester and Carlisle. During the years she managed the Carlisle bookshop she recorded book reviews for Radio Cumbria's Sunday morning programme. This she continues to do, in retirement with her husband in Herefordshire, where she has also done occasional recordings of reviews for BBC Hereford and Worcester' Sunday morning programme. A compulsive reader, bell-ringer for over fifty years and keen gardener, she is a mother of four and grandmother of five.

John Shepherd OBE FCA (Treasurer) is a Chartered Accountant. A retired Public Company Finance Director with extensive experience in the manufacturing industry, he is also a committed Christian, a chorister for over 50 years, an ex-Church Warden, Sacristan, Crucifer and is licensed for Holy Communion. Also, a PCC member, Gift Aid Secretary/Treasurer, and an ex-Diocesan Board of Finance Member.
He was awarded OBE for services to the severely disabled in December 1998.

Aude Pasquier is currently Sales & Marketing Director of Darton, Longman & Todd. Aude by name and odd by nature she left her native Normandy many years ago and is now a self-confessed Anglophile, very much to her parents' dismay. After a few years on a sharp learning curve with Mowbray's in Cambridge, Aude became manager of the SPCK Bookshop in York in 1994. In 1997 she became manager of the SPCK Bookshop in London. Aude lives in London and enjoys every minute of it especially on her bike, weather permitting. Aude loves books, loves talking about books and loves selling books. She now enjoys selling them to other booksellers hoping to share with them some of her enthusiasm.

Melanie Carroll is owner of Unicorn Tree Books, an independent bookshop in Lincoln. Before SPCK Bookshops changed ownership she managed a few SPCK Bookshops and was their e-commerce manager. She is also the Religious and Philosophy Previewer for Publishing News.

Before retailing books she was a Residential Youth Retreat Worker for the Catholic Diocese of Westminster. She studied Theology at undergraduate and post-graduate degree level at Heythrop College, University of London and also holds Diplomas in the fields of Performance Coaching (Business) and Life Coaching, and has an Advanced Certificate in Telematics.

Single and committed to serving God, Melanie, an avowed nethead and gadget geek, spends her downtime in creative pursuits involving paper and actively feeding her passion for the written word in any form, along with enjoying a second childhood with her niece most weekends - after all they both love DVDs, gameboys, computers, colours, books, hiking & camping!

Current Reviewers...

Barbara Andrew attends St Margaret of Antioch,Anglican Church at Wellington, Herefordshire with her husband. She is a retired Librarian and Christian Bookshop Assistant and helps with the Leominster Deanery Library.

Rev'd C. Mary Austin is Superintendent of the Kidderminster & Stourport Circuit in the West Midlands. She is the author of an Epworth title now out of print, on the illness and death of her six year old son in 1987, and contributed to another on the subject of Dementia, using knowledge gained while a hospital chaplain. She contributes occasionally to WM's Sunday morning programme, including reflections on the week's news. With a husband, two grown up daughters and twin grandchildren, she still finds time to read widely.

Mary Bartholomew (Editor/Secretary - see above.)

Rev'd Paddy Beresford is Associate Minister of St Paul's Church in Weston-super-Mare responsible for Pastoral Care. He has been a pastor for 30 years and has an international ministry with particular interests in Pastoral Care in churches, the relationship between secular and Christian counselling and evangelism amongst Jewish people. He is married to Ann and they have two daughters.

Kathy Bland and her husband and three sons attend Leominster Priory church where they run the summer Holiday Club among other things.

Julia Brand is married with two children and lives in Ashtead, Surrey. She was a criminal barrister for eight years and gave up after having children. She worships at St Giles, Ashtead and became a christian on an Alpha course in 2002 on the Holy Spirit day. Had, worryingly enough, thought she was a christian by reason of church attendance and believing Jesus to be a wonderful teacher before that! Now an avid reader of christian books!

Martin Brasier has been involved in church music and worship for over three decades. During that time, he has been a 'traditional' organist, a worship band leader, and various shades in-between. He likes to draw on the best of all genres, old and new, from near and far, and has fairly strong liturgical leanings (for a Baptist). He plays organ, other keyboards, electric guitar and bass (not at the same time, but sometimes in the same service). He currently rejoices in the grand title of Musical Director of John Clifford Baptist Church, Beeston, Nottingham.

Carole Burrows has spent most of her working life dealing with books, first as a Chartered Librarian working in public, academic and industrial libraries, then in 1982 taking the step of opening her own bookshop in Cumbria, which she ran for nine years. In 1994 she moved to Lincoln to become Manager of the SPCK shop there which included the SPCK Mail Order Department, later the SPCK Online Fulfillment House. In 2001 she moved to Durham to manage the SPCK Bookshop in Durham Cathedral. She is now enjoying retirement and the opportunity to spend more time reading, walking and gardening, plus relieving her husband of cooking duties, about which he is most relieved! She is an Anglican and worships at Durham Cathedral.

Melanie Carroll (Reference Board member - see above)

Alice Collins is currently working for Highland Books as a publisher's assistant. She is beginning what she hopes will be a fruitful career editing literature. Highland Books specialises in religious books and Alice's family have a strong background in all things Christian.

William Cole After 25 years working for SPCK bookshops, 20 as Manager of SPCK Winchester, William now works for the Centre Bookshop at the London Centre for Spirituality. He is an active Reader in the Worthy parishes north of Winchester and a keen reader of theological books. Other enthusiasms are music (especially vintage recordings), Italian and Dutch painting and real ale.

Sue Cooper is married to Graham and attends leominster Priory Church where she is a bellringer and Secretary of the PCC. She is a senior teacher at a local co-educational independent day and boarding school.

Captain Jim Currin, CA.is Executive Secretary, Churches Together in England 'Group for Evangelisation' (GfE)

Teresa de Bertodano worked as an editor with Darton, Longman and Todd and with HarperCollins. She is a freelance editor and compiles anthologies.

Andrew Elliott has been working with teenagers (on a voluntary basis, whilst working full-time in industry, always as part of a team) since becoming a Christian in 1992. Mostly working with 13-18 year olds, he tries to challenge the teenagers about what makes them tick, getting them to think what life is all about. Andrew is married with a young daughter and belongs to a local Baptist Church. He likes to keep his mind 'alive' by reading all manner of books and is constantly on the lookout for useful and well produced resources.

Ann Evans information to follow

Revd Ian Gibbs is at present Rector of Diddlebury with Munslow, Holdgate, Tugford and Abdon in Corvedale, Shropshire.

Revd Ian Gibson At present Chaplain to the Bishop of Chichester. Previously Parish priest for two parishes in East Sussex as a Non Stipendiary Priest and also Rural Dean of Uckfield and Acting Archdeacon of Lewes and Hastings. He has been ordained for twenty years. Before entering full time ministry he was in charge of the Sales Operation at Martini for 11 years then entered the field of Training Consultancy where he worked with major blue chip organisations as a Consultant and agent of change. A tutor for STETS, training ordinands, he has post graduate degrees in management and training as well as theology and when not working spends time in a darkened room with a wet towel round his head!!

Dr Tim Gibson is a member of the academic staff of the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme (STETS), in Salisbury. His research interests include the interface of Christian ethics with moral philosophy, pastoral and systematic theology and modern church history. He has taught at the University of Exeter and King's College, London, as well as at Richard Huish Sixth Form College, in Taunton. When not working, Tim enjoys a game of squash, a tot of decent Scotch and a walk in the country with his Golden Retriever, Sam (not necessarily in that order).

Revd Richard Greatrex was a bookseller for twenty years, spending the last twelve until August 2007 as manager of the SPCK Bookshop in Bristol. His secular employment is now quite different but he still has a small business selling theological books on the internet. He is the house-for-duty priest for two small parishes in North Somerset. Richard has a diverse set of interests including the spirituality of punk and post-punk music as well as a whole room in his house devoted to the Great Western and Somerset and Dorset railways. Married to Mary-Jane, formerly a freelance editor of theological books, now a trainee speech and drama teacher, they spend time together searching for dragonflies and grasshoppers and growing vegetables in their garden under the watchful eye of their cat, Jessica.

Helen Hancox is married to James and they live on the Essex/Suffolk border with their Weimaraner, Lucy.
Helen has a BA in Biblical Studies and an MA in Hebrew & Greek Textual Criticism. She has worked in various roles including communications, marketing and graphic design, most recently with Integrity Music in Eastbourne. She is currently working freelance and spending a large amount of time reading books for review (for both Christian publications and secular ones), walking Lucy, sailing and brushing up on her German.

John Irvine has an M.A. in English Literature from Glasgow University and spent his life teaching and lecturing in Scotland, Turkey and Iraq. He retired as a lecturer in Drama and Theatre at Aberdeen University and now spends his time writing about Mary Queen of Scots and the Reformation in Scotland. His other main interest is theology. He is a church-going Catholic and lives in Edinburgh with his wife.

Fr J. Nicholas Latham is a Parish Priest in the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham. He is also Chairman of its Ecumenical Commission. Fifteen of his twenty-five years in Ordained Ministry were as Chaplain in the University of Birmingham, where he also was a Tutor in Medical Ethics. In his 'spare time', when not reviewing books, he enjoys looking up at buildings and keeping up with British Archaeology.

Tim Leffler information to follow

Joy Liddle information to follow

Kate Lucas information to follow

Phelim McIntyre  was, until May 07, Assistant Manager at the SPCK Bookshop in Chichester.  He now works as a Life Coach and in the Christian Healing Ministry. In his spare time he is a Cub Scout leader, and is involved in teaching on intercessory prayer. An avid reader he enjoys reading and writing murder mystery and fantasy fiction. He is a volunteer with a national Christian charity, and a member of his church's PCC.

Guy Marshall (Reference Board member - see above.)

Rachel Maurice information to follow

Very Rev'd John Methuen, formerly Dean of Ripon, Rector of Hulme and Mosside, and Chaplain/Schoolmaster at Eton College; has led groups and tours and travelled widely in the Mediterranean and the Middle East; particularly Israel, Egypt and Greece since 1970. He is a regular broadcaster on radio, and T.V. and writes articles in the press. His expertise includes history and archaeology, art and architecture, and Biblical studies. He is a member of the Egypt Exploration Society, the North Yorkshire Ancient Egyptian Society and the Thames Valley Ancient Egyptian Society, and is a Friend of the British Museum and the Petrie Museum. He endeavours, where appropriate, to combine fact, faith and fun.

Theresa Nash has been married for 15 years: her husband works for a local charity and her daughter is at secondary school. All the family are very involved at the local church, between them sharing in the ministry as Special Ministers of the Eucharist, Sacristan, Children's Liturgy, Treasurer, choir members, church cleaners, and an Altar Server at Mass. Theresa has worked part time in a Christian Book Shop for 11 years now and has gained much from the experience. In her leisure time she enjoys reading, cross-stitch, flute and clarinet.

Revd Naomi Nixon is a Priest in the Church of England. After a curacy in Ludlow in Shropshire, she moved to Coventry and Leicester Dioceses as a Chaplain in Further Education. She works at North Warwickshire and Hinckley College with 27000 students and 1000 staff. Her role has four main parts to it, working with students, working with staff, developing links with the local churches and teaching youth work to both Christian and Secular Youth Workers. If there's any time left over after all that she goes to the cinema, works in the garden, entertains friends and reads books.

Jackie Rowe is a former missionary midwife who is now a voluntary pastoral care worker in her local Anglican church. Her passion is to see Christ formed in every member of the church family. She thinks her church, St Johns and St Marks, Great Clacton, is one of the friendliest in the country and she enjoys being part of the worship group there. Her main recreation is reading and she usually has five or six books on the go at once. She also enjoys cross-stitch, walking in the country, Scrabble, photography and card making.

Rev'd Pam Sanders is married to Min/Mark and they have four children who are young adults and mostly away from home. Pam is at present Curate at Leominster Priory and reads anything she can put her hands on, time allowing. She has a passion for Tolkien and Orkney, plus sewing of all kinds and her special interests include childrens books, poetry and her home county of Yorkshire.

Peter and Jackie Scott information to follow

Zoe Stevenson information to follow

John Thomas information will follow

The Ven. Dr. David Thomson is Archdeacon of Carlisle. Before being ordained, he studied Early English Language & Literature at Oxford and worked in education. He describes himself as a liberal catholic by background, evangelical by conversion and charismatic by experience and is committed to building bridges across the divides of churchmanship and tradition.

Mike Topliss (Reference Board Member - see above.)

Barry Vendy. After 28 years in Baptist ministry, a career change took me to SPCK in Cambridge. I was happy working there for seven and a half years, before losing my job early in 2008, in the upheavals at SPCK.I am married, with 2 sons and 2 grandchildren. My wife, Pam, and I are very actively involved in our local ecumenical church, and I do some
preaching in local Baptist churches.My hobbies include reading, gardening, listening to classical music, National Trust membership, the odd bit of walking, and enjoying the use of my over-60 bus pass!

Past reviewers...

Rosemary Addison, Mary Carveth, David Chant, Rebecca Chitty, Sarah Davies, Sam Luscombe, Cleodie Mckinnon, Tanya McKnight, Lesley Marshall, Rachel Montague, Eamon Mooney, Hilary Morgan, Bryan Nicholls R.I.P., Mike Roberts, Ruth Sturman, Rev'd Ian Terry

Sponsors...

Our founding sponsors were SPCK, STL and Feed the Minds...

SPCK is a mission agency established over three hundred years ago to promote knowledge of the Christian faith, especially through producing and distributing Christian literature. Today it runs a major Christian publishing house and a grants-programme to assist Christian communications, publishing and education projects around the world. It is increasingly active in developing Christian ministries on the Internet:- for example the Assemblies website www.assemblies.org.uk.

Send the Light Ltd became IBS-STL U.K. in 2007 as part of the wider merger of International Bible Society and Send the Light. International Bible Society (IBS), founded in 1809 with a successive history as a provider of millions of Bibles globally, merged with Send the Light (STL), the largest Christian distributor of Christian resources in the world, on March 1, 2007.
The combined organization operates as IBS-STL Global. This powerful and compelling alliance links the Bible translation capabilities and outreach initiatives of IBS with the distribution capacity of STL. The mission of IBS-STL Global is to advance the Kingdom of God through translating, producing, and distributing Bibles, Scripture materials, and other Christian resources. In nearly 200 years of ministry, IBS has distributed some 600 million Scriptures.
STL, established in 1957, has built a reputation as a provider of low-cost Christian literature into both the Global North (U.S., UK, and Europe) and the Global South (Asia and Africa), with extensive distribution networks in these areas. The combined organization operates on five continents, is currently translating Scripture in more than 40 languages, and is involved in more than 50 major Scripture outreach projects spanning 65 countries. Wesley Owen operates as the retail division of IBS-STL U.K. with its own online presence at www.WesleyOwen.com with around 40,000 titles available, along with over forty high street stores in England and Scotland.

Feed the Minds is an ecumenical Christian Charity which believes that education saves lives, reduces poverty and builds community. We supports projects that aim to transform lives in developing countries through education, communication and the provision of information to people with few resources.
Books for Life is an ecumenical programme and we support Church leaders by supporting theological education and other Church education and communications projects worldwide. We equip theological colleges and libraries with relevant literature that helps Church leaders integrate their understanding of their faith with an ability to respond to their communities' specific needs. www.booksforlife.info