Chronicles: News of the Past

by Israel Eldad, Israel

The Idea: to retell the ancient, hallowed story of the Bible as if it were happening today - or, differently expressed, as if the ancients had been in possession of all the facilities and know-how connected with the production of a modern newspaper!

The Result: a serious, authentic and well-founded portrayal of the people and events of the Biblical era, giving the reader dimensions of depth that no history textbook, with its necessarily compartmentalized, chapter-by-chapter approach, can provide: depth in geographical extension and depth in aspects of living. The perusal of any one issue in Chronicles will give the reader both an overall view of simultaneous happenings in the Holy Land and in other countries, and a fresh insight into the political, economic and social problems, as well as the everyday life, of our ancestors.

Prepared by a staff of established scholars and experienced researchers, experts in history, archaelogy and the social sciences, writers and journalists, Chronicles faithfully follows the biblical account.

By lending new life, new color and new dimension to the men and women who populate the Books of the Bible, the editors of this unique, publishing venture have contributed immeasurably to the public's understanding, appreciation and love of the Bible, throughout the world.

102 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sol]

Delightfully bizarre. An Israeli production of the 50s, Chronicles: News of the Past is a history of the Jews in the form of mock newspapers, with headlines, articles in columns, advertisements, and inset photos, as if they are current events being reported. The three volumes cover the Biblical period from Abraham onward in the first, the second temple period and early Christianity in the second, and I presume the rabbinic period in the third, perhaps up to the printing press? I only own the first two.


The fragile corner

The commitment to skeumorphism is admirable, even thought it makes the books sort of unreadable. You see, it was originally published as a series of single-leaf broadsheets (four total pages), sold at newstands, like any other paper. When republishing them as a book, the exact same format was kept, except they were turned sideways and bound not in the spine, but on the lower left edge of the cover. To actually read it, then, you need to turn the book right 90 degrees, then carefully turn and open the leaves, perhaps folding upward any already read. Turning the "pages" is thus awkward enough, as half of every leaf is either hanging unsupported, or is bulking up the spine if folded up. Even worse, since the leaves are folded two ways, when opening into the middle of a leaf, a lot of stress is being put on the intersection, risking tearing it. I've tried a few times, and have yet to find a way to open inner pages without feeling like I'm doing permanent damage to it.

At the very least the paper is much higher quality than an actual newspaper. My copy is around 60 years old and hasn't excessively yellowed, and the paper is still quite supple. Maybe there's a trick to it I haven't realized, but I think an easier way would be to simply unbind the leaves and read them individually. The binding looks to be a single piece of robust tape, so it shouldn't be too hard, but evidently none of the previous owners did it either. I have a feeling it's had more use as a curiosity to be looked at than actually read.

[Thaddeus Marrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teenager I found one volume of this book in a used bookstore, and bought it for $1. My father found it on the shelf in my room, and burned it with the chometz on Erev Pesach, claiming that it contains heresy and photos of crucifixes.
Some years later I read all three volumes, and enjoyed them immensely.

[Penni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skimmed parts of this. So clever.

[David Rullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous idea, amazing graphics, a special type of book, the type they just don't make anymore.