It was fitting that Dr. Arnold Dallimore, author of a two-volume Life of George Whitefield (and more recently of The Life of Edward Irving) should then give us a book on Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It was in 1962 that the four-volume Autobiography of Spurgeon was republished in two volumes, with considerable rearrangement, but, even so, the Autobiography is too long to serve as a popular introduction. Accordingly, Dr. Dallimore, using these two volumes and other dependable sources, produced a much more concise narrative of Spurgeon’s life. He also set out ‘to understand and present something of the inner man- Spurgeon in his praying, his sufferings and depressions, his weaknesses and strengths; in his triumphs, humour, joys, and incredible accomplishments’.

It is no easy task to depict ‘so tremendous a personality’ as that of Spurgeon in a brief volume, but in 250 pages it is here accomplished, and with a large measure of success. It will meet the need of those completely ignorant of Spurgeon and his vast achievements, but will stir also the interest of all who value a unique ministry, yielding 62 volumes of ‘deathless’ sermons and many other highly valuable publications.