The Twenty-Third Psalm: An Interpretation

Title: The Twenty-Third Psalm: An Interpretation
Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Author: Charles L. Allen (1913-2005)
Illustrator: Ismar David (1910-1996)
Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company, Westwood, New Jersey
Year: 1961
Pages: 64
Format: Hardcover with bas relief binding, missing dust jacket.
Provenance: Previous owner’s name written in ball-point pen on title page. Also contains a xerox clipping from a church newsletter relating to Biblical passage Mark 14:22-31.
Opening Sentence: “Unquestionably the Twenty-third Psalm is one of the world’s greatest gems.”
Random Passage: “It is always a thrilling experience to me to be downtown at about 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The streets are filled with people and cars. Extra buses are running, and every one is packed with people standing.”
Goodreads Review Excerpt: “This small gift volume—sixty-two pages of clear, straightforward interpretive commentary of 118 words in perhaps the most famous poem in 2500 years, speaks to hungering hearts and minds—even today.” — Georgia Herod, August 29, 2018.
Notes: The Twenty-Third Psalm was one of five collaborations between Charles L. Allen, a Methodist minister based in Houston, Texas, and German-born calligrapher, designer and artist Ismar David. The modernist two-color illustrations throughout this book are pretty terrific, and I’ve included all of them below. Experience more of David’s work at IDEA: The Ismar David Electronic Archive.