Wycliffe: Vanguard of Reformation is a beautifully written piece of literature from history that brings forth relevant discussions for today's world. Originally published as part of a larger work by James A. Wylie in the 1800s, Biblical Worldview Media has produced a wonderful modern-day republication of the text. Complete with a foreword by Douglas Bond and a word from publisher Scott East, this book contains fifteen chapters detailing the life, experiences, and accomplishments of James Wycliffe from birth to his final days. This paperback book is just under one hundred and seventy pages and is available on the Biblical Worldview Media website for $12.99. 

I spent the last couple of weeks reading this book in the evenings after the children had gone to bed and the house was quiet. The writing style is lovely, pulling you into a different time when language was such an art form. In some cases, it became challenging to comprehend; however, Biblical Worldview Media has added asterisks to the less commonly used words, followed by a definition for those words at the bottom of each page. I felt this addition was a smart way to make this book much more modern-reader friendly! 

The beginning of the book contains a thoughtful foreword by Douglas Bond that helped prepare my mindset before beginning the first chapter. This foreword shares a helpful perspective on the purpose behind reading a text that is nearly 150 years old. This story tells of patriotism, perseverance, faith, and innovation- bravely bringing scripture to those who would not otherwise have read it by translating the Bible into English.

I am an avid reader and always love reading texts from a multitude of sources, time periods, and subjects- but sometimes, the older texts get me a bit hung up when it comes to comprehension. Therefore, I appreciate the way this book has been put together to promote understanding and make it enjoyable for the reader. It also includes helpful endnotes at the end of each chapter, citing numbers placed throughout the text for reference. These notes further increase comprehension and readability! 

Because of the writing style, I recommend Wycliffe: Vanguard of Reformation for advanced readers. However, I believe high school-age students and older would benefit from this text and could use it to spark thoughtful discussion connecting the reformation to modern-day issues.

-Product review by Danielle Lenz, The Old Schoolhouse®, May 2022