Frank William Boreham 1871-1959

Frank William Boreham 1871-1959
A photo F W Boreham took of himself in 1911

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Chalice of Life by F W Boreham

Fancy a total abstinence campaigner stating that “the richest wine in the chalice of life still waits their thirsty lips.”

This book took decades to write for Dr Boreham wrote his chapters 'Life at 40', 'Life at 50' and right through to 70 soon after reaching those momentous milestones.

Boreham doesn’t seem to have written about 'Life at 20' or 'Life at 80' but we have added an article first published in the Hobart Mercury in his 87th year, which was the last year of his life, and another essay on the art of reaching and living into ‘Life’s Landmarks’.

F W Boreham in his seventies was asked to give a series of talks which he entitled ‘Our Golden Milestones’. This appears to be the first time he brought his thinking together but he had to write a new essay entitled, ‘Life at 30’.

When Boreham gave this series he drew a warm and appreciative response from his audience.

The Chalice of Life is a Boreham version of what others have attempted, notably John Claypool in his book Stages: The Art of Living the Expected (also called The Saga of Life) and Gail Sheehy in Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life. Boreham skillfully weaves the biblical stories with some contemporary texts and his personal reflections as a practiced observer of life.

Frank Boreham takes his readers on a journey through life and reflects not only on the increase in years but the art of drinking in the richness that is to be enjoyed at each stage. The author is not blind to the bitterness that can sometimes be found at the bottom of the chalice as he points out the dangerous decades and the challenges for each phase. Overall, this book exudes the author’s exuberance and love for life.

The author does not dominate the reader with his own pontificating and prescriptions. Rather, in the typical Boreham style, he writes like a pointer to the Southern Cross, allowing the reader to bounce off the author’s thoughts and ponder one’s personal reflections.

Four Reasons to Buy this Book
1. This Boreham book has never been published before.
2. Like all of Boreham’s books, this will become a collector’s item.
3. It will do you good to think often about your own development.
4. It is an ideal and reasonably priced gift for people of all ages.
5. It is only 60 pages in length.
6. You can purchase this easily with two of the other very popular new Boreham books, 'All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F W Boreham and its companion, 'A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F W Boreham'.

F W Boreham, The Chalice of Life: Reflections on the Significant Stages of Life (Eureka, CA: John Broadbanks Publishing, 2008).

Sources:
Michael Dalton
eBay.
COC Online Bookshop, Australia

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Chalice Covers.