N. D. Wilson Bundle: Author's Collection Editions

These premium Author's Collection Editions feature new forewords and afterwords.

In 2009, when best-selling fantasy novelist, N.D. Wilson dipped out of mainstream success to publish Notes from the Tilt-a-whirl as his intensely personal "manifesto of faith," a new genre was born. Committed to writing poetic and percussive prose that would impact the whole reader, enfleshing meaning with both comic and profound artistry, Wilson set out to write a book that would pry open eyes and startle readers into a joyful new way of seeing the world around them, a way filled with laughter and gratitude for all of God's raucous carnival artistry. The performative and experimental prose accomplished Wilson's goal, and in the fifteen years since its first publication, Notes continues to impact readers and writers worldwide. Often imitated, but never duplicated, Notes from the Tilt-a-whirl and Wilson's companion volume, Death by Living, remain the benchmark for creative, Christian nonfiction. 

With a new afterword by the author, this hardcover edition is elevated with gorgeous blind embossing, foil stamp, and premium paper.

When N.D. Wilson published Death by Living in 2013, fans of Notes from the Tilt-a-whirl weren't sure how Wilson would expand on the visionary themes found in Notes. Where Notes majored on seeing the world and the self rightly, in relationship to God and His creation, Death by Living explored the relationship of God's mortal characters to death, time, and each other, especially across the complex grace of generations. How do we approach challenges and struggles, and ultimately the struggle of mortality, faithfully? How does a rightly ordered view of mortality and the fleeting nature of time impact daily gratitude and faithfulness? How do faithful men and women, ultimately, die of having lived? Wilson's celebration of mortality and gratitude, woven in and around comic scenes and powerful and personal sketches, was immediately acclaimed.

Hailed as Book of the Year by Christianity Today, and a better contemplation of time than that found in St. Augustine by another critic, Death by Living was quickly embraced by fans of Notes but found fans all its own as well. Written at the same time as Wilson's "Ashtown Burials" series, in which Wilson explored many of the same themes in fiction, Death by Living has become a contemporary Christian classic in the decade since its first printing.  

With a new afterword by the author, this hardcover edition is elevated with gorgeous blind embossing, foil stamp, and premium paper.

N.D Wilson Author Editions: These premium editions featuring new forewords and afterwords are published by the author with special permission from Thomas Nelson.

Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl foreword by Joe Rigney.

Death By Living foreword by John Wilson.

N.D. Wilson is the bestselling author twelve critically acclaimed novels, including the "100 Cupboards" trilogy and the "Ashtown Burials" series. Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl, Wilson's first work of nonfiction, remains a touchstone of Christian thought after more than a decade in print. His second volume, Death by Living, was named Book of the Year by Christianity Today. With millions of books sold, Wilson has since expanded into film and television as a writer, producer, and director. He has founded the Camperdown Writer's Kiln at New Saint Andrews College, and he co-hosts the popular Stories Are Soul Food podcast. A father of five, a husband of one, and a track and basketball coach to many, he is happiest when grilling meat for his people and watching the wind on the hills.    

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What People Are Saying:

"Hold your breath and throw your hands in the air! This theological ride thrills with a colorful whir of profound and profoundly amusing meditations on creation, existence and God. Influenced by his evangelical Christian faith, Wilson (Leepike Ridge) uses an engaging, casual style in this personal notebook of spiritual thought as he offers readers a peek into his world of unapologetic wonder. Spinning through the pages, reflections on philosophers, theologians, leeches and kittens offer dazzling new perspective on the bright lights and dark corners of our carnival-like existence. Wilson's most striking achievement in all his whirling musings is an ever-present insistence on optimism. Even when contemplating death, he cheerfully concludes that he will then have admission to “go on the gnarly rides” of immortality. Indeed, Wilson excels in his elegantly intricate arguments for hope: even a naked mole rat matters. Yes, the prose often jolts and reels on its paper track. It can be an unsettling ride. But that is the poetry of a tilt-a-whirl—the poetry of living." -Devi Titus, Publishers Weekly 

"As jumbled and chaotic as the proverbial carnival ride for which it's named. ... In this spirit, theology, mythology, poetry, observation, dialogue, and philosophy are flung together on these pages in a barrage of color, motion, and sensory detail that threatens to derail readers after the first few pages. But those who give up will miss an intriguing book.... Wilson invites the reader to partake in the intricate beauty of the world while remaining open to its endless absurdities and darker aspects. If he muses on the wonders of snow, he makes sure you also know that dogs pee on it. If he reflects on the Nativity, he reminds us that the baby Jesus was laid to rest in an 'animal food bowl.'" -Cindy Crosby, Christianity Today

"N.D. Wilson’s Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl is certainly unlike any book I’ve read before. I pity the publicist whose job it is to provide a soundbite or snapshot from the book! How would one describe it? Wide-eyed, look-ma-no-hands exuberant enjoyment on this spinning tilt-a-whirl we call Earth as it passes through its four seasons? In-your-face mockery of the atheists and their god called Boom? Full-throated defense of a good and sovereign God in a world of pain and evil? A poetic exploration of eucatastrophe? A gospel tract for postmodern times? All of the above. If I had to summarize it in a word, I’d choose provocative—in the old-fashioned sense of provoking, prodding, stimulating, inciting. To do what? To see and to sense and to smell the glory all around us. Wilson is one of those literalists—he takes Solomon and Jesus seriously when they say to “observe the ant” and to “consider the lilies of the field.” Wilson doesn’t stare at them for a few minutes or look them up on Wikipedia–he gathers the kids and gets dirt on his chin and engages in delightful, obedient study. And then he does the same with topics like heaven and hell, gospel and grief, wonder and disbelief. The result—for those of us willing to following the biblical paradox of being childlike without being childish—is that we feel like fish being pulled out of the water for a few moments, finally able to see with new eyes what we have long taken for granted." -Justin Taylor, The Gospel Coalition

"How can I describe Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-Eyed Wonder in God’s Spoken World? It is about philosophical questions, but it is not a philosophy book. It includes narrative, but it is not a storybook. At times it is poetic, but it is not a poem. Sometimes theology appears, but I would not put in under the theology section. The best way to describe this book is a creative worldview book. He seeks to answer the questions: What is this place? Why is this place? Who approved it? Are the investors happy? Am I supposed to take it seriously?... Wilson begins the book by calling himself a Traveler. Take the journey with him; I think many will find it a wild and refreshing journey." -Patrick Schreiner, The Gospel Coalition

"All said, Wilson’s Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl is a rare treasure. Few living writers I’ve read match N.D. Wilson in imagination, creative articulation of orthodox theology, and ability to write in a simple prose style. That his attention has turned—however briefly—to an adult audience has resulted in a wonderfully modern, C.S. Lewis-like treasure." -Tony Reinke