It's a slim volume, neatly bound in black. This particular copy was printed in 1927, and there may have been 116,000 copies printed before that. It must have been a birthday present from my aunt to my uncle, given at about the time they got married.

The book was written by Harry Emerson Fosdick, and this is the English edition. It is not "a life of the Master nor a study of His teaching. It is an endeavour to understand and appreciate the quality of His character". It is not particularly about His teachings, nor is it theology— rather an attempt to see "the Man Christ Jesus Himself as He lives in the pages of the gospels".

It contains daily readings for twelve weeks, with a longer comment at the end of each week. Here is a flavour of it:

"Matt.9.10-15 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with the publicans and sinners? But when he heard it, he said, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy and not sacrifice: for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast.

"Have you thought of the Master largely in terms of sorrowful self-sacrifice? Then note carefully today's picture of Him, as He sits at dinner. He is plainly happy. He is with His friends and is helping people who need help, and He so rejoices in His work that He compares His disciples and Himself to a bridal party on a honeymoon. Even when we turn from such a scene as this to think of the days of Jesus' persecution, we find the note of joy unquenched. "Rejoice in that day," He says, "and leap for joy." The fruits of the Spirit, according to Paul, are "love, joy, peace." Is your life by its radiation of real good-cheer and goodwill bearing testimony to your friendship with the Master?