2As one of the most revered Baptist preachers of his time, Charles Haddon Spurgeon's eventful and prolific life and career offer outstanding inspiration for all Christians to this day.

In the first volume of Spurgeon's autobiography, we witness his rise from modest obscurity, embarking on a long road toward fame and admiration as a representative of God on Earth. A lengthy, lively and detailed biography is helped by the fact that Spurgeon was an effusive and prolific talker and author of many documents: he would recount incidents of his life on paper and in speeches regularly.

We find in this volume the famous instance in which the young Spurgeon encountered his call from God. When Spurgeon was aged fifteen, a violent snowstorm forced him from his route into a Methodist church where he felt the Lord beckon him to service. After this, he undertook parochial study with great fervor, and quickly became a respected teacher in his local Sunday School, gaining the nickname 'the boy-preacher of the Fens'.

C. H. Spurgeon's rare gift for words and ability to speak movingly became obvious at the outset. Whilst still in his teenage years he commenced to write Gospel tracts, honing his keynote style and manner with audiences. Early on, his ability to encourage religious thought and contemplation of the divine in his listeners was realized by Christians of various denominations - he was earmarked for a bright future in the church.

Yet Spurgeon lived in England at a difficult time; towards the end of this volume, we hear his account of the cholera epidemic which ravaged London in the 1850s. Witnessing the effect of this terrible disease was sobering for the young preacher; amid this grim scene, the comfort of God's assurance was in high demand - it fell to Spurgeon to offer such comfort to ever-larger crowds.