This is an occasion where you should not judge a book by its cover. This book isn't aesthetically pleasing in the slightest, but the contents were satisfying. I was influenced by Stanley Hauerwas to take up Barth and I thought this might serve as a suitable introduction. Dogmatics in Outline is a series of lectures he delivered on the Apostles Creed as a summary of the Christian faith. Barth insists on relating the whole to Jesus Christ, and that is where he really shines. This was a good book though he left me wanting more. Perhaps that is because this book is only an abbreviation of his fuller treatment elsewhere. It may be simply that I need to move on to "heavier" Barth and tackle his 31 volume Church Dogmatics. Still, while not the most riveting read it was beneficial none the less and a fine introduction to the thought of Karl Barth specifically and Christianity in general.