The formation of the Pauline letter corpus has proved to be an enduring challenge and has invited a variety of proposals. In this significant work, Ben Laird tackles the development of the Pauline letter collection as one of the major sub-corpora within the New Testament canon. . . . The focus upon external evidence is thorough and insightful, and touches upon most of the major issues in contemporary canon studies. I highly recommend this work of innovative and mature scholarship.

How Paul’s letters were collected seems like such a simple topic, yet it is actually quite complex. No one agrees on every point, but Ben Laird is a judicious and cautious guide, introducing all the relevant evidence, major theories, and significant players. . . . All the materials you need for this topic are systematically compiled and cogently discussed in this one volume.

Laird’s volume reflects considerable research and familiarity with the most important issues related to the formation of the corpus of Pauline writings. . . . Scholars, students, and pastors will be impressed with many choice nuggets in this well-written volume.

Ben Laird has produced a magnificent resource for the study of the Pauline canon. It is a gold mine for exploring the question of origins and canonization. His research is amazingly thorough but not bloated. He handles both empirical and literary sources for the study of the canon with care and dexterity. What is more, he is judicious and fair-minded when interacting with different opinions. One does not have to agree with all his opinions to find the book a special treasure in the research of the New Testament canon. Canon scholars and those merely interested should have the book in their library.