St. Thomas More Awaiting execution in 1535 for refusing to betray his faith, Thomas More opens the door on his own interior life by creating a fictional dialogue. It takes place in 16th century Hungary between a young man, Vincent, and his dying but wise old uncle, Anthony. Vincent is paralyzed by fear of an impending Turkish invasion which could force him to betray his faith or die a martyr. …

This series of talks from the Pope's general audiences makes an ideal companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church . Within these pages you'll find the Pope's own explanations of the Creed. In this first of three volumes which deal with the Trinity, the Pope reflects on the mystery of God the Father. John Paul II presents the mystery of God in a fresh, modern perspective that can …

St. Francis de Sales St. Jane de Chantal Offered here in fresh translation are the letters of spiritual direction of two seventeenth century mystical writers, Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal. These letters show us the daily attempts of laity, clergy, cloistered religious, bishops, and obscure windows to live in the authentic spirit of Jesus, and will speak not only to the historian of the …

St. Gregory of Nyssa This great spiritual master of the fourth century was born as the general persecution of Christians was ending. One of the Greek Cappadocian Fathers (the other two were Gregory's brother, St. Basil the Great, and their mutual friend, St. Gregory Nazianzen), Gregory has come to be regarded increasingly as the most brilliant and subtle thinker and most profound mystical …

C.S. Lewis This beautiful volume is richly illustrated in color by the original artist, Pauline Baynes and includes a ribbon bookmark.  This edition includes all seven Narnia stories: The Magician's Nephew The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe The Horse and His Boy Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader The Silver Chair The Last Battle

St. Bonaventure - The Soul's Journey into God, The Tree of Life, The Life of St. Francis Translation and introduction by Ewert Cousins, preface by Ignatius Brady, O.F.M. "But if you wish to know how these things come about ask grace not instruction, desire not understanding, the groaning of prayer not diligent reading, the Spouse not the teacher, God not man, darkness not clarity, not light …

Miguel de Cervantes The best-known book in Spanish literature, telling the story of the adventurous knight-errant and his squire Sancho Panzo, who set out to right the wrongs of the world.

Nathaniel Hawthorne An ardent young woman, her cowardly lover, and her vengeful husband come together in this classic novel of sin and salvation in the Puritan world of 17th-century Boston. Features an updated bibliography and an Introduction by Brenda Wineapple, a leading contemporary Hawthorn scholar.

Livy  With stylistic brilliance and historical imagination, the first five books of Livy's monumental history of Rome record events from the foundation of Rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the Republic and its internal struggles, up to Rome's recovery after the fierce Gallic invasion of the fourth century BC. Livy vividly depicts the great characters, …

St. Catherine of Genoa Translated with notes by Serge Hughes Introduction by Benedict J. Groeschel Catherine, who lived for 60 years and died early in the 16th century, leads the modern reader directly to the more significant issues of the day. In her life she reconciled aspects of spirituality often seen to be either mutually exclusive or in conflict. This married lay woman was both a mystic …

Here are selected writings of Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)--saint, bishop, founder of the Redemptorists, and Doctor of the Church.  These writings touch on many different areas:  spirituality, spiritual direction, devotion; prayer and moral theology.

Utopia By Thomas More Translated by Paul Turner In Utopia , More paints a vision of the customs and practices of a distant island, but Utopia means 'no place' and his narrator's name, Hythlodaeus, translates as 'dispenser of nonsense'. This fantastical tale masks what is a serious and subversive analysis of the failings of More's society. Advocating instead a world in which there is religious …

[1st Century], wife of St. Jaochim and mother of the Blessed Virgin, is a model of those whose true worth and merit are recognized in the character of their children. She is patron of housewives, women in labor, cabinetmakers, miners and Patroness of Canada. She is shown with Mary and Jesus. Her feast is July 26.

Mark Twain Recounts the adventures of a young boy and an escaped slave as they travel down the Mississippi River on a raft.

The Imitation of Christ has enjoyed greater popularity down the centuries than any Christian book apart from the Bible. Even today, the soul-searching words of the fifteenth-century monk, Thomas á Kempis, continue to resonate, unbounded by time or geography. Drawing on the Bible, the Fathers of the early Church and medieval mysticism, his four-part treatise shrugs off the allure of the …

C.S. Lewis C. S. Lewis, the master apologist, tackles the question that has plagued humanity for centuries. If God is both omnipotent and good, how can we explain the pain and suffering that people experience daily? And what of the suffering of animals, who neither deserve pain nor can be improved by it? With compassion and insight, C. S. Lewis proposes reasonable answers to these critical …

Tacitus Surviving passages from Tacitus's last and best-known work cover the reigns of Tiberius, Gaius (Caligula), Claudius, and Nero, and detail the Roman Empire at its zenith.

Geoffrey Chaucer In 1386, Chaucer recorded, or created, the stories spun by 30 pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury. Cohen and Hyman have responded to Chaucer's masterpiece with lively prose and unforgettable pictures that evoke the colorful world of 14th-century England. Full color