This is a wonderful book. Also, check out the movie "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" and the book "Francis: the Journey and the Dream".

I love this book for a million reasons but probably the simplest reason is the mystery that is as old as the world and the separateness and unity of the sexes themselves. It paints Clare the human woman and Clare the divine woman and seeks not to compromise either but makes St. Clare real flesh and bone and brings her radiant awe into a new era when mankind is floundering for as sense of identity. Friar Bodo writes like no other and from the point of view of a contemplative,the inner way and written by a man who himself seems to be madly in love with the Lady Clare - and who himself has the touch and the gift of a medieval poet.

this book is written with all the tender poignancy of a lover and with all the insight and wisdom of a man who has followed in the footsteps of the Franciscan Way. For all who are interested in a more intimate knowledge of Clare and Francis or anyone simply interested in a love story at it's zenith and it's purest - this book is purely a real fairy tale and pure treasure.

Clare - A Light in the Garden is a book to be cherished, endeared, words to be read over and over. Murray Bodo paints a picture like no other person. He definitely has a sense of the holyness and purpose of St. Clare. Enjoy and share with others!

I have quite a bit of experience in the study of Classical civilization, and I have yet to find a better source for information on Greek and Roman mythology. I think this book is a necessity for anyone wishing to learn more about ancient religion or to anyone who needs a reliable reference for this subject.

Everyone should own a copy of this book. It is the best sophisitcated introduction to classical mythology that is out there, and is filled with useful illustrations.

Morford and Lenardon set out to write a pretty comprehensive mythology text for those just starting a study of the subject and I think they've done a fantastic job. The most recent edition features tons of artwork and brings recent research in classical mythology and archaeology into the discussion. Also, the book is written in a highly engaging style that draws the reader in. You tend to forget you're reading a textbook. My only complaint was that I didn't feel some gods and goddesses were really covered. However, they were usually minor characters in Greek myth, so don't let that deter you from this book. It's worth the price!

In writing reviews I adhere to the policy that five stars should be given only to books that profoundly alter your perspective. In that sense, this book deserves to be spangled liberally with a good sized constellation.

Ever wanted an approachable and informative guide to Western Literature? Have you ever tackled some purported classic that left you wondering why those damn nymphs and fauns keep proliferating? Your quest has ended: this book is the Baedeker of Western European Literature that all you literature addicts have been looking for.

First of all, the author is dazzlingly erudite; he is apparently at home in Greek, Latin, English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian at least. Its primary purpose is to show the hidden scaffolding of Greco-Roman classics in Western literature, age by country, by selecting a choice group of writers with his personal preferences attached. The result is remarkably readable, never ostentatious, and his thesis rarely imposes strain on belief because the proof is always at hand. Thus the reader learns the overtones of classics in Shakespeare, or is made to see the hidden Doric column in Byron's passions fairly concretely.

But in my opinion, this book is truly excellent (1) for the list of influential writers in all ages that he had himself hand selected (I've never heard of Abraham a Santa Clara and now I'm itching for a translation), and most importantly, (2) because it gives the necessary cultural backdrop that anchors a given author to an era with all its advantages and limitations. For example, the book gives a reason why the Augustan poets (Dryden, Pope and friends) were driven to mincing affectations (partly a reaction to the Renaissance, partly a particularly Baroque censorship of vulgar words that comes from a misunderstanding of the classics. Highet provides some choice sample of Juvenal's trenchant and vulgar satires as a counterexample).

Of course, all books must have some faults. First, this book is very anglophillic; when works of two nations are compared, the British are crowned with the laurel with somewhat suspicious frequency. Whether this represents the truth is far beyond my capacity, only I submit that if I were a Frenchman, I would contest some of the outcomes. Second, his preference is certainly open to criticism. I may be alone in this, but I never found a single page of Gibbon's magnum opus soporific. I don't agree with his encomiastic treatment of Byron, either. I thought Coleridge was ushered off the stage too speedily. And sometimes you do get the feeling that an author with extensive classical training is definitely favored in the eye of a very classicist author.

The nettlesome issue of a hierarchy in writers is bound to cause some clashes with readers' opinions. But no matter: I am very certain that this book will still provide an addictively informative read to anyone with an interest in reading a sweeping survey of European literature. This book is a MUST READ for amateur/professional literati, world literature bookworms (me), and ...

... especially the classicists. Because the book's final and most salutary influence is that it reintroduces the Greco-Roman classics to our age where the classics field is increasingly untilled. If the very fact that a millenium of writers have turned - whether coerced by social convention or not - continuously to the Greco-Roman classics does not convince us, after rading this book one can't help but wonder whether, beyond the frigid marmoreal busts that say nothing and the wild raging toga party orgies, the ancients really have something very urgent to say to the present, or that they say it better than any of us alive.

Excellent source for an introduction to the beginnings of Western Literature. Not only is the author well researched, but he is able to keep the reader interested. Follows the Greek and Roman authors who survived, barely, through the ages and their effects on Western tradition and the humanities. Good background for Medieval work.

It is difficult to believe that one person can so eloquently present the influences of Greek and Roman literature on Western European literature with such care and enthusiasm, given that the scope of the work covers almost 2,000 years. Gilbert Highet is a true scholar and this volume is an inspiration to any reader who wishes to understand what Greek and Roman literature has meant to civilization.

As a self-taught student of the Yiddish language, I've sought out many Yiddish language text books. Uriel Weinreich's "College Yiddish" is by far the definitive book on the subject. All other first-year books pale in comparison. Each lesson is presented and structured in an extremely logical and coherent manner. The scope of "College Yiddish" covers the language so extensively that before you know it, you're able to read Yiddish books and newspapers without much effort. If you are a student of other foreign languages, you will be amazed at just how well this book was written. You'll wish that Uriel Weinreich had written books covering other languages as well.

The Yiddish texts at the beginning of each chapter are intelligently written--not "dumbed-down" as most language books do. "College Yiddish" doesn't just cover grammar and vocabulary, it also includes the history of the language, Jewish culture in Europe, anti-Semitism, folklore, Zionism, creation of Israel, etc, all presented in a very appealing way.

While studying from "College Yiddish", I also recommend that you purchase Uriel Weinreich's "Modern English-Yiddish Yiddish-English Dictionary". After your completion of "College Yiddish", you should continue your studies with "Yidish af Yidish" by David Goldberg and "Yiddish II: An Intermediate and Advanced Textbook" by Mordkhe Schaechter, both of which continue from where "College Yiddish" left off. I recommend that both be purchased because they both cover different aspects of Yiddish; "Yidish af Yidish" being more academic where as "Yiddish Tsvey" is more colloquial.

Too many books that purport to teach you Yiddish treat it as either a joke or a relic. Prof. Weinreich's "College Yiddish" treats Yiddish as a living, expressive and literary language, not as a compendium of phrases to say to your bubbe when she visits, or as a collection of cursewords. The book consists of 30 graded lessons, each based on a text which covers some aspect of Jewish life, culture and history, and especially of the Jewish communities of central and eastern Europe for whom Yiddish was a bond. At the end of the book is an excellent precis of Yiddish grammar. But this book isn't "dry as dust," either: Prof. Weinreich takes Jewish humor as seriously as he does Jewish culture and literature! Very highly recommended.

Those who have spent any time looking for good information on the Yiddish language know quite well how difficult it is to find anything of any quality. "College Yiddish" is the best source I have ever found in three years of searching. Besides containing very clear explanations of grammar accompanied by exercises, the cultural information included is of immense interest. I heartily recommend this book.

I am overjoyed to find this excellent book on line! For those of you searching for God, or want to know what He is like, even you who have been turned off by religion, this is the book to show you the way. Throughout my Christian life, I've heard many people use the phrase "Next to the Bible, this is the book for me..." and in my case, Confidence in God is that book. Written by a Catholic priest, this book is not just for Catholics, but for all Christians, and all other persons, even those who do not consider themselves to be Christians. Rev. Considine explains the attributes of God in a clear and accurate way. I am now almost 40 years old, and this is the book that lead me to Christ when I was just 16! I recommend this book for all persons, only "next to the Bible"!

Rev. Considine wrote for an audience that once understood the graciousness of suffering. "Confidence in God" reminds the reader that God loves us, suffers with us, and provides the grace for us to encounter Joy no matter our circumstances. Read Rev. Considine's work after you have set aside cynicism and a world mindset that dwells on self promotion, and you will find a love beyond imagining, but that has been imagined for you by your Father.

This book completely opens the reader's eyes to the true definition of God's love for his lambs. It also takes the reader to a deeper level of spirituality with it's simple yet direct words of wisdom that I personally have never heard before but seem so important for every christian to know! It is an easy reader. Though the concepts go on from one page to another, it is divided into short sections.
It highlights important concepts in the Bible, and acts as an additional study guide in showing us the true attitude of a christian towards God and the confidence we ought to have in Him. My view of God and of life has changed because being loved so intensely and in every aspect of my life makes all the difference and I have felt that love and have reached a higher level of spiritual understanding about God in the pages of this book.

The "reforms" which many believe to have been initiated by Vatican II are not actually reforms but rebellions, and some of the rebellions mentioned in this book are incredible (a woman dressed in an alb and stole "concelebrating" a Holy Mass and even hearing confessions!).

Priests, bishops, and even some cardinals have rejected the authority of Rome in favor of their own view of what true Catholic worship should be. The result has been a departure from the vertical worship of true liturgy to the horizontal worship of modernism, indifferentism, Americanism, and naturalism. Naturally this departure does not only manifest itself in liturgical abuses, but also in doctrinal abuses (contradicting the Church's stand on birth control, homosexuality, abortion; preaching heresy from the pulpit; inviting blatantly anti-Catholic speakers to speak at Catholic retreats and seminars).

The book gives the best possible advice for those who really want to understand why the quality of our liturgy has declined so terribly in the last few decades; read the Bible, the Catechism, the Vatican II conciliar documents, and the Code of Canon Law; confront (respectfully) the priests who are committing liturgical abuses (I say respectfully because some of them are heretics, while others may truly not know that something they are doing is actually an abuse); confront the bishop; and if necessary, write the Vatican.

I give this book five stars. I was considering only four, since the English usage is so bad. This book is an example of why a good proofreader is necessary and a spell checker is not enough ("form" instead of "from"; "principal" instead of "principle"; etc.).

This book is important reading for Catholics who take the practice of their Faith seriously. Time and again, during recent years, we have seen purportedly "Catholic" authorities, speaking through the media, contradicting beliefs universally taught pre-Vatican II.
Has the Church changed so radically? Is what was once wrong, wrong no longer? Does it matter if the formal liturgy of the Mass is changed by the Celebrant? Why?
Cecilia Martin documents many abuses, justified by their proponents as "reform," currently assailing the Church. She shows how enemies hijacked the genuine reforms of Vatican II and selectively misinterpreted them to promote an agenda aimed at its destruction. Far fetched? Read the book! It is well written and referenced. Reach your own conclusions. If they are the same as Cecilia's, follow her advice on how to counteract this attack from within.

Cecilia Martin has succinctly presented the background of the present problems in the Catholic Church and who is responsible. All of us need this book to tell us how to defend our church from its enemies within and how to find and use the resources of the Church to be intelligent, well-informed Catholics and apologists. Thanks!

It is not breathless hyperbole, but rather a genuine and deeply felt sincerity that leads me to say that "A Crisis of Saints" is one of the best books it's ever been my pleasure to read. Father Rutler addresses the most important issue facing man -- the Church (and, by inevitable extension, Western Civilization) in crisis, and how to reverse this trend, which, if left unchecked, will soon result in absolute calamity. In addition to the inherent interest of his chosen topic, Father Rutler's erudition and elegance of expression are breathtaking. He's also delightfully charming and witty.

Highly, highly recommended.

Do-it-yourself Catholics will not appreciate this book. It sets the record straight regarding the Roman Catholic Church in modern times and the many specious interpretations foisted on Catholics. Using historical example, writings of intellectuals (including himself) and sound reasoning, Father Rutler skewers he post-Vatican II free-spirits with disciplined dialectic. To those who wonder how so many Catholics have lost their way in pursuit of some feel-good comaraderie, this book will provide insight. The writing is not for the beautiful people. Some passages must be read several times and checked against one's own reality. Those who make the effort will, perhaps, gain some peace of mind and even hope. Looking over the collection of what passes for leaders and thinkers of the world today, we see that the assured restoration of the Catholic Church requires a severe shock, A Crisis of Saints. It will come, but the spiritual price will be high.

I've read this 3 times so far. I will continue to read to fully absorb all that there is in this most intensely written and serious commentary on the state of Christianity today. Fr.Rutler nails it!

Water F. Otto's Dionysus: Myth and Cult is a difficult but extremely rewarding study not only of the god Dionysus but of myth and cult as well. The book is divided into two parts. The first looks at the meaning of myth and cult and their relationship, the second attempts to arrive at the essential characteristic of Dionysus. By no means should you skip the first part. In it Otto lays the groundwork for his penetrating analysis of the god. It is a scintillatingly brilliant and illuminatingly original exposition of the meaning and origins of myth and cult. Anyone interested in Greek religion or for that matter liturgy alone, should read it. Although written over forty years ago it will still challenge and startle. Otto is gifted with a poetic depth of perception and gnomic expressiveness worthy almost of Heraclitus. For example at one point he states: "The more alive this life becomes, the nearer death draws, until the supreme moment-the enchanted moment when something new is created-when death and life meet in an embrace of mad ecstasy."

Otto holds that "The true visage of every true god is the visage of a world." In the second part he sets about discovering the form or visage of Dionysus. This he brilliantly lays out in chapters dealing with every aspect of the god. Chapters include: The Vine, The Somber Madness, Dionysus and the Element of Moisture, Dionysus and the Women, and Dionysus and Apollo. I will not attempt to recount his conclusions. Get the book and read them in Otto's lapidary language. Don't be put off from reading this book if you don't know Greek. While there are a fair number of untransliterated words, you can understand the meaning of the sentences from the context. However, be aware that this is not "lite" reading but a serious study that requires and will repay thought. The book itself is a handsome, sturdy paperback with glued signatures.

The author brings the immediate experience of Dionysus to the reader. In the first part, a general context is laid out. In the second, the stories of Dionysus are told, of a living presence. This immediacy makes the essay both powerful and compelling.

This book is written in two parts. The first is an essay about the use of Cult practices as a source for the substance and interpretation of myth. The second (and longest) describes the myths themselves.

I have only read the second part. Ottos description and interpretation of the myths surrounding Dionysus is poetic and, and at times borders on the sublime. His impact is emotional as well as intellectual, and I came away feeling that I knew the God of whom he writes. This must say something for both the passion of the author for his subject and the skill and sympathy of the translator.

The book is well (exhaustively ?) documented. Only one thing was irksome. Reference is constantly made to words from the original Greek using greek characters with no transposition into english characters (for a non-classically trained person such as myself). While the commentary surrounding these texts usually explains their meaning and impact, I have had to learn the Greek alphabet and buy a classical greek dictionary (Langenscheidt) to verify and fully understand the commentary. Even so, the book is otherwise beautifully accessible for a lay person such as myself.

"Odysseus, bravest of heroes,
Draw near to us, on our green island,
Odysseus, we'll teach you wisdom,
We'll give you love, sweeter than honey.
The songs we sing, soothe away sorrow,
And in our arms, you will be happy.
Odysseus, bravest of heroes,
The songs we sing, will bring you peace."

I've always been intrigued by the painting of Odysseus and the Sirens by Herbert James Draper. Three mermaid like creatures are singing and clinging to the ship as Odysseus is tied to the mast so he can't be lured to his doom. The crew's ears are all filled with beeswax so they can't hear the sires' seductive chant. Odysseus was the first man to ever hear the sirens' song and live. When cheated of their prey, the sirens drowned themselves in anger and frustration.

According to legend, the sires had originally been the companions of Persephone before she was abducted by Hades. Because they failed to save her, the goddess changed them into grotesque creatures as punishment. The sirens' song tells, falsely of the pleasures of the underworld. They also claimed the power of prophecy.

This story was composed by the Greek poet Homer during the second half of the 8th century BC and preserved by word of mouth for centuries before being written down. According to legend, he was born on the island of Chios around 800 BC and was blind.

The Odyssey is about the hero Odysseus who is doomed by the gods to wander for years from his home. This edition presents the story with photography and narrative illustration. It also explores the historical and geographical background to this timeless epic. There are sections on The Trojan War, Gods and Goddesses and Maps of Odysseus' Journey.

Adrian Mitchell retells this seafaring adventure filled with storms, monsters, magic spells, curses and exotic lands. It appeals to the wandering adventurous spirit in us all.

Remember your absolute favorite English teacher- the one who made English Lit, or poetry, or whatever come alive, so that you understood it, enjoyed it, wanted more of it? The one who knew endless interesting things about the writer, the world they lived in, and so on? Well, DK classics are like having a master class with that teacher. Instead of hitting The Odyssey for the first time in high school english, imagine already knowing the main characters, the main story lines and quite a bit about what was going on in the writer's world.

Obviously, if you are reading a review of it you are considering buying it. And, from the heading & the stars you know that I think it's a good one. My 2nd grader loves it. My 15 year old nephew read & enjoyed it during the holidays, in preparation for starting The Odyssey at school. My husband, who never did the Odyssey in school, really enjoyed it- and liked knowing what all the fuss is about finally! It is abridged of course, and a purist will have things to pick at, but then, a real purist would read it in Greek anyway... For the rest of us, this is a great introduction to a one of the foundations of our literary heritage.

My daughter and I have been reading (and re-reading!) the DK Classics (of which "The Odyssey" is part of) for several years, since she was 5. These books are very colorful, with lots of illustrations and photos of genuine artifacts, maps, and people from the era in which the story is set. Side panel text gives background information about the author, pictures and story. These "additions" (which do not detract from, but only enhance the story) help the young reader (and the adult too!) put the story into context. It is like getting both a classic and a pictorial history book rolled into one! The text is easy to read. My daughter is now 9, and reading the books on her own. Not only has she developed an appreciation for classic literature, but for history as well. These are great books for parents to read with their children. I highly recommend them!

Dorothy Day's life and writings challenge Christians to remember and serve the least among us. This selection of writings highlights a broad range of social, political and religious topics. In her time, Ms. Day's activism brought about much criticism and opposition. Today many remember her as America's Mother Teresa. Her purpose was to keep the Gospel alive through the challenge of service. Her voice continues to shine in the pages of this excellent collection. If you are interested in a call to social justice Dorothy Day's writings will be a source of continued inspiration.

This was the first book by Dorothy Day that I ever read and now I have just finished it for the second time. It's fabulous! Informative and inspirational. I found my faith strengthened by reading this book. I highly recommend it for all.

A collection of Day's writing, it's a fascinating read, and one would hope a call to conversion for those who fail to see Christ in all around them, especially in the poor. Remember, we are told not to judge and to give freely to all who ask. Think about that the next time you're approached by a panhandler.