A wonderful book. St. Therese's sister, Soeur Genevieve (Celine Martin) was a talented artist and photographer. These photographs capture Therese's character. This is a moving book for anyone who loves the story of the Martin family, and the story of Therese's progress to perfection.

The Photo Album is a translation of Visage de Therese, the photo album of Therese released in France in 1961. It contains the 47 photos of Therese, 43 taken in Carmel. For sixty years the true face of Therese remained largely unknown; the world knew her only through paintings, mostly by her sister Celine. Only after the death of all her sisters were Therese's photos released to the world. Commentary on the circumstances of each photo. One might also be interested in the French edition of Visage de Therese,with the photos (no commentary) on shiny paper in one volume, and the comments in anoher, distributed by Office Central de Lisieux. If you can say with Therese, "I can nourish myself on nothing but the truth," enjoy this book.

This book is the greatest of the "unknown" Christian classics ever penned. A detailed exposition of the true meaning of chapter 13 of Paul's 1st letter to the Corithian church word by word. What does it mean when we read love is: Patient, Kind, Not Jealous, Not Perverse, Not Boastful, Not Arrogant, Not Irritable, Not Resentful, Bears All Things, Believe All Things, Hopes All Things, Endures All Things. This book makes a Southern Baptist want to be a Catholic if he could love God with all his heart, mind, and soul the way St. Alphonsus has. This book was so great my wife made me get her a copy for her own. If you're serious about loving God with all your heart, mind and soul you gotta get your hands on this book as it can be a roadmap for the journey from your head to your heart.

This book is full of the Love of Jesus Christ. The tender mercy of God is presented in a simple and easy to read format. It is packed with wisdom and advice from numerous saints. Read this book with pen in hand.

In this world of Knowledge and the propensity to believe in things are reasoned by Sciences, this book prods us, that the ultimate is still GOD. I for one, has fallen out a number of times, with an ardent attempt at things secular, despite my inner cravings for a deeper faith in God. This book sets out reminding me of my corporal life and all that surrounds me is nothing, but temporal. It is a rare find, given my recent yearning to return as a prodigal son and my inner inclination to detach all materialism and let it take a back seat. Despite the classic prose as expected of an author who lived more than 100 years ago, I understood his writing thoroughly, although I am not an European nor an American. This, indeed is an oasis of a find for answers from the Word Made Flesh, and is dwelling amongst us. In short, "go get it, all you who wants rest, for His Yoke is light and easy."

The back cover notes that Vintage Spiritual Classics are "[f]illed with eloquence and fresh insight, encouragement and solace." Two out of four ain't bad (and the other two are here too, if harder to reach).

Newman is certainly eloquent, though I might have described his prose as "stately" instead; he is rarely so eloquent here as to be hard to follow. Fresh insights are here too, and 160 years have not made them stale.

But this book is not the "easy reading spirituality" one might expect from a book whose cover says it's filled with encouragement and solace. Newman is in the reader's face and at the conscience from the beginning.

His "Plain and Parochial" sermons are challenges to lead a truly Christian life. It's hard to believe people filled an Oxford Church to hear these--perhaps people were made of sterner stuff then.

Yet there is solace and encouragement to be found. Newman was no ogre, but a caring man. He said what should be said, caring about the souls of those who would hear (and read) it.

And as a bonus, the book closes with one of my favorite prayers.

David Lang's book explains why the Catholic Church takes the position that she has no power to alter the matter used in the sacraments. The matter or material used in each sacrament, whether water in Baptism or wheat bread and grape wine in the Eucharist, matters because it originates in divine choice. Lang shows how that divine choice fits into the long panorama of salvation history recorded in the Scriptures. Lang also relies on philosophical argument to show how particular matter makes a difference. This reasoning also applies to the issue of priestly ordination of women because the proper matter for the sacrament of holy orders is a male candidate. Lang's work illustrates the Catholic view that God works through particular forms of matter and so makes the choice of matter significant. Lang's arguments counteract the New Gnosticism prevalent in modern Western culture that views distinctions between different types of matter as unimportant. It is worth reading because it exposes how the desire of some to arbitrarily change the sacraments contradicts both divine revelation and human reasoning.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested on why the Church so adamantly insists on the importance of particular material substances for the valid use of the God-given means of grace. This book convincingly demonstrates that controversies surrounding such seemingly trivial issues as wheaten vs. non-wheaten bread for the Eucharist evince the great chasm that exists between most of contemporary thought on the one hand and a *truly* Catholic worldview on the other. A philosophical and Scriptural tour de force!

This affordably priced quality paperback edition of familiar tales from Greek mythology is truly a treasure and a wonderful way to enjoy these timeless stories or to introduce them to young people. One of America's greatest writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote these versions of stories about Pandora, Medusa, Hercules, King Midas and the host of gods and goddesses that make up the Greek pantheon. The language is evocative and colorful yet easily understandable. You needn't worry if your high school teacher's assigned reading of "The Scarlet Letter" bored you to tears, as this collection of stories is filled with exciting adventures and vivid characters. I love the beautiful illustrations in this book. They were done by Walter Crane, one of the most popular illustrators of children's books in the late 19th century. The paintings are in the Pre-Raphaelite style in full color. The decorations at the beginning of each chapter are filled with Victorian charm and make this new editon seem like a well-loved antique. There are many excellent anthologies of the Greek myths on the market but rarely will you find one that utilizes such substantial talents as those employed by Hawthorne and Crane or that so thoroughly draw the reader in to the romantic and turbulent world of heroes, maidens and the capricious deities who stir their fates. I highly recommend this book. It is a classic that will enrich the mind and heart of a young reader and open the way for further discovery.

This is a remarkable book, with rich detail in both illustration and prose. Particularly wonderful for reading aloud together, my sons enjoyed this book through several years, and asked for the stories often.

In these reflections we find the distillation of many years of Catholic spiritual practice by a seasoned servant. I especially like the way Monsignor Chiara leads us from individualism into community. Take and eat. There is ample nutrition here for everyone.

Father Stravinskas wrote very well this book for all Catholics and especially non-Catholics on the biblical basis of the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Gone were the days where people would say that the Mass is a medieval superstition inspired by the devil --- this book will surely shock you and may offend you --- because you will see that the Mass is strictly Scriptural and biblically inspired! From the Sign of the Cross down to the Final Blessing, this book aims to establish where in the bible do we find support for these liturgical elements. I invite all our non-Catholic brothers to read this book and you will see that the Mass is not a diabolical invention but rather a Scriptural banquet of God, the remembrance of the Lord Jesus' Supper who commanded us to do this in His memory. This book convinced me that the Mass is indeed Scriptural, and the place where the Scriptures should be properly read and proclaimed is in the Mass! I highly recommend this! (CAUTION: Not suitable for people with closed minds and deaf ears to the truth of the bible !)

I saw this book featured in the AIGA annual for 1999. It is VERY nicely designed. Also, it was refreshing to read about cultural aspects of typography, instead of the same ol' stuff about leading, tracking, etc.

My middle son was about seven and having a lot of trouble learning how to read when we bought one of the books in this series at a book fair. The words aren't easy, but, since it's a comic book format, he could understand what was going on without knowing all the vocabulary. I tell you, he read the first one over and over, till he must have known it by heart.

We had always read to him, and he liked other books (Dr. Seuss, etc.), but we had to force him to read them on his own. This series he loved enough to really break through and develop that curl-up-somewhere-quiet-and-read habit, and since then we've just watched his smoke.

The illustrations are very vivid and realistic, and the stories taken very seriously (unlike the silly Disney-type versions), which children appreciate more. I would recommend this book for kids up to even 11 or 12.

Like they say, every child can be a reader if you just find the subject that he's interested in. For my son, this -- and, I have to admit, Archie comics -- did the trick.

This book is more than Q&A on the Catholic faith. It is full of insights and trivia. The perspective of the author is focused on the teaching of the Catholic Church and he defends it well. If Rush Limbaugh were a Catholic priest, this is the sort of book he would write.