Product Description

Originally published in 1986 and now available in paperback for the first time, this book celebrates the lives of men and women whose goodness and devotion to God have inspired the world. Here, arranged according to their special days throughout the whole year, are saints from different periods of history and from every walk of life. Some, such as David (patron saint of Wales) led lives of great simplicity. Others were devout eccentrics, such as Simeon Stylites who lived on a pillar for thirty-seven years. Some, such as Joan of Arc were at the forefront of public affairs. On almost every page inspirational sayings illustrate the courage, humour and wisdom of those who put their commitment to goodness before everything else. Lavish illustrations - more than three hundred paintings, many in full colour - provide a rich, unusual and comprehensive gallery of portraits spanning almost two hundred years of art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1485126 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Dr James Bentley is an anthologist, historian and travel writer and a former senior chaplain of Eton College.

Customer Reviews

A rather repetitive and sometimes sketchy collection
I'm not a great fan of hagiography, but have become intrigued by stories of the close relationship various saints enjoyed with the natural world. This book was my first venture into more general hagiographical literature. The author has selected a saint, and sometimes two, for each day of the year, and provides a short (sometimes sketchy and abruptly terminated) account of his or her life. Whilst the inventiveness of Christianity's ancient persecutors in finding ever more gruesome ways to despatch troublesome believers seems, from this selection, to know no bounds, I did find the material rather repetitive on occasions, and the author rather partisan. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he wasn't a great fan of the Reformation, but a more generous definition of sainthood might have allowed him to select from a wider cast of characters as subject matter, and prevented the book becoming somewhat tedious. It would perhaps have allowed him to present more modern saints, too: there are remarkably few from the post - 1800 period. Surely the example of inspiring figures like Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King and Janani Luwum is worth dwelling on ?