Classics

Published in over 6,000 editions before the year 1900, The Imitation of Christ has been more widely read than any other book in human history except the Bible itself. It has been called "the most influential work in Christian literature," "a landmark in the history of the human mind," and "the fifth gospel."

Now, and for the first time, comes an exhaustive edition of this classic work, a work that is bound to become a classic in its own right. Fr. John-Julian introduces Kempis and his Imitation in ways that will shock many who have read the book before. For example, Protestant devotees to the book may be astounded to discover that Thomas was not only a Roman Catholic but an ardent traditionalist contemplative monk as well. And devoted Catholic readers may be amazed to discover that he was a radical moral reformer and part of a group twice formally charged with heresy. Notes and introductions to every aspect of The Imitation open the meaning of this classic to the next generation of readers.

This translation of Augustine's most popular work was done by Maria Boulding and is considered "of a different level of excellence from practically anything else on the market" (Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury).

The Confessions of Saint Augustine is considered the all-time number one Christian classic. Augustine undertook his greatest piece of writing with the conviction that God wanted him to make this confession. The Confessions are, in fact, an extended poetic, passionate, intimate prayer. Augustine was probably forty-three when he began this endeavor. He had been a baptized Catholic for ten years, a priest for six, and a bishop for only two. His pre-baptismal life raised questions in the community. Was his conversion genuine? The first hearers were captivated, as many millions have been over the following sixteen centuries. His experience of God speaks to us across time with little need for transpositions. This new translation masterfully captures his experience.

The bed of sickness is an altar of sacrifice, writes the saint in this treasure of spirituality. He explains what prayers are suitable for the sick, how to persevere in patience, and even how to overcome an excessive fear of death. Most importantly, St. Francis de Sales teaches about abandonment to God's will in both life and death, drawing from his memories of the deaths of his own mother and sister.

Readers of Consoling Thoughts on Sickness and Death will experience firsthand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.

The universally applicable yet intimately personal messages she received from God are as much for us as they were for Catherine. We can read God's communications to his beloved daughter with detached awe or we can receive His messages to us through her writings.

Do you long for certainty that Divine Providence exists in the midst of our chaotic world? Does your prayer seem too dry, or too routine? Have you sought guidance for the challenges of your life from unhelpful people or things? Or has pride kept you from humble obedience to the Church? If so, The Dialogue will provide consolation, encouragement, and hope.

That's the primary question Thomas à Kempis answers in his universally acclaimed work, The Imitation of Christ. In 114 short chapters organized into four simple parts, this handbook on the spiritual life offers guidance on dozens of topics such as resisting temptation, avoiding hasty judgments, putting up with others' faults, remembering God's many blessings, self-surrender, minding our own business, and performing humble works.

William Creasy succeeds in creating a dramatically different interpretation of The Imitation of Christ by working through its historical, cultural, and linguistic contexts.

This book inspired the likes of St. Thomas More, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Thérèse of Lisieux, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. Along with such classics as Augustine's Confessions, Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle, and Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises, The Imitation of Christ continues to confront each generation of readers with the perennial truths of the Gospel.

The Imitation of Mary from Catholic Book Publishing is an excellent companion volume to the beloved and highly esteemed book Imitation of Christ. In this book, culled from the deeply spiritual works of Thomas à Kempis, the reader is treated to beautiful writings about Our Lady set forth in the style of the Imitation of Christ. He offers the reader a splendid way to grow in following Jesus through imitating His Blessed Mother. With an attractive gold stamped, blue cloth cover and stained edges, this 144-page book is a profoundly spiritual road map for readers who wish to travel with Mary and Jesus.

Because of Mark Twain's antipathy to institutional religion, one might expect an anti-Catholic bias toward Joan or at least toward the bishops and theologians who condemned her. Instead one finds a remarkably accurate biography of the life and mission of Joan of Arc told by one of this country's greatest storytellers. The very fact that Mark Twain wrote this book and wrote it the way he did is a powerful testimony to the attractive power of the Catholic Church's saints. This is a book that really will inform and inspire.

" I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none."
-- Mark Twain

"Mark Twain comes furtively like Nicodemus at night with this tribute to one of God's saints. In doing so he tells a secret about himself. It is as though the man in a white suit and a cloud of cigar smoke thought there just might be a place where people in white robes stand in clouds of incense."
-- Fr. George Rutler, Author, The Cure d'Ars Today

"Twain's understanding of history and Joan's place in it accounts for his regarding his book Joan of Arc as worth all of his other books together."
-- Edward Wagenknecht, The Man and His Work

"Joan of Arc is the lone example that history affords of an actual, real embodiment of all the virtues demonstrated by Huck and Jim and of all that Twain felt to be noble in man, Joan is the ideal toward which mankind strives. Twain had to tell her story because she is the sole concrete argument against the pessimistic doctrines of his deterministic philosophy."
-- Robert Wiggins, Mark Twain: Jackleg Novelist

This magnificent set is an heirloom that should be in every Catholic home library.

Dictated to Ven. Mary of Agreda (1601-1664) by the Blessed Mother herself, The Mystical City of God is an amazing collection of four books of revelations about the life of Mary and the divine plan for creation and the salvation of souls that has been enthralling readers for centuries.

Composed of the Conception, Incarnation, Transfixion and Coronation, this magnificent narrative takes the reader through the various stages of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, plus it reveals all sorts of facts about our entire salvation history.

Beautiful hardcover binding with elegant gold-foil details. The interior is reproduced at 100% of the size in the original book and printed from the original negatives for complete fidelity. Sold as a set of 4 only.

\"Mystical City of God is the only book I read anymore. I\'m going to read it for the rest of my life. When I get through the 4 volumes, I start over.\" --A.B., LA

A $160.00 Value, now just $120!

This inspiring book, reissued in a new translation for the modern reader, is considered to be Saint Alphonsus Liguori's best devotional work. Divided into seventeen small chapters, each preceded by prayers and intercessions, it offers practical prescriptions for living a holy life.