The Oxford dictionary of saints

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E.A. Thompson

"Everyone knows of St. Patrick, but what do we know about him? Simply that it was he who 'converted the Irish to Christianity'. The strange fact is that for two hundred years or so after his death, although his name was remembered with respect, everything else about him was forgotten." "E. A. Thompson pieces together the story of his life, drawing his evidence from the only real clues that exist, Patrick's own writings, not from the later Lives. He reveals him as coming from a well-to-do nominally Christian family in Britain, being captured by Irish raiders and forced into slavery in Co Mayo, converting to a most earnest Christianity, and eventually escaping from Ireland to the fulfilment of his calling. As a bishop, he is shown to have been a man of profound originality, and his writings - his Confession and his Letter to Coroticus - further display his character. It is no surprise that a host of legends became attached to his name, and the biography is completed with a look at some of those early legends."--Jacket.

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[edited by] Paul Burns

This edition of Butler's lives of saints features saints from many nations and backgrounds and includes new articles on recently canonized saints. The index offers the list of saints from the complete edition, and includes all new canonizations and new dates, making it the most up-to-date listing of saints available. Butler's lives of the saints remains a remarkable reference source and, through its comprehensive biographies, a valuable aid to devotion and a rich source of historical information.

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Leon Edel

This is the one-volume edition of a famous biography of Henry James, which includes new material. Born in America, Henry James was educated both there and in Europe before settling in London, where he was to spend most of his life, in 1876. His novels represent the culmination of the 19th-century realist tradition of Austen, George Eliot, Flauberty and Balzac, and a decisive step towards the experimental modernism of Woolf and T.S. Eliot. His works often focus upon an innocent American in Europe, and assess the qualities and dangers of both American and European culture at the time, as well as showing their vast differences. (Goodreads)

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Jenny Schroedel

In The Everything Saints Book, 2nd Edition, you'll learn about the fascinating lives (and sometimes untimely deaths) of more than 85 saints-and the miracles ascribed to them. In this authoritative new edition, you'll find rare quotes, little-known facts, and captivating stories of heroism and personal sacrifice, including:Traditional SaintsEuropean, African, and Asian SaintsSoon-to-be SaintsDisappearing SaintsFrom Mary, the mother of Jesus, to early European saints like Saint Valentine, to modern men and women who are now being considered for sainthood, The Everything Saints Book, 2nd Edition, reveals the personalities and piety of these intriguing people-and the ways in which their unwavering devotion to God transformed their lives and the lives of those around them.Jenny Schroedel is a columnist for Boundless Webzine and has published numerous articles about spirituality and practical life. She is the author of The Everything Mary Book and a children's book, The Blackbird's Nest: Saint Kevin of Ireland.