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The patron saint of animals, birds, and the environment, Francis of Assisi led the rediscovery of nature in the Christian West. This magnificent spiritual biography by the phenomenally popular G. K. Chesterton—a convert to Catholicism—chronicles the beloved saint's calling, his extraordinary life, and his influence in the Church. Its charm and wit will appeal to even the most secular-minded readers. How fitting that Francesco Bernardone was born just after the Dark Ages when the world was awakening. He started out as a colorful troubadour with a fondness for French poetry, extravagant with money . . . until the sight of a beggar seeking alms opened his eyes to a world beyond himself. The scene so moved him, he vowed to God that he would devote his life to the poor and embrace a life of simplicity. This sense of humility and generosity continues to call to each of us today. With great affection, Chesterton explores the life and times of St. Francis—his joyous devotion, his sense of compassion and love for all creation, his visions and miracles, his stigmata, and his band of followers that became the Franciscan Order. Praising this great and original man who became one of the most popular figures in Christendom, the author calls him «a poet whose whole life was a poem.» Here is a stimulating read for Chesterton fans, Christian readers, and anyone looking for a burst of pure inspiration.

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Perhaps the most light-hearted of all Chesterton's «serious» works, Manalive pits a group of disillusioned young people against Mr. Innocent Smith, a bubbly, high-spirited gentleman who literally falls into their midst. Accused of murder and denounced for repeatedly marrying his wife and attempting to live in various houses (all of which turn out to be his own), Smith prompts his newfound acquaintances to recognize an important idea: that life is worth living.

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G. K. Chesterton, the «Prince of Paradox,» is at his witty best in this collection of twenty essays and articles from the turn of the twentieth century. Focusing on «heretics»—those who pride themselves on their superiority to conservative views—Chesterton appraises prominent figures who fall into that category from the literary and art worlds. Luminaries such as Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, and James McNeill Whistler come under the author's scrutiny, where they meet with equal measures of his characteristic wisdom and good humor.In addition to incisive assessments of well-known individuals («Mr. Rudyard Kipling and Making the World Small» and «Mr. H. G. Wells and the Giants»), these essays contain observations on the wider world. «On Sandals and Simplicity,» «Science and the Savages,» «On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family,» «On Smart Novelists and the Smart Set,» and «Slum Novelists and the Slums» reflect the main themes of Chesterton's life's work. Heretics roused the ire of some critics for censuring contemporary philosophies without providing alternatives; the author responded a few years later with a companion volume, Orthodoxy (also available from Dover Publications). Sardonic, jolly, and generous, both books are vintage Chesterton.

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Enter into one of the twentieth century's liveliest and most articulate minds with this long-unavailable book of delights. This jolly medley of drawings, fables, and poetry—all laced with satirical wit—abounds in G. K. Chesterton's unique combination of whimsy and profundity. Its satirical ballads and original fairy tales include early works and previously unpublished material, all illustrated by the author's distinctive color and black-and-white illustrations.Chesterton's fantasies reflect his overall philosophy of life, proclaiming the need for wonder in the face of the world of fact. His view of reality penetrates to the roots of these fruitful fantasies, which simultaneously hide and reveal truth: «The Disadvantage of Having Two Heads,» a cautionary tale about a young giant-killer; «The Wild Goose Chase,» a search for the elusive goals that make life worth living; and «Half-Hours in Hades,» an amusing handbook of demonology. Colorfully illustrated poems include «Stilton and Milton,» a witty meditation on the relative appeal and durability of cheese and literature. A perfect introduction for readers unacquainted with Chesterton as well as a treat for long-time aficionados, this new edition features an Afterword by Martin Gardner, a leading authority on the author

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Like much of G. K. Chesterton's fiction, The Ball and the Cross is both witty and profound, cloaking serious religious and philosophical inquiry in sparkling humor and whimsy. Serialized in the British publication The Commonwealth in 1905-06, Chesterton's second novel first appeared in book form in America in 1909, delighting and challenging readers with its heady mixture of fantasy, farce, and theology. The plot of The Ball and the Cross chronicles a hot dispute between two Scotsmen, one a devout but naive Roman Catholic, the other a zealous but naive atheist. Their fanatically held opinions—leading to a duel that is proposed but never fought—inspire a host of comic adventures whose allegorical levels vigorously explore the debate between theism and atheism. Martin Gardner's superb introduction to The Ball and the Cross reveals the real-life debate between Chesterton and a famous atheist that provided inspiration for the story, and it explores some of the novel's possible allegorical meanings. Appraising the book's many intriguing philosophical qualities, Mr. Gardner alerts readers as well to the pleasures of its «colorful style . . . amusing puns and clever paradoxes . . . and the humor and melodrama of its crazy plot.»

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More than a thousand years ago, the ruler of a beleaguered kingdom saw a vision of the Virgin Mary that moved him to rally his chiefs and make a last stand. Alfred the Great freed his realm from Danish invaders in the year 878 with an against-all-odds triumph at the Battle of Ethandune. In this ballad, G. K. Chesterton equates Alfred's struggles with Christianity's fight against nihilism and heathenism—a battle that continues to this day. One of the last great epic poems, this tale unfolds in the Vale of the White Horse, where Alfred fought the Danes in a valley beneath an ancient equine figure etched upon the Berkshire hills. Chesterton employs the mysterious image as a symbol of the traditions that preserve humanity. His allegory of the power of faith in the face of an invasive foe was much quoted in the dark days of 1940, when Britain was under attack by Nazis. This new edition offers an authoritative, inexpensive version of Chesterton's inspiring work.

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In the aptly titled treatise What's Wrong With the World, one of the twentieth century's most memorable and prolific writers takes on education, government, big business, feminism, and a host of other topics. A steadfast champion of the working man, family, and faith, Chesterton eloquently opposed materialism, snobbery, hypocrisy, and any adversary of freedom and simplicity in modern society.Culled from the thousands of essays he contributed to newspapers and periodicals over his lifetime, the critical works collected for this edition pulse with the author's unique brand of clever commentary. As readable and rewarding today as when they were written over a century ago, these pieces offer Chesterton's unparalleled analysis of contemporary ideals, his incisive critique of modern efficiency, and his humorous but heartfelt defense of the common man against trendsetting social assaults.

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Orthodoxy, as author G. K. Chesterton employs the term here, means «right opinion.» In this, the masterpiece of his brilliant literary career, Chesterton applies the concept of correct reasoning to his acceptance of Christian faith. As he expresses it in his preface, «It is the purpose of the writer to attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it. The book is therefore arranged upon the positive principle of a riddle and its answer. It deals first with all the writer's own solitary and sincere speculations and then with all the startling style in which they are all suddenly satisfied by the Christian Theology. The writer regards it as amounting to a convincing creed. But if it is not that, it is at least a repeated and surprising coincidence.»Written in a down-to-earth and familiar style, Orthodoxy nevertheless presents formal and scholarly arguments in the explanation and defense of the tenets underlying Christianity. Paradox and contradiction, Chesterton maintains, do not constitute barriers to belief; imagination and intuition are as relevant to the processes of thought and understanding as logic and rationality. «Whenever we feel there is something odd in Christian theology,» he observes, «we shall generally find that there is something odd in the truth.» Chesterton defines his insights with thought-provoking analogies, personal anecdotes, and engaging humor, making his century-old book a work of enduring charm and persuasion.

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This classic exploration of human history vis-à-vis its link to Christianity ponders the question: What makes human beings uniquely human? In this thoughtful response to the rampant social Darwinism of the early twentieth century, G. K. Chesterton explains how religion—a blend of philosophy and mythology—satisfies both the human intellect and the spirit, and sets man starkly apart from any other living creature. Written in 1925, this enduring polemic still strikes a modern chord. Addressing evolution, feminism, and cultural relativism within the context of religion, the book also examines religious skepticism. How does one sustain belief in Jesus Christ—and the Church—when, throughout history, the key to religious truth has been constantly reshaped? According to Chesterton, the shape of the key is not important. What matters is that it fits the lock and opens the door. An emphatic affirmation of Christian faith, The Everlasting Man is leavened with the author's characteristic wit and wisdom, and appeals to the mind as well as the heart.

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Critic, author, and debunker extraordinaire, G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) delighted in probing the ambiguities of Christian theology. A number of his most successful attempts at combining first-rate fiction with acute social observation appear in this original selection from his best detective stories featuring the priest-sleuth Father Brown.A Chestertonian version of Sherlock Holmes, this little cleric from Essex — with «a face as round and dull as a Norfolk dumpling» and «eyes as empty as the North Sea» — appears in six suspenseful, well-plotted tales: «The Blue Cross,» «The Sins of Prince Saradine,» «The Sign of the Broken Sword,» «The Man in the Passage,» «The Perishing of the Pendragons,» and «The Salad of Colonel Cray.»An essential item in any mystery collection, these delightful works offer a particular treat for lovers of vintage detective stories and will engage any reader.

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