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The Collapse of Superman by William Roscoe Thayer
Review of a political satire debunking the myth of the German Superman in 1918.
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The Art of Europe: The Dark Ages from Theodoric to Charlemagne
By Paolo Verzone 1968 (Translated by Pamela Waley) I recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about the art and architecture of Western Europe during the Byzantine period (425-800 A.D.). The book is visually stimulating with its fifty-three color plates and ninety-one figures. With its helpful Glossary, a detailed Index and a brief Chronological Table it becomes a very easy to use reference book. A unique aspect of this book is that the color pictures were pasted in after the book was printed. The many descriptions of ancient churches, crypts and other buildings really kept me intrigued. The many examples of frescoes, plates, stele, mosaics and sculptures brought the period to life. The metalwork, paintings and jewelry enlightened me to the passion the craftsmen put into their work. The bibliophile in me was excited by the covers and pages of the colorful illuminated manuscripts that were covered in zoomorphic forms and intricate geometric designs. The author gives quite a bit of history throughout the book. This really helped me to understand and put in perspective the various forms of art and why certain styles were employed. This history trail not only told me of the events that…
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Patrology: The Lives and Works of the Fathers of the Church
By Otto Bardenhewer translated by Thomas J. Shahan 1908. First of all, this book was not written for the casual reader. It is a great handbook to learn about the first five centuries of the Christian Church. It is full of rich references and copious notes that is a delight to the researcher or historian. Any person with a strong interest in early Christian history would find this book informative. The writer makes the assumption that the reader has a basic understanding of Greek, Latin, and the Bible. In describing the early writers he starts with a short bio and then follows it up with what works they wrote. He mentions which writings are still extant and which ones may have been erroneously attributed. One of the things that jumped out at me was how much material has been written in the past compared to how little has been preserved. I was led to believe that the reason a lot of old writings are no longer available, is because the “church” destroyed them. Well, why wasn’t the church able to save so many important documents of their own? Then I got to thinking about how even we, the United States…
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The Vatican: Its History – Its Treasures
Written in 1914 Being born and raised a Roman Catholic I had to buy this book when I saw it at our local Friends of the Library shop. The book is physically huge 12.5″ x 9.5″ x 2″. It is full of photographs (unfortunately black & white). Since the book was written in 1914 you get a sense of the unique political landscape at the time. The Pope (Pius X) is known as the “Prisoner of the Vatican”. The four Popes before him never set foot outside the Vatican to step on Italian soil. This was a result of political relations between Italy and the Vatican in1870. It is a little hard to imagine when we think of the modern Popes and how they travel so much. The book had four major parts. Part one covered the history and a general description of the Vatican palaces and gardens. Part two covered the state apartments and chapels. Part three the Vatican museums, collections, and mosaic factory. Part four was the administration. At times I felt like I was reading a brochure for a museum. Which by the way, the Vatican IS an excellent museum. So why did the Popes think it…