Joseph Pearce

Originally commissioned by Exodus 90, the pioneering men's app, these brief but stirring reflections by acclaimed writer Joseph Pearce show how great literature--including poetry--can help every Catholic man striving for virtue and holiness. Drawing on luminaries such as Homer, Dante, St. John Henry Newman, Chesterton, Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis, Pearce shows that literature, far from being a dead relic of the past, tackles crucial questions which are directly relevant to modern men. Among the many great books he reflects on for the benefit of men include The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf, The Divine Comedy, Hamlet, Brideshead Revisited, The Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia, The Ball and Cross. Some of the classic works of poetry he comments on for men's inspiration include The Hound of Heaven, God's Grandeur, Twelfth Night, The Tiger and If. What does Shakespeare say about the dangers of lust? How does God pursue the sinner like a "Hound of Heaven"? What does it mean to be soldiers of Christ on active duty in the Church Militant? What sort of men do we want our sons to become? What does a great poet-saint teach us about the power of the sign of the cross to exorcise demons? How can we nurture a faith which is fearless? In a culture that fosters toxic masculinity on the one hand and effeminacy on the other, the literary giants of the past offer an inspiring alternative vision of true manhood, one that Catholic men are called to embrace as they "work out their] salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12).

There are two reasons to rejoice at the publication of this new edition of Hugh Ross Williamson's important work on the evidence for Shakespeare's Catholicism. The first is its restoration of the author to his rightful place in the Catholic cultural conversation, a place he held for a full forty years from the 1930s to the 1970s; the second is the restoration of the present volume to its rightful place in the scholarly conversation on the nature and importance of Shakespeare's faith. -Joseph Pearce, from the Foreword

It has been said, quite correctly, that we write as well as we read. It can also be said that we think as well as we read. Since reading well is so important, it is good to get into the habit of reading good books. The better the book, the better will be our ability to think well and write well. In Classic Literature Made Simple, literary expert Joseph Pearce takes the reader on a guided tour of fifty great works of literature. The author of over thirty books, Pearce uses his experience of teaching literature at college level for over twenty years to show the reader the moral dimension of each work. He shows how each work presents a mystical mirror to the reader, offering insights into the meaning of life itself. "Christian civilization has given birth to numerous great books as it has given birth to numerous great saints, "Joseph Pearce writes. "The former should be canonized as are the latter. Great books, like great saints, enrich our faith as they enrich our culture. As such, reading good books should be an integrated part of leading a good life." Those who read this book will learn how to read the great books well, which will help them to live the good life well.

Violins and Violin Makers; Biographical Dictionary of the Great Italian Artistes, their Followers and Imitators, to the present time. With Essays on Important Subjects Connected with the Violin, is a classical book and has been considered important throughout the human history. So that this book is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this again in a modern format book for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.

Christ is "the way, and the truth, and the life";, but fallen mankind, although made in Christ's image, is not so pure. Human history--including Church history--is a tapestry woven of three threads: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. This book tells the story of Christendom over two millennia, focusing on what was good, bad, and beautiful in each century. These three threads run through the heart of every person, revealing the pattern of our individual lives. These very same threads bind together the collective lives of men and make up the fabric of culture and civilization. No one saw this three-dimensional form more clearly than Benedict XVI. For him, the goodness of the saints and the beauty of art are the only antidote to the dark thread of evil that runs through history. Inspired by this insight, Joseph Pearce presents the past twenty centuries to show how goodness and beauty--stemming from God himself--work to conquer the bad.

In The Cruise of the 'Nona, ' Hilaire Belloc sets off "to sail the English seas again, and to pursue from thought to thought and from memory to memory such things as have occupied one human soul." On one level a breezy record of an adventurous journey; underneath the surface, a wise and insightful study of modern life, particularly in its transition from the Victorian to the early modern period. Belloc's prose glitters and crashes like ocean breakers. Belloc sees sailing as an analogy to life: full of "great visions" and "intolerable tediums," "alive with discovery, emotion, adventure, peril, and repose." For Belloc, the sea "presents, upon the greatest scale we mortals can bear, those not mortal powers which brought us into being. It is not only the symbol or the mirror, but especially is it the messenger of the Divine." Belloc leads his reader over the changing seas, treating of many questions, including: How did the Vikings land in what are today impassable harbors? When and why did the British Parliament become so corrupt? What is the difference between prose and rhetoric? Can you trust learned scholars? Are sea monsters real? Will Alice in Wonderland remain a popular book? Why are oceans so different from one another? Is "equality" a Catholic doctrine? Mulling over half a century of memories and experiences, the seaman-philosopher shares a hundred and one reflections, flights of fancy, and tongue-in-cheek observations on England and Europe, Catholicism, atheism, sailing techniques, and common-sense. From his memories of the outbreak of the first World War to denunciations of rationalism, this cruise can transport the reader from his armchair to the lashing spray and biting wit of this monumental figure of English literature. This new edition from Os Justi Press is entirely re-typeset, and includes a new Foreword by Joseph Pearce.

Further Up & Further In: Understanding Narnia by acclaimed Catholic author Joseph Pearce invites readers to return with the eyes of an adult to C. S. Lewis's magical land entered through that most important wardrobe in literary history. Beloved by generations of readers, The Chronicles of Narnia are thought erroneously by some to be "mere children's stories." In this volume, Pearce thoroughly debunks the error as he skillfully explains why there is nothing "mere" about such stories. Rather, the Narnia books contain profound insights concerning the human condition. Pearce, however, goes beyond even that and illuminates the deeper riches and profound truths found therein--the highest truths, in fact: those concerning God. Join Pearce as he explores the "grown-up" themes that are so important for a proper understanding of Lewis' magnificent creation, including the deep and profound Christian symbolism, extensive literary allusions, and the constant theme of temptation, sin, and redemption. The author of numerous literary works and an authority on the writings of Lewis, Chesterton, and Tolkien, Pearce is uniquely qualified to examine the deeper theological, philosophical, and historical dimensions of the Chronicles. With Pearce as your guide, "return to Narnia," and come to understand in new and profound ways that place which has so marked the imaginative landscape of so many. Rediscover your love for Narnia, because "wardrobes are for grown-ups too."

Poetry is meant for everyone. For you. For your child. But where to start? Poems Every Child Should Know is here to help. Selected and accompanied by commentary from bestselling author and literature professor Joseph Pearce, this exciting collection of verse contains classic poems that every child should know to begin a poetic ascent towards God. Not only that, but these poems are chosen so as to help all "become as little children," and are ones everyone should know, regardless of age. These timeless treasures form a foundation upon which to build poetic knowledge and to see the world through the eyes of a poet, the way God intended it. Culled from the rich history of English poetry, these gems of the English language's inheritance are meant to enrich our children's cultural treasure chest. Verse, like virtue, is often most beautiful when it is most simple. A good beginning makes a good end all the more likely, so immersing children in beautiful words--words which so powerfully and continually shape our world, our thoughts, our prayers--and teaching them to take a minute and stop to observe a beautiful sentence is of the utmost importance. Appreciating beauty in even the most ordinary of life's moments is a lesson that will prepare their minds to receive Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Himself. Throughout the book, readers will find "things to think about," inviting them to engage more deeply with individual poems. These should be seen as an invitation to an adventure into unknown territory, an opportunity to go further up and further in. Be fearless, be adventurous, and enjoy this journey into the realm of the good, the true, and the beautiful of our English language.

In this engaging and wide-ranging work, John Beaumont, the leading expert on the history of Catholic converts in the English-speaking world, takes us on a tour through the highways and byways by which many souls have entered into the Catholic Church, the "house with a hundred gates." We are regaled with moving stories of heroic English martyrs, and the quieter but no less inspiring stories of women who brought their families and social circles to the Faith; we learn about better-known converts like Evelyn Waugh, Walker Percy, Joseph Sobran, Dietrich von Hildebrand, and Bella Dodd, and about the troubled and wandering who yet remained tethered to the Church, such as Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde; we learn of deathbed conversions, such as that of Wallace Stevens. Among the dozens of figures studied, we find actors, poets, novelists, philosophers, historians, communists, journalists, musicians, martyrs, puritans, and priests; even members of the British Royal Family. In following the external and especially internal twists and turns by which converts find their way home to the Church, the author gives us a penetrating account of what it is that draws men and women to God, to Christ, and to the Church-the arguments that capture their minds, the beauty that calms their restlessness, the personal influences that captivate their hearts. Throughout, he is sensitive to the confusing situation in the Church today, where it seems that certainties and conversions have gone out of fashion, and reassures us that the essential truths for which so many converts entered the Church in the past have lost none of their abiding appeal for pilgrims in search of God.

In this engaging and wide-ranging work, John Beaumont, the leading expert on the history of Catholic converts in the English-speaking world, takes us on a tour through the highways and byways by which many souls have entered into the Catholic Church, the "house with a hundred gates." We are regaled with moving stories of heroic English martyrs, and the quieter but no less inspiring stories of women who brought their families and social circles to the Faith; we learn about better-known converts like Evelyn Waugh, Walker Percy, Joseph Sobran, Dietrich von Hildebrand, and Bella Dodd, and about the troubled and wandering who yet remained tethered to the Church, such as Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde; we learn of deathbed conversions, such as that of Wallace Stevens. Among the dozens of figures studied, we find actors, poets, novelists, philosophers, historians, communists, journalists, musicians, martyrs, puritans, and priests; even members of the British Royal Family. In following the external and especially internal twists and turns by which converts find their way home to the Church, the author gives us a penetrating account of what it is that draws men and women to God, to Christ, and to the Church-the arguments that capture their minds, the beauty that calms their restlessness, the personal influences that captivate their hearts. Throughout, he is sensitive to the confusing situation in the Church today, where it seems that certainties and conversions have gone out of fashion, and reassures us that the essential truths for which so many converts entered the Church in the past have lost none of their abiding appeal for pilgrims in search of God.

This book has the power to enrich and even to radically change those who read it, enabling them to tap into the wealth and health of Christian civilization. Beginning with a general introduction to the Great Books of Civilization, you will discover the authentic meaning of the word "civilization" and will then be shown how the Great Books are a product and a reflection of civilized culture. The reader is then taken on a tour of twelve of the greatest books ever written, from St. Augustine's Confessions and the works of Shakespeare to some of the masterpieces of nineteenth and twentieth century literature. During this tour, you will come to understand how the greatest stories ever told are a true reflection of the greatest truths ever taught. You will learn how these stories share in the storytelling power of God Himself, who shows us Himself in the story of Jesus Christ. You will then see how great literature shares in the storytelling power of Christ, as told in His parables. Those who read this work will be taken deeper into the presence of the Creator through the beauty of the fruits of His creative gifts.

One of the most coldly calculated acts of Henry VIII during the Reformation was the dissolution of the monasteries. Monks and nuns were driven from their cloisters; the abbeys were plundered and turned over to greedy courtiers. From these ignoble proceedings came Robert Hugh Benson's inspiration for this great historical novel, the story of a house divided against itself. The Torridon brothers are sworn to serve different masters; one is a monk, in love with the Mass and the Faith of Ages, the other an agent of the Crown, in love with Beatrice Atherton, a protege of Sir Thomas More. Among the giant figures who move through the tale are those of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, the ruthless King Henry VIII, and the grasping Cromwell. Their actual deeds are carefully woven into this harrowingly romantic tale of the attempted destruction and resilience of the Catholic Faith in England.