The Popes in the Twentieth Century; From Pius X to John XXIII
Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1967. First American edition. Large octavo, original red cloth, original dust jacket. A near-fine copy with only faint toning to spine and upper edge of front panel of the dust jacket. Item #130
"PIUS XI WAS TOO EXALTED TO BE TOUCHED BY VANITY; AND WITH HIM IT WAS THE POPE, RATHER THAN HIMSELF AS AN INDIVIDUAL, THAT MATTERED"
First American edition of this history of five popes, two of whom have been canonized.
Falconi's Preface contrasts the death of Leo XIII on July 20, 1903 with the death of John XXIII on June 3, 1963, providing a "chronological compass" for the five subsequent chapters: Pius X: Giuseppe Sarto (1903-14), Benedict XV: Giacomo Della Chiesa (1914-22), Pius XI: Achille Ratti (1922-39), Pius XII: Eugenio Pacelli (1939-58), John XXIII: Angelo Roncalli (1958-63). Illustrated with a photo insert. Extensive Bibliographical Notes. Translated by Muriel Grindrod.
Price: $40.00