Saint Francis de Sales
London and Edinburgh: T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1907. Original gilt-strap decorated purple cloth (5 3/8 inches tall), illustrated endpapers, top edge gilt, uncut. Mild bump to upper corner, gentle toning to spine, faint foxing to endpapers. A near-fine copy. Item #1710
"WE MUST LOVE WHAT GOD LOVES"
First edition of this Introduction to Saint Francis de Sales—a "Library of the Soul" edition—illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the Saint and a decorated title page by Paul Woodroffe. Printed at the Chiswick Press and bound in gilt hinge-strap decorated boards with lovely Art Noveau-style endpapers. A fine introduction to a major figure of the Catholic Reformation.
Steeped in humility and gentleness, Francis's pastoral and missionary efforts "expounded a message of love and moderation that had enormous effect in reestablishing the vitality and credibility of the Church. The only complaint against his methods came from rigorist critics who charged that he made it appear all too easy to become a saint" (Robert Ellsberg). Edited by the Anglican clergyman Sabine Baring-Gould, the book is divided into halves: a biographical section is followed by "Extracts," a series of titled meditations from his writings. A Doctor of the Church, Francis de Sales was named the Patron Saint of Writers by Pope Pius XI in 1923. A handbook series on the Lives of the Saints, the Library of the Soul also included volumes on John Henry Newman, Thomas a Kempis, Saint Augustine of Hippo, and Saint Teresa. Robert Ellsberg. All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time; Frank Magill, Masterpieces of Christian Literature.
Price: $75.00