Books with author Chesterton,

During the first three decades of the twentieth century, eugenics, the scientific control of human breeding, was a popular cause within enlightened and progressive segments of the English-speaking world. The New York Times eagerly supported it, gushing about the wonderful ''new science.'' Prominent scientists, such as the plant biologist Luther Burbank, were among its most enthusiastic supporters. And the Carnegie and Rockefeller foundations generously funded eugenic research intended to distinguish the 'fit' from the 'unfit.' This prophetic volume counters the intellectual nihilism of Nietzsche, while simultaneously rebuking Western notions of progress -- biological or otherwise. Chesterton expands his criticism of eugenics into what he calls ''a more general criticism of the modern craze for scientific officialism and strict social organization.''

G.K. Chesterton was one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century, writing across numerous genres. His many newspaper columns, his detective stories, his philosophical analysis, and his theological exposition once made him a household name. Though not as well known today, each generation discovers Chesterton anew, and in doing so, finds that Chesterton's writings, even if it is his fiction, apply in their time as well as in Chesterton's time. Chesterton's 1908 clever classic, "The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare," is as good of an introduction into Chesterton as any.

The opening salvo in G. K. Chesterton’s war against vagueness, affectation, and group think in life and art Part literary criticism, part jeremiad, and part metaphysical inquiry, Heretics is G. K. Chesterton’s groundbreaking attempt to cull the values, belief systems, and moral peccadilloes of his day. The twenty articles and essays included in this seminal work shed a brilliant light on the most profound mysteries of human nature. From the works of H. G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, and Rudyard Kipling to “The Fallacy of the Young Nation” and “The Mildness of the Yellow Press,” Chesterton casts a critical eye on the prevailing attitudes of the early twentieth century. He is at the height of his lucidity and sardonic power in Heretics, formulating a highly influential worldview that he would continue to develop in the acclaimed companion volume, Orthodoxy. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

In Orthodoxy, a classic work of Christian apologetics, G. K. Chesterton writes with the purpose of attempting "an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it." Christianity, in Chesterton's original view, is the "answer to a riddle" and the natural solution to our needs, and in this way it is deeply personal rather than an arbitrary truth from outside one's experience. Orthodoxy is the culmination of Chesterton's free-thinking and well-reasoned inquiry as he seeks an explanation to the mystery of being human.

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

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."

The Complete Father Brown Mysteries includes 24 stories featuring G. K. Chesterton’s eponymous Roman Catholic sleuth. These mysteries are the original source material for the current hit BBC TV show Father Brown starring Mark Williams. Chesterton’s priest-sleuth was loosely based on Father John O'Connor, a parish priest in Bradford, who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922. By bringing murder and mayhem into the genteel setting of a village parish, Chesterton pioneered the ‘cozy’ mystery genre which Agatha Christie and others would further develop in subsequent decades.

- Annotated with suggested further readings and inline links to additional web content.Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone; 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226)[2] was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis.[3] St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.[3]Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi.[4] While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life.[4] On a pilgrimage to Rome, Francis begged with the beggars at St. Peter's.[4] The experience moved him to live in poverty.[4] Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon amassed a following. His order was endorsed by Pope Innocent III in 1210. He then founded the Order of Poor Clares, which was an enclosed order for women, as well as the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. In 1219, he went to Egypt where crusaders were besieging Damietta, hoping to find martyrdom at the hands of the Muslims. By this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the order. Once his organization was endorsed by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene.[4] In 1224, he received the stigmata,[4] making him the first person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion.[5] He died in 1226 while singing Psalm 141.On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and one of the two patrons of Italy (with Catherine of Siena), and it is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October.[6]

The Complete Father Brown Mysteries includes 24 stories featuring G. K. Chesterton’s eponymous Roman Catholic sleuth. These mysteries are the original source material for the current hit BBC TV show Father Brown starring Mark Williams. Chesterton’s priest-sleuth was loosely based on Father John O'Connor, a parish priest in Bradford, who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922. By bringing murder and mayhem into the genteel setting of a village parish, Chesterton pioneered the ‘cozy’ mystery genre which Agatha Christie and others would further develop in subsequent decades.This new digital edition of The Complete Father Brown Mysteries includes an image gallery and links to free audio recordings of all 24 mysteries.