Books with author Rev. Alfred J. Church

Southey's Oriental Romances, Thalaba the Destroyer and The Curse of Kehama, are, I suppose, almost wholly unknown to the younger generation of readers. It must be confessed that they are not commended by their metrical form; but they display great power of imagination, and convey an admirable moral. I have tried to tell these two stories in prose.I have added the Story of Rustem, greatly condensed, from Firdausi's Shah-Nameh, or Book of the Kings. I have availed myself of M. Jules Mohl's translation from the Persian, a popular edition of which, in seven octavo volumes, was published under the care of Madame Mohl in the years 1876-78. It was necessary to take some liberties with the story, for the chief of which I may plead the authority of Mr. Matthew Arnold, who, in his beautiful poem of "Sohrab and Rustem," represents the father as believing that the child born to him by his Tartar wife is a girl. In Firdausi's poem he knows that he has a son, but cannot believe that so young a child can be his stalwart antagonist.The illustrations are taken from Persian and Indian MSS. in the British Museum.

"It is difficult to tell the story of Carthage, because one has to tell it without sympathy, and from the standpoint of her enemies. It is a great advantage, on the other hand, that the materials are of a manageable amount, and that a fairly complete narrative may be given within a moderate compass." - Alfred ChurchThis is the Story of Carthage, from the legend of Dido to the Carthaginian Empire's dominance of the Mediterranean Sea and military pre-eminence to its' ultimate decline and fall at the hands of an even greater power: Rome.

My father was the son of a gentleman of Oxfordshire that had asmall estate near to the town of Eynsham, in that county. The monksof Eynsham Priory had the land aforetime and ‘twas said that here,as elsewhere, there was a curse upon such as held for their own usesthat which had been dedicated to God‘s service. How this may be Iknow not, though there are notable instances—as, to wit, theRussells—in which no visible curse has fallen on the holders of suchgoods; but it is certain that my father‘s forbears wasted their estategrievously. Being but the third son, he had scarce, in any case,tarried at home; but, matters being as they were, the emptiness of thefamily purse drove him out betimes into the world. Being of goodbirth and breeding he got, without much ado, a place about theCourt, which was not, however, much to his liking. I have heard himsay—and this, though, as will be seen hereafter, he was a great loverof monarchy—that, between a weak king and villainous courtiers,Whitehall was no place for an honest gentleman. Robert Carr, thatwas afterwards Earl of Somerset, he liked little, and George Villiers,Duke of Buckingham, he liked yet less, being, as he was wont to say,by so much a greater villain than Somerset as a duke is greater thanan earl. He was right glad, therefore, to leave the “sunshine of theRoyal presence;“ for so did men speak of the Court in thehyperbolical language of those times, even for so dismal andoutlandish a part as Ireland. But I know not whether he did not wishhimself back, for of Ireland he would never afterwards speak withany measure of patience, declaring that he knew not which were theworse, the greediness and cruelty of the English conquerors, or thesavagery and unreason of the native people...

The Iliad is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time. Set during the Trojan War, this timeless story vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amid devastation and destruction. Homer's tale is a compassionate view of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death in the face of an often uncaring divinity. To call it a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters in the 10th and final year of the Greek siege of Troy.

When events during the Peloponnesian War demand it, the three children of Leon and Elpinicé are dispatched quickly from their home in Athens to take refuge in Sparta. During their sojourn there they learn much about Spartan customs and hear stories from Spartan history, which, when added to their personal experience of Athenian customs and stories of Athenian history, give a full picture of life in ancient Greece as children experienced it in the 5th century B.C. Numerous illustrations complement the text. Suitable for ages 9 and up.

The Iliad is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time. Set during the Trojan War, this timeless poem vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amid devastation and destruction. Homer's tale is a compassionate view of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death in the face of an often uncaring divinity. To call it a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters in the 10th and final year of the Greek siege of Troy.

Alfred John Church (1829-1912) was an English classical scholar. He was born in London and was educated at King’s College London, and Lincoln College, Oxford, he took holy orders and was an assistant-master at Merchant Taylors’ School for many years. From 1880 until 1888 he was professor of Latin at University College, London. While at University College in partnership with William Jackson Brodribb, he translated Tacitus and edited Pliny’s Letters (Epistulae). Church also wrote a number of stories in English re-telling of classical tales and legends for young people (Stories from Virgil, Stories from Homer, etc. ). He also wrote much Latin and English verse, and in 1908 published his Memories of Men and Books. Other works include: Stories of the Magicians (1887), The Count of the Saxon Shore; or, The Villa in Vectis (with Ruth Putnam) (1888), Heroes of Chivalry and Romance (1898), Stories of Charlemagne (1902), The Crown of Pine (1906) and With the King at Oxford (1909).

Homer’s classic poem describing the horror and heroism of men and gods has been rewritten to be easily understandable by readers of all ages. Read how the war with Troy began, of battles and broken oaths.Learn of Thetis, Glaucus and Diomed, Hector and Ajax, Achilles, Ulysses and many other characters whose stories are still talked of thousands of years after first being written.This edition features all 12 full page images from the original printing and has been transcribed and reformatted to be easy to read.

Alfred J. Church was a 19th century historian best known for his comprehensive histories on different periods of the Roman Empire, including this one. Vivid story of Rome in the days of Nero, beginning with the burning of the city, seemingly ordered by Nero himself. The narrative revolves around a set of characters who suffer acutely in the cruel persecutions of the Christians, set in motion by Nero after the fire to deflect blame for the conflagration from himself and fasten it on the Christians. Set in pagan Rome, this story outlines the author's conception of what happened immediately before, during, and after the burning of Rome occurred. This author's belief is that it happened exclusively due to Nero's perpetuation. While possible, this is not something that is historically established.