Books published by publisher Angelico Press

The Book of the Ancient Greeks is an introduction to the history and civilization of Greece from the coming of the Greeks to the conquest of Corinth by Rome in 146 BC. Dorothy Mills had an uncanny and unique ability to write history that is interesting and at the same time based on sound scholarship. Her direct, engaging approach is valued increasingly by the many parents in our day who are looking for reliable materials for homeschooling or home study, as well as by many private school educators. Angelico Press has undertaken to reprint the highly-prized six volumes of her historical works as part of its effort to offer texts ideally suited to the needs of a new generation of teachers and students. In a world where the quality of education has so deteriorated, may the reissue of this wonderful historical series shine as a beacon to a new generation of young (and not so young) scholars!

The Mass Explained to Children presents the beauty, depth, and simplicity of the traditional Latin Mass, helping to make it easily understandable for any and every child. With acute sensitivity to the purity and clarity of a child’s mind and soul, Maria Montessori wisely instructs in how to prepare for Mass, explains how the altar is set up, and clarifies the meaning and use of the sacred vessels and other elements used during Mass. She describes also the role of the priest, the use and symbolism of vestments, and much more. Then she proceeds—in refreshingly straightforward language, and with abundant illustrations—to follow the order of the Mass as it slowly unfolds in word and gesture. This is a sure guide to the beauties of the traditional Mass for children of all ages, and at the same time a wonderful primer for adults who want to deepen their understanding of the Mass of the Ages.

Joan Windham’s Sixty Saints for Girls contains all her stories of girl and woman saints from her other books, with a number of new ones added.The stores are arranged by date, beginning with Our Lady’s mother, St. Anne, and finishing with another Anne, Anne de Guigne (this Anne, who died in 1922, aged 10, has not been canonized, but she was declared Venerable on March 3, 1990 by Pope John Paul II). In between is a lovely mix of saints, young and old, princesses and pilgrims, mothers and grandmothers and nuns: a goose-girl and a horse-dealer’s daughter; a girl who was kidnapped by pirates, a veterinarian, and (believe it or not) a ventriloquist! These stories are ideally suited to inspire readers to fall in love with virtue. No child reading them will ever suppose that saints are all cut to one pattern or that holiness is less interesting than bad behavior. Anyone who wants to know what a saint is really like will get a clear and beautiful picture by reading these accounts, and they can be enjoyed over and over again by children of all ages, and by adults alike.

Fulton J. Sheen turned his voice and pen to many subjects during the course of a long and remarkable apostolate. But nothing was closer to the heart of his message than bringing the words of Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother to bear on the problems of modern life and the modern world. In this book, Archbishop Sheen explores the connection between the seven words spoken by Mary in the Gospels, and the seven last words of Jesus on the Cross. Fulton Sheen was unparalleled in his ability to combine theology, devotion, and the profoundest reflections on the central events of the Christian narrative. Displayed here in full are the literary and rhetorical skills of one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century. Sheen’s meditations will slake the spiritual thirst of all who desire a fuller understanding of the Gospels and seek to draw closer to Christ and Mary.

The Book of the Ancient World is an account of our common heritage from the dawn of civilization to the coming of the Greeks. It is the story of how human beings began their great adventure of learning how to live; of how they have sought to satisfy the practical needs of their bodies, the questioning of their minds, and the searching of their spirits. To this end it subordinates details of political events to the record of things that lie at the foundation or our modern civilization. Dorothy Mills had an uncanny and unique ability to write history that is interesting and at the same time based on sound scholarship. Her direct, engaging approach is valued increasingly by the many parents in our day who are looking for reliable materials for home study, as well as by many private school educators. The highly-prized six volumes of her historical works (see below) have become very scarce on the used book market, and so Dawn Chorus has undertaken to reprint them as part of its effort to offer texts ideally suited to the needs of a new generation of teachers and students. In a world where the quality of education has so deteriorated, may the reissue of this wonderful historical series shine as a beacon to a new generation of young (and not so young) scholars!. Dawn Chorus publishes these five other books by Dorothy Mills: The Book of the Ancient Greeks; The Book of the Ancient Romans; The People of Ancient Israel; The Middle Ages; and Renaissance and Reformation Times. Dawn Chorus has also republished another outstanding, and long-out-of-print historical series perfectly suited for home or school use (and highly recommended in home-school curricula), entitled The Picturesque Tale of Progress, by Olive Beaupré Miller. It is available in large format (9 volumes), or smaller, double-bound format (5 volumes).

To give us a better understanding of the Catholic Faith, in Characters of the Passion Fulton J. Sheen returns us to Calvary. There he dramatically brings to life in brief but penetrating characterizations many who played important roles in the “Eternal Drama of the Cross.” Peter, Judas, Pilate, Herod, Barabbas, and others make an appearance, and through them the author shows us new aspects of the glory of the Faith. Fulton Sheen was unparalleled in his ability to combine theology, devotion, and the profoundest meditations on the central events of the Christian narrative. His writing is a message of inspiration to all: to those wavering in their beliefs he brings comfort and strength; to others he affirms the knowledge that true faith is the most powerful weapon in the world today, ever-ready to meet the challenges of modern life.

In The Middle Ages, Dorothy Mills lets medieval chroniclers tell their own tales; poets and troubadours, minstrels and wandering scholars sing their own songs; and serfs describe their hard lot. She combines interesting source material with a scholarly interpretation of important events and of those features that characterized all countries during the Middle Ages: the Church; monks and friars and pilgrims; feudalism and chivalry; the manors and towns; Crusades; students wandering in search of learning; science and magic; poetry and drama; arts and crafts. Dorothy Mills had an uncanny and unique ability to write history that is interesting and at the same time based on sound scholarship. Her direct, engaging approach is valued increasingly by the many parents in our day who are looking for reliable materials for homeschooling or home study, as well as by many private school educators. Angelico Press has undertaken to reprint the highly-prized six volumes of her historical works as part of its effort to offer texts ideally suited to the needs of a new generation of teachers and students. In a world where the quality of education has so deteriorated, may the reissue of this wonderful historical series shine as a beacon to a new generation of young (and not so young) scholars!

Joan Windham’s Sixty Saints for Boys contains all of her stories of the saints whose names boys are likely to have. The stories are arranged by date, beginning with St. James and finishing with St. Michael. In between is a splendid mix of saints, young and old: soldier saints and schoolboy saints; clowns and kings; noblemen and knights; monks and missionaries; and many others.These stories are able to inspire readers to fall in love with virtue. No child reading them will ever suppose that saints are all cut to one pattern or that holiness is less interesting than bad behavior. Anyone who wants to know what a saint is really like will get a clear and beautiful picture by reading these accounts, and they can be enjoyed over and over again by children of all ages, and by adults alike.

COMPOSED IN A BURST of inspiration near the end of the poet's life, Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus represents the consummation of the writer's career, distilling the essence of his poetic wisdom in a gem-like sequence. This new translation--with the original German on facing pages--offers a clear window into the world of this endlessly scintillating cycle of poems."Daniel Polikoff's English version of Rilke's last sonnet sequence, perhaps his greatest work, is wholly admirable. Rilke's late work is extremely difficult to penetrate. Both its conceptual nature and Rilke's unique use of the German language tend to resist interpretation. Astonishingly, Polikoff has found ways of rendering Rilke's complexities into English and also preserving his metrical and rhyme schemes. Such an accomplishment is possible only with a deep understanding of Rilke's vision and a knowledge of the root structure of German. Daniel Polikoff gives us Rilke in word and spirit in these splendid Sonnets."--LISEL MUELLER, National Book Award for Poetry (1981) for The Need to Hold Still; Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1997) for Alive Together: New & Selected Poems"Daniel Polikoff is the first to achieve the unimaginable: an English translation which brings the form and content of these Sonnets together into an organic confluence. These new translations lift our understanding of Rilke's spiritual and aesthetic inspiration up to a whole different level, one accessible for the first time to the English reader. As a professor of German literature who has taught these sonnets for over thirty years, I can only thank Daniel Polikoff for this phenomenal accomplishment. His version should serve as the new standard for Rilke translations and belongs on the bookshelves of every poetry lover."--LUDWIG MAX FISCHER, author of Seasons of the Soul: The Poetic Guidance of Herman Hesse"This is a uniquely faithful, skillful, and eloquent translation of one of the greatest poems of the 20th century. I salute Daniel Polikoff and recommend his wonderful work to all seekers and lovers of poetry."--ANDREW HARVEY, author of Teachings of Rumi

To give us a better understanding of the Catholic Faith, in Characters of the Passion Fulton J. Sheen returns us to Calvary. There he dramatically brings to life in brief but penetrating characterizations many who played important roles in the “Eternal Drama of the Cross.” Peter, Judas, Pilate, Herod, Barabbas, and others make an appearance, and through them the author shows us new aspects of the glory of the Faith.Fulton Sheen was unparalleled in his ability to combine theology, devotion, and the profoundest meditations on the central events of the Christian narrative. His writing is a message of inspiration to all: to those wavering in their beliefs he brings comfort and strength; to others he affirms the knowledge that true faith is the most powerful weapon in the world today, ever-ready to meet the challenges of modern life.

After providing readers with a wealth of history, theology, philosophy, short story, cultural commentary, and literary criticism, it is fitting that David Bentley Hart — here accompanied by his son Patrick — finally turn to the genre perhaps closest to his heart: children’s literature.It is known, of course, that soft toys—teddy bears, cotton-stuffed rabbits, velveteen squids, and the like—are all but incapable of deceit, greed, or criminality. And yet, when the treasure of the ancient MacGorilla clan is stolen from their castle in the Scottish Highlands, it seems that one or more of the soft toys gathered there must surely be the culprit, or culprits. Trapped in the castle with his fellow toys by an unexpected snow storm, one small bear, with the aid of an even smaller pig and an easily distracted ape, must discover where the treasure is and who took it. Along the way adventures and perils abound: hidden passages, a lost library, a chase through a moonlit maze, flooding stairwells, rubber balls, paper clips, waffles, garbled aphorisms, and ever so much more. Never has such a weight of responsibility rested upon such soft, fluffy shoulders.“Perhaps it is for the best that Agatha Christie, Kenneth Grahame, and Emma Goldman never got around to collaborating, for then there might be a precedent for this charming and impishly subversive tale, its heart as wide as a hundred-acre wood.”—MICHAEL ROBBINS“David Bentley Hart and his son Patrick Robert have crafted a charming, beautifully written whodunit that manages to be both deeply familiar and surprising.”—JAKOB ZIGURAS “A profound and thoroughly enjoyable tale, told with wit, sophistication, richness of narrative, and incisive moral acuity. Both children and adults will relish this wise and enlightening story, as ‘fine and generous and goodhearted’ as Laird MacGorilla himself.”—EUGENE MCCARRAHER“Delightful. The Mystery of Castle MacGorilla reads beautifully and I’ll certainly be getting it for a few young friends!”—RUPERT SHORTT

The Mass Explained to Children presents the beauty, depth, and simplicity of the traditional Latin Mass, helping to make it easily understandable for any and every child. With acute sensitivity to the purity and clarity of a child’s mind and soul, Maria Montessori wisely instructs in how to prepare for Mass, explains how the altar is set up, and clarifies the meaning and use of the sacred vessels and other elements used during Mass. She describes also the role of the priest, the use and symbolism of vestments, and much more. Then she proceeds—in refreshingly straightforward language, and with abundant illustrations—to follow the order of the Mass as it slowly unfolds in word and gesture.This is a sure guide to the beauties of the traditional Mass for children of all ages, and at the same time a wonderful primer for adults who want to deepen their understanding of the Mass of the Ages.