Apologia Pro Vita Sua (Everyman's Library (Paper)) [Paperback]

John Henry Newman (Author), William Oddie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Everyman's Library (Paper) | Publication Date: April 15, 1993

This book is part of the "Everyman" series, which has been totally re-set with wide margins and easy-to-read type. The book includes a themed introduction, chronology of life and times of the author, glossaries of Latin and Greek terms and a selection of criticism. Once a famous Anglican clergyman, Newman left his living in the 1840s, recanted his former criticism of the Roman Catholic Church, and entered the priesthood, becoming - ultimately - a cardinal. Framing his "Apologia" in reply to a "grave and gratuitous slander" which he felt Charles Kingsley had made against him, Newman overcame his characteristic shyness and produced one of the masterpieces of spiritual writing: honest, passionate, scrupulous and moving.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards.

About the Author

John Henry Newman, (1801-1890) was a Roman Catholic priest and cardinal, a convert from Anglicanism in October 1845. In his early life, he was a major figure in the Oxford Movement to bring the Church of England back to its Catholic roots. Eventually his studies in history persuaded him to become a Roman Catholic. Both before and after becoming a Roman Catholic, he wrote influential books, including Via Media, Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (1845), Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865-66) and the Grammar of Assent (1870). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 437 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Group, Ltd. (April 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 046087232X
• ISBN-13: 978-0460872324
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,095,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After Augustine's "Confessions," Comes . . . ., March 4, 2002

By 

D. S. Heersink "D. Stephen Heersink" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apologia pro Vita Sua (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

There are few autobiographies as moving and eloquent as Newman's "Apologia." This is his "defense" of his life's choice to leave the Church of England and "go home to Rome." It's a moving testament to an individual's struggle with spiritual issues and theological dogmas and how they inform our lives. I know of no other spiritual autobiography of such importance other than Augustine's "Confessions."

Yet, for all these superb reasons to read this spiritual autobiography, perhaps there is one "secular" reason to read Newman: His command of the English language. Newman has an excellent command of rhetoric, logic, and exposition that makes him a stellar example of Victorian belle letters.

I'd recommend the Norton Critical Edition over the Penguin edition, obviously, not for the "translation," but for the criticism that helps put the issues involved in context for the 20th century reader.

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Spiritual Autobiography. . ., September 28, 2000

By 

David Zampino "21st Century Hobbit" (Delavan, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apologia pro Vita Sua (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

since the "Confessions" of St. Augustine of Hippo 1600 years earlier.

In this book, John Henry Newman, in order to defend himself from (rather unfair) charges of insincerity, outlines the history of his spiritual development, from his beginnings as a liberal thinker, to his conversion to the Evangelical wing of the Church of England, to his ordination as an Anglican priest, to his gradual move toward Catholic thought, practice and worship in the Church of England, to his leadership in the so-called "Oxford Movement" and its call to holiness and Catholicity in the Church of England, and finally to his ultimate submission to Rome.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with Cardinal Newman theologically; whether one can accept his particular conclusions is not important to the enjoyment of this book. It is an honest account of a spiritual journey, written by an articulate man, which should prove inspirational to all persons of faith, and to all on a spiritual pilgrimage.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Autobiography par excellence, January 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Apologia Pro Vita Sua (Everyman's Library (Paper)) (Paperback)

There are autobiographies, and then there is Newman's "Defense for my way of life." Sadly, this wonderful work is found in English Literature and Victorian England courses. This spiritual journey of one of the most influential thinkers of the late 19th century has much more applicability than such narrow confines.

Besides being one of the best autobiographies ever written, it is one of the most personal and intimate works in its field: Newman explains the changes, and the conflicts that gave rise to them, with an intensity and eloquence uniquely his own. While the subject matter is Newman's conversion from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism, his story is about life's choices.