A Book of Angels: Reflections on Angels Past and Present, and True Stories of How They Touch Our Lives [Hardcover]

Sophy Burnham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2004

A BOOK OF ANGELS tells not only the extraordinary true stories of present-day encounters with angels, but also traces the understanding and study of angels through history and in different cultures. Discover what angels look like, whom they chose to visit, how they enter our lives, and so much more.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A golden conjunction of heaven and earth . . . Reminding us that there are angels in every religion.”
–The Washington Post

“A Book of Angels is a kind of timeless tour, led by ordinary people who’ve met angels, and extraordinary writers who’ve set down ageless thoughts: Milton, Dante, Goethe, Shakespeare, Blake, Rilke, Dostoevsky, Swedenborg, and Poe, along with passages from the Bible and Koran.”
–Los Angeles Times

“Like all good books, it exceeds the subject and illuminates the tough, tiring, and sometimes miraculous business of living, where angels sometimes help out. . . . The visible and invisible dance with each other continually, and as far as angels are concerned, now you see them, now you don’t. A Book of Angels gives us a lovely, sustained glimpse.”
–Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher

Little did we know in 1990 when we published this book that it would ignite the angel craze that swept this country. Now, with over a million copies sold, A BOOK OF ANGELS continues to be the cornerstone book on the topic.
Joanne Wyckoff
Senior Editor
Ballantine Books --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345476964
• ISBN-13: 978-0345476968
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 1.2 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Epiphany, September 6, 2000

By 

Amy H. King - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Book of Angels (Paperback)

I believe we have more than one epiphany in our lives, and this book was at the center of one of my greatest. I was given a burden which I believe is one of the heaviest God asks any of His children to carry, and this book helped set me on a spiritual path which ultimately saved my life and my sanity. This is not an easy or sweet look at God's messengers. It explores angels in history, in literature, in religions and throughout most cultures. I grew up in a religion which was very narrow and which didn't place emphasis on angels except as they ministered to great people. This book changed my mind and opened whole new doors and avenues for exploration. I've been on that journey of encouragement and hope for four years now, and because of it, I see traditional theology differently and MORE POSITIVELY. I believe the writing of this book was inspired and I can't thank Ms. Burnham enough for giving me this stepping stone. I've had many unexpected and beautiful experiences in the midst of a grief so profound it's at times physically painful, and this is one of the books which helped me accept those experiences and know that reality is much more than the confines of the world we see.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories of angels to comfort and astound..., April 30, 2000

By 

Laura Haggarty (Northern KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Book of Angels: Reflections on Angels Past and Present and True Stories of How They Touch Our Lives (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book several years ago, just after my beloved grandmother died. I was heartbroken, and on the way to her funeral saw this book (and another on angels) in the airport bookstore. I bought it on impulse, and found it to be the perfect thing to read on the way to her funeral.

The book is filled with stories of encounters with angels, stories that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, stories that made me weep, stories that made me realize that despite death, all really was right in the world, and that we were always surrounded by those who loved us, guarded us, protected us, even if we couldn't see them. This book brought comfort to me in a time of great sorrow, and I'll always be glad I bought it.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Exploration into Angelic Realms, December 30, 2002

By 

Cynthia Sue Larson "www.realityshifters.com" (San Francisco bay area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Book of Angels (Paperback)

A BOOK OF ANGELS is my favorite source of information on the subject of angels, because it contains the most dazzling array of myths and stories about angels one could ever hope to find in one book. I am equally delighted with its thrilling personal accounts of the way human poets, mystics and saints (such as Blake, Dante, Dostoyevski, Goethe, Milton, Poe, Rilke, Shakespeare and Swedenborg) have interacted with angels throughout history. Beautiful illustrations and quotes appear on almost every page, such as this lovely one from Saint Augustine, "Every visible thing in this world is put in the charge of an angel."

Author Sophy Burnham did not grow up believing in angels or miracles, yet when she was a young adult, she watched an angel save her life. "I saw him the way you see the words on this page: the colors, the magnificent leap of my heart on seeing him -- HOME! cried my soul as he scooped me out of the path of death."

Whether you talk to angels every day, or wonder whether it's possible that they could exist, A BOOK OF ANGELS is certain to become your favorite book for exploring the angelic realms!