Customer Reviews

Butler's Lives of the Saints (4 Volume Set)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fr. Alban Butler is considered one of the greatest English Catholic writers. His Lives of the Saints has become the most important work after the Bible and the Imitation of Christ. But this new edition by Thurston and Attwater has destroyed much of the beauty of the orginal "Lives," and for this reason Thurston was strongly criticized by Pope Pius XII. The original, unadultered 4 volume set is still in print under the title THE LIVES OF THE FATHERS, MARTYRS AND OTHER PRINCIPAL SAINTS from St. Bonaventure Publications, and is priced significantly lower than the new edition.

Little of Alban Butler's work survives in this revised edition--if the reader wants to have access to Butler's own words, with all his wonderful moral judgments, this is not the edition to consult. That said, Thurston and Attwater have done an exhaustive job of updating Butler's original work, including the addition of bibliographical references (mostly referring to foreign-language works) and attempting to sort through the historical inaccuracies that necessarily plague any study of the saints. As they admit, however, this is not meant to be a scholarly reference work.This collection includes more saints than any other I have seen, so it is a very useful and interesting work in itself. While Butler's wonderful 18th-century prose, so unfamiliar and even harsh to our modern ears, has been taken out in this revision, the result is not always easy to read. Some of the language is clumsy and poorly-constructed, but one gets used to it and it is not a major fault. In addition, the binding is not of the highest quality. The biggest failing of this edition--which is not the fault of the revisers, of course--is that many of the feast days of particular saints have been changed since the Second Vatican Council. An updated edition that takes this into account would be welcome, but all in all this is a useful collection.

I am not religious, but over the course of the years I have developed a fascination for the lives of Catholic saints. This compendium is a wonderful resource and a browser's delight. I recommend it very highly to anyone with a serious interest on the subject.

This second edition stripped away Butler's original verbocity, while keeping the beauty of the original prose. What's left is a compendium of the greatest men and women ever to walk the planet. Conveniently arranged for daily readings. This is a timeless classic that deserves the attention of anyone and everyone.

It has been nearly fifty years since I read this book. I had forgotten how much detail Butler placed in his research of the lives of the saints. Although my mind has moved more towards agnosticism, it is of great interest for me to read how the Church appreciated the lives of some of its past members. I am now trying to read of the saints related to that day, but alas my schedule is too busy to read the entire selection.