Contains three of Chesterton's most influential works. In Heretics, Chesterton sets forth one of the most telling critiques of contemporary religious notions ever. The Blatchford Controversies are the spirited public debate which led to the writing of Heretics. Then in Orthodoxy, Chesterton accepts the challenge of his opponents and sets forth his own reasons for accepting the Christian Faith.
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127 of 127 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This volume, the first in Ignatius Press's _Collected Works_ of Chesterton series, contains what is probably G. K. Chesterton's most famous work, _Orthodoxy_.
What many people do not know is that Orthodoxy was written only at the end of a long debate in the British press. Chesterton had been making a name for himself in English journalism for attacking the Spirit of the Age in turn-of-the-century England; his critics (rather justly) claimed that it was unfair for Chesterton to attack others' beliefs without stating what he himself believed. _Orthodoxy_ was the result.
This volume allows the reader to trace the story from the beginning, in the so-called "Blatchford Controversies", through the critique of Chesterton's contemporaries in _Heretics_ to its culmination in _Orthodoxy_. _Orthodoxy_ is definitely the star of the volume, but there are treasures to be found in the other works as well. Knowing something about the figures mentioned in _Heretics_ does help, but is not strictly necessary, as their heresies are alas still with us.
In my opinion, this volume is the perfect entre into Chesterton's thought, and would make a valuable edition for anyone concerned about clear thinking in regards to life, the universe, and everything.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A hundred years ago in England, religion was under attack for being an obsolescence, an obstruction to the realization of human potential, the province of the unenlightened.
Along came Chesterton, irrepressible optimist and genial adversary (foes GB Shaw and HG Wells were counted among his many friends) who masterfully - some would say dizzyingly - used paradox to stand the arguments of the anti-religious on their heads.
This particular volume of GKC's invaluable work has much to recommend: 1) a collection of material that nicely encapsulates the controversy (HERETICS, wherein he points out the short-sightedness of his adversaries' positions, the unmatched ORTHODOXY, which set forth his own philosophy, and BLATCHFORD, a resource containing the seeds of the foregoing two books), 2) a wonderful introduction by David Dooley that describes the context and milieu of post-Victorian England, and 3) a high-quality sewn soft-cloth binding.
The drawback to Chesterton is that, as a journalist, his work does have a noticeable connection with the time of its original publication (in this case, 1904-1908)*. What is striking is how glaringly relevant the underlying issues he addresses are to our own time.
*For those who find this distracting, there are Annotated Editions of both Orthodoxy and Heretics available through Amazon.com
Along came Chesterton, irrepressible optimist and genial adversary (foes GB Shaw and HG Wells were counted among his many friends) who masterfully - some would say dizzyingly - used paradox to stand the arguments of the anti-religious on their heads.
This particular volume of GKC's invaluable work has much to recommend: 1) a collection of material that nicely encapsulates the controversy (HERETICS, wherein he points out the short-sightedness of his adversaries' positions, the unmatched ORTHODOXY, which set forth his own philosophy, and BLATCHFORD, a resource containing the seeds of the foregoing two books), 2) a wonderful introduction by David Dooley that describes the context and milieu of post-Victorian England, and 3) a high-quality sewn soft-cloth binding.
The drawback to Chesterton is that, as a journalist, his work does have a noticeable connection with the time of its original publication (in this case, 1904-1908)*. What is striking is how glaringly relevant the underlying issues he addresses are to our own time.
*For those who find this distracting, there are Annotated Editions of both Orthodoxy and Heretics available through Amazon.com
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By D. Byrne
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a must for anyone who is a Chesterton fan, or interested in Christian apologetics. "Orthodoxy" outlines
GKC's own spiritual development in a number of well reasoned arguments. "Heretics" is the thought provoking prelude to "Orthodoxy" and the "Blatchford Controversies" are the famous spiritual duel which occurred in the London newspapers between Blatchford and GKC.
GKC's own spiritual development in a number of well reasoned arguments. "Heretics" is the thought provoking prelude to "Orthodoxy" and the "Blatchford Controversies" are the famous spiritual duel which occurred in the London newspapers between Blatchford and GKC.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be Ready to Think
Buy a notebook, pen, highlighter, etc., because you will want to remember and meditate on Chesterton's writing. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Barbara Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important "apologia" from a century ago
Chesterton's books were influential in C.S. Lewis's conversion from atheism. I found this out while reading Lewis's correspondence from the 30's through the early 50'sLetters of C. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Richard E. Burke
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love G. K. Chesterton1
I love all G. K.Chesterton writings! I am a fan of G. K. Chesterton! Cannot get enough of his writings!
Published 5 months ago by Helga Ng
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton Volume 01: Heretics, Orthodoxy,...
This book combines three of Chesterton's wonderful apologetical works into one volume with the added bonus of a brief and helpful history of the books preceding them.
Published 10 months ago by Josh Goode
5.0 out of 5 stars
List of works for reference
In case someone wants a list of all the volumes in this Ignatius Press series (note that some never have been released, such as volume 6 & 9):
* Volume 1: Heretics,... Read more
* Volume 1: Heretics,... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Nome de Plume
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Price for Orthodoxy Alone
If you're Christian, interested in Christianity, or even an intellectually honest atheist, you should not go through your entire life without reading this book. Read more
Published on March 16, 2010 by john
3.0 out of 5 stars
Circle Talk at its Best
This book is both dull and magnificent. Chesterton's writing style is brilliant even though often his writing is pointless. Read more
Published on March 1, 2008 by Gerald Peterson
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