Collected Works of G. K. Chesterton: The Club of Queer Trades : The
Man Who Was Thursday : The Ball and the Cross : The Napoleon of Notting Hill (Paperback)

by G. K. Chesterton (Author) "Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born on May 29, 1874, "of respectable but honest parents . . . on Campden Hill, Kensington; and baptized according to..." (more)
Key Phrases: waterworks tower, Notting Hill, Pump Street, Adam Wayne (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The first of two volumes of G.K. Chesterton's novels is graced with many of the novelist's own drawings and photos, as well as maps. Since Chesterton drew from his own experiences in his writings, his drawings and photographs are very helpful in aiding the reader to get a better sense of the places and things he was writing about.

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (June 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898703654
• ISBN-13: 978-0898703658
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #341,601 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read!, August 16, 2001

By A Customer

The Club of Queer Trades is by far the funniest story I have ever read! I assure you that it will keep you rolling on the floor from the beginning to the end of the story.

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest book in the collected works series of GKC., February 27, 2002

By	Clark Massey (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

The Club of Queer Trades - Not quite like the Father Brown mystery stories but very close. GKC traces the adventures of a club comprised of men and women who invented their own trade. You usually don't understand the trade until the end of the story, and the book never disappoints.

The Man Who Was Thursday - This is probably the most famous of all Chesterton books. The book describes the attempts of a Scotland yard detective to infiltrate a secret anarchist society. The garden party conversations between anarchists are laugh out loud funny. I'm still fascinated by the ending, mainly because I don't understand it.

The Ball and Cross - Chesterton's hilarious story of how an adamant Catholic duels to the death with an ardent atheist is a worthy read. Chesterton systematically critiques popular delusions of educated thinking as the book unfolds. The atheist and the Catholic grow closer together through their duel, and realize that they understand each other better than the other characters understand either of them. Chesterton's wit is second to none and if you liked Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis, you will love this book.

I've loaned two of these books to friends, and both of them were immediate fans. If you find this collection interesting, try the Napoleon of Notting Hill also by GKC.

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Great Books in One Volume, August 31, 2000

By	James Paris "Tarnmoor" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

G. K. Chesterton was probably the greatest optimist who ever lived. He BELIEVED where most of us give up and become despondent. The three stories in this volume take place in a strange twilight world in which the author, as he says in THURSDAY, makes you want to see the lamppost by the light of the tree rather than vice versa. This, by the way, is his most profound and eccentric book.

In THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY, we see an incredible global conspiracy dissipate like swamp gas. (As Calvin Coolidge once said, nine out of ten of the troubles one sees down the road swerve off and disappear before they get to you.) THE BALL AND THE CROSS is about two heretics who appear to fight each other to the bitter end, until they find a worse enemy. And THE CLUB OF QUEER TRADES is a delightful entertainment made up of wonderful shaggy dog stories, much like THE PARADOXES OF MR POND.

If life hasn't been going your way, curl up with this volume -- and you WILL feel better.