Customer Reviews

A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas: A Handbook for Peeping Thomists

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It looks like this book will soon be relegated to the used book market only, but for a great introduction to the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, in all its breadth, it is surely in the top 10. If you are looking for a leg up to tackling the saint yourself, this is the book for you. McInerny breaks the Saint's thought into topics, many of which are connected as the chapters progress. Each chapter is short and digestible--3 to 5 pages. Then a short selection in St. Thomas' own words: you are reading the man himself and understanding what he is talking about. It isn't a large, indepth study, but a great first step for neophyte thomists.

When I saw how thin the book was, I knew it would be just a glance, and I would want to know more. Just wanted a book for a Lay Dominicans assignment to get started in studying St. Thomas Aquinas and this was perfect..not brand new and in mint condition, but great. Glad to have Amazon.com to make this purchase of a great book to get started in our studies. It is a good first book of introduction to the studies of St. Thomas. You would want to take more glances at other books by this author, or at more books by or on St. Thomas after this....this is just a stepping off point for your knowledge on St. Thomas.

Ralph McInerny's "A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas" is truly a very good "first glance." The book is an excellent introduction for undergraduates and autodidacts to the principal philosophical positions held by St. Thomas. It should, however, be closely followed by a reading of Edward Feser's "Aquinas," along with "Aquinas 101," by Francis John Selman. These three texts together offer (i) a solid grounding in the basics of Aquinas, (ii) undo the misinformation about Aquinas that is normally offered in university survey of philosophy courses, and (iii) prepare the reader for more advanced study in "The Thought of Thomas Aquinas," by Brian Davies, and in "Reality: A Synthesis of Thomistic Thought," by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. Of course, the three texts will facilitate the reading of St. Thomas's primary sources as well.