'A judicious and discerning selection of large extracts from the Collected Works of Erasmus ... thoughtfully designed to include major statements of Erasmus on civility in individual morals, humanistic study and education, the Christian life, reform of the church, and the peaceful constraint of political force. It is to my mind the most comprehensive and penetrating anthology of Erasmus' writing, forcefully revealing his central values.' – Charles Trinkaus, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Michigan 

'Rummel's collection makes available readable translations of Erasmus' most original and influential works – the books that made him the intellectual conscience of his generation of scholars and the inspiration of many Reformers who took positions he did not accept. They reveal the biblical scholar, the humanist and literary theorist, and the social critic that Erasmus was, far more fully and vividly than any previous anthology.' – Anthony Grafton, Program in History of Science, Princeton University 

'The high quality of the Toronto edition of the Collected Works of Erasmus has earned it a central place in the libraries of scholars around the world. The Erasmus Reader extends this impact to the carrels and desks of beginning and advanced students of Renaissance and Reformation history.' – Heiko A. Oberman, Director, Division for Late Medieval and Reformation Studies, University of Arizona

After the Anschluss (annexation) in 1938, the Nazis forced Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg to resign and kept him imprisoned for seven years, until his rescue by the Allies in 1945. Schuschnigg’s privileged position within the concentration camp system allowed him to keep a diary and to write letters which were smuggled out to family members.

Drawing on these records, Prison Elite paints a picture of a little-known aspect of concentration camp history: the life of a VIP prisoner. Schuschnigg, who was a devout Catholic, presents his memoirs as a "confession," expecting absolution for any political missteps and, more specifically, for his dictatorial regime in the 1930s. As Erika Rummel reveals in fascinating detail, his autobiographical writings are frequently unreliable.

Prison Elite describes the strategies Schuschnigg used to survive his captivity emotionally and intellectually. Religion, memory of better days, friendship, books and music, and maintaining a sense of humour allowed him to cope. A comparison with the memoirs of fellow captives reveals these tactics to be universal.

Studying Schuschnigg’s writing in the context of contemporary prison memoirs, Prison Elite provides unique insight into the life of a VIP prisoner.

The novel revolves around the forced sale of a painting in Nazi-occupied Vienna. Zoltan Nagy, the legitimate heir, is pressured by his daughter to go to court and recoup his parents' possessions. But Zoltan is in love with the present owner of the painting. What if winning the court case means losing her? And thereby hangs a tale with several twists and turns: secrets, assumptions and slippery identities are the ingredients the author has used to create a page-turner. Zoltan's daughter, Cereta, claims the painting was sold under duress. But is the work what it appears to be, or is it an expert forgery? And is Cereta the woman she claims to be? Or is her real name Laura? David, an art historian, who falls in love with her, cannot get at the truth. He is caught in a web of illusions and postmodernist doubts. Zoltan holds the key to the puzzle, but he is hard to read. The hardships he suffered in childhood have made him a man of a thousand disguises, a man hiding even from himself.When the dispute over the painting threatens Zoltan’s relationship with the people he loves, he realizes that it’s time to tell who is who and what is what.

The story of the Nagy family and the disputed painting is told in five parts, narrated respectively by David, Laura/Cereta, Zoltan and Nancy, his lover. It spans the decades from the forties to the new millennium, as we follow Zoltan from Vienna to Budapest and on to Los Angeles. It probes the soul-destroying effects of brutal regimes and the search for the truth in a world that challenges us to tell fact from fiction.