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Title: Chronicle of the Popes: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Papacy over 2000 Years by P. G. Maxwell-Stuart, Toby Wilkinson ISBN: 0-500-01798-0 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: November, 1997 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (9 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Good chronicle of the office, short on details
Comment: The papacy is one of the more interesting offices in the world - in essence the oldest democracy in the world. The pope, in spite of the notion that he is appointed by God, is elected by bishops, and as the book reveals, often with less-than-holy intentions. The biggest asset for this book is the illustrations of the popes, with the art reflecting the evolution of the religion and the European Renaissance. But the book is really more of a timeline of the office, rather than biographies of the indivdual pontiffs. Often, entire reigns are lumped together as a general trend in the papacy, and some popes earn no more than a quick mention of their ascention. Granted, many of them deserve no more, but for those curious as to the individual stories behind each Father, this book will come up lacking. Even some of the more sordid and disgraceful popes, like John XII or Alexander IV, are taken in stride in this chronicle, where the reader probably would have appreciated a bit more detail on the story. The history of the Throne of Peter is one of the more intriguing tales in European history, and to have them reported in this sterile manner doesn't do justice for those fascinated by the men under the mitres. But for those who want to see a general progresion of the office and its evolution from humble beginnings to corrupt demagogue to modern and politically inactive spiritual leader, this book is a good tool. Plus, in a genre and with a topic that is rarely the subject of unbiased scrutany, it has value in its objective portrayal of bizarre and often sacriligous history of the Holy See.
Rating: 2
Summary: Great Concept but...
Comment: The illustrations in this book are wonderful, but the descriptions are not very detailed, and the book does not give references. For example, it is said that a particular pope was highly critisized, but it doesn't say by whom or what was the pope's response -- if any -- to that criticism. (Nor does it cite any documents that critisize him.) It accuses another pope of "extensive" nepotism, without mentioning which members of his family he gave jobs to or even how many people the author means by "extensive" and again no references are given. I did not find the "rose colored glasses" nor apologist approach that another reviewer mentioned, but the lack of references made this book of limited, and questionable, value.
Rating: 5
Summary: A beautiffully illustrated guide to Catholic history
Comment: This book was a bit of a disappointment in that it was shorter than I expected. However the art is beautfiul the biographies are intriguing, and all the extra information they have included in tersm of myths about the papacy, church history, and various other insersts was really interesting.
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Title: Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome by Chris Scarre ISBN: 0500050775 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: October, 1995 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: Chronicle of the Old Testament Kings: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Ancient Israel by J.W. Rogerson, Toby Wilkinson ISBN: 0500050953 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: October, 1999 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: The Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities: A Treasury of Trivia by Nino Lo Bello, Nino L. Bello ISBN: 0764801716 Publisher: Liguori Publications Pub. Date: February, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Chronicle of the Roman Republic by Philip Matyszak ISBN: 0500051216 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China by Ann Paludan, Toby Wilkinson ISBN: 0500050902 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: November, 1998 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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