The Republic of Plato
The definitive translation of Plato's Republic, the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy
Long regarded as the most accurate rendering of Plato's Republic that has yet been published, this widely acclaimed translation by Allan Bloom was the first to take a strictly literal approach. In addition to the annotated text, there is also a rich and valuable essay -- as well as indices -- which will enable readers to better understand the heart of Plato's intention.
More info →The Abolition of Man
From Amazon: "In the classic The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis, the most important Christian writer of the 20th century, sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. Both astonishing and prophetic, The Abolition of Man is one of the most debated of Lewis's extraordinary works. National Review chose it as number seven on their 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century."
More info →Natural Born Heroes: Mastering the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance
Christopher McDougall’s journey begins with a story of remarkable athletic prowess: On the treacherous mountains of Crete, a motley band of World War II Resistance fighters—an artist, a shepherd, and a poet—abducted a German commander from the heart of the Axis occupation. To understand how, McDougall retraces their steps across the island that birthed Herakles and Odysseus, and discovers ancient techniques for endurance, sustenance, and natural movement that have been preserved in unique communities around the world.
His search takes us scrambling over rooftops with a Parkour crew in London, foraging for greens with a ballerina in Brooklyn, tossing heavy pieces of driftwood on a Brazilian beach with the creator of MovNat—and, finally, to our own backyards. Natural Born Heroes will inspire readers to unleash the extraordinary potential of the human body and climb, swim, skip, throw, and jump their way to heroic feats.
More info →How to Think Like Aquinas
About St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope John XXII said:
"A man can derive more profit in a year from his books
than from pondering all his life the teaching of others."
And Pope Pius XI added:
"We now say to all who are desirous of the truth:
'Go to St. Thomas.'"
But when we do go to Thomas when we open his massive Summa Theologica or another of his works we're quickly overwhelmed, even lost.
If we find him hard to read, how can we even begin to "think like Aquinas?"
Now comes Kevin Vost the best-selling author of The One-Minute Aquinasarmed with a recently rediscovered letter St. Thomas himself wrote a brief letter to young novice monk giving practical, sage advice about how to study, how to think, and even how to live.
In this letter written almost 800 years ago, St. Thomas reveals his unique powers of intellect and will, and explains how anyone can fathom and explain even the loftiest truths.
Vost and St. Thomas will teach you how to dissect logical fallacies, heresies, and half-truths that continue to pollute our world with muddy thinking. Best of all, you'll find a fully-illustrated set of exercises to improve your intellectual powers of memory, understanding, logical reasoning, shrewdness, foresight, circumspection, and practical wisdom.
You'll also learn:
- The four steps to training your memory
- How to know your mental powers and their limits
- Why critical thinking alone is insufficient for reaching the truth
- Twenty common fallacies and how to spot them
- The key to effectively reading any book
- How to set your intellect free by avoiding worldly entanglements
- How to commit key truths to memory
Pius XI called St. Thomas Aquinas the "model" for those who want to "pursue their studies to the best advantage and with the greatest profit to themselves." Leo XIII urged us all to "follow the example of St. Thomas." Over the centuries, dozens of other popes have praised him.
Surely it is time to listen to these good men, time to "go to Thomas" to learn to think like him, and, yes, even to live like him.
More info →Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
The astonishing national bestseller and hugely entertaining story that completely changed the way we run.
An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?
Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
More info →Night
Night is Elie Wiesel's masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. This new translation by Marion Wiesel, Elie's wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the author's original intent. And in a substantive new preface, Elie reflects on the enduring importance of Night and his lifelong, passionate dedication to ensuring that the world never forgets man's capacity for inhumanity to man.
Night offers much more than a litany of the daily terrors, everyday perversions, and rampant sadism at Auschwitz and Buchenwald; it also eloquently addresses many of the philosophical as well as personal questions implicit in any serious consideration of what the Holocaust was, what it meant, and what its legacy is and will be.
More info →Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers
The writings in this volume cast a glimmer of light upon the emerging traditions and organization of the infant church, during an otherwise little-known period of its development. A selection of letters and small-scale theological treatises from a group known as the Apostolic Fathers, several of whom were probably disciples of the Apostles, they provide a first-hand account of the early Church and outline a form of early Christianity still drawing on the theology and traditions of its parent religion, Judaism. Included here are the first Epistle of Bishop Clement of Rome, an impassioned plea for harmony; The Epistle of Polycarp; The Epistle of Barnabas; The Didache; and the Seven Epistles written by Ignatius of Antioch—among them his moving appeal to the Romans that they grant him a martyr's death.
More info →Memorize the Faith! (and Most Anything Else)
Yes, I know that memorizing the Faith is no substitute for living a holy life, but even devout people can t live by truths and precepts they don t remember.
That s why, over 700 years ago, St. Thomas Aquinas perfected an easy method for his students to memorize most any information, but especially the truths taught by Christ and His Church.
As the years passed, our need for this ancient art of memorization grew, yet somehow our culture largely forgot it . . . which is why today, when you and I try to remember a list of things, we have to repeat their names over and over. Or, to remember to call the dentist, we tie a string on our finger. And we clutch at any means whatsoever to recall our passwords for ATMs, credit cards, and voicemail, our login names for Yahoo, eBay, and Amazon, and the host of other names and numbers that clog our minds and clutter our days.
Now, thanks to the delightful pages of Memorize the Faith!, you can easily keep all these in mind and learn the Faith! by tapping into the power of the classical memory system that helped St. Thomas become the Church s preeminent theologian, and made it easier for him to become one of its greatest saints.
Here, Catholic scholar Kevin Vost makes available again Aquinas s easy-to-learn method the method Dr. Vost himself has used for decades to recall names, dates, phone numbers, the first dozen digits of pi (3.141592653589) and even whether, when his wife called him at work today, she asked him to bring home ice cream and toffee . . . or was it truffles and coffee?
Indeed, Dr. Vost will teach you to remember virtually anything, but he devotes most of his book to showing you how to improve your memory of Catholic truths so you can live the Faith better.
By the time you finish this book, you will have memorized dozens of key teachings of the Church, along with hundreds of precepts, traditions, theological terms, Scripture verses, and other elements of the Faith that every good Catholic needs to know by heart.
Memory is the foundation of wisdom. It makes holiness easier. To grow wiser in the Faith . . . and holier . . . turn to Memorize the Faith! today.
More info →The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
A major revision of the Fifth Edition of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, the premier resource about words for people who seek to know more and find fresh perspectives. This new printing, which marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the original American Heritage Dictionary, presents the most up-to-date research about the words in our language in an accessible and elegant design, featuring thousands of revisions, including more than 150 new words and senses.
This is the fiftieth anniversary printing of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language. This beloved dictionary has become the premier resource for anyone who wants to know precisely what words mean, where they come from, and how to use them effectively. It is renowned for presenting accurate and comprehensible definitions, etymologies based on the latest research, and authoritative usage guidance from the celebrated American Heritage Usage Panel.
The fifth edition of the dictionary, published in 2011, included 10,000 new words and senses, as well as 4,000 new full-color images. This comprehensive update continues the tradition of exhaustive research and thorough review. Thousands of revisions to definitions and etymologies, 150 new words and senses, and new usage advice make this updated printing the most current print dictionary of its size available today.
The American Heritage Dictionary combines clear, precise definitions with useful features that make it easier to choose your words and express yourself clearly. Your words really do define you. Make the most of them with the guidance of this respected work of reference.
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