George Herbert: The Complete English Works

Edited and introduced by Ann Pasternak Slater/Everyman's Library

There are other fine editions of poetry and prose of this great Anglican priest-poet (Penguin and Classics of Western Spirituality), but the introduction and notes of Ann Pasternak Slater are perhaps the most illuminating. "George Herbert is hard to find, and the standard Hutchinson edition is expensive and weighty. This new Everyman edition is both affordable and compact, without sacrificing quality," says one fan of this volume on Amazon.com. "It's beautifully printed, elegantly bound, accurately arranged and intelligently footnoted. I was thrilled to come across it and have bought several editions so that I could introduce friends to the insight and beauty of this profound poet. A must for anyone who loves poetry and everyone who seeks God."

Anglo-Catholic in Religion: T.S. Eliot and Christianity

Most interesting about this volume from the standpoint of the Prayer Book Society is its report of Eliot's strong praise for the Book of Common Prayer. But there is, of course, much more to be drawn from this new book.

"Even in this not-exactly-poetic age, the poetry of T. S. Eliot is quoted in many contexts and continues to work in surprising ways," says one review of this volume on Amazon.com. "In my parish alone, there are several of us (myself included) who never thought we'd find ourselves in a church in a million years - but here we are, and although Eliot's poetry is certainly not the only influence which got us there, we have all admitted that it was definitely a factor. Yet even the best of Eliot's biographers (Lyndall Gordon included), while definitely capable of covering his complex range of relationships, seem to be out of their comfort zone when it comes to covering his religion. Professor Barry Spurr has proven himself more than able to do so in this extraordinary book. It covers Eliot's Unitarian upbringing, his philosophical studies at Harvard and Oxford, and his controversial first marriage -- but mostly it concentrates with great depth of understanding and richness of detail on the history of Anglo-Catholicism, Eliot's gradual conversion and religious practices, and the effect of all this on his work."