History Books

A book that covers the nooks and crannies of lower Manhattan. Oddball characters are brought to full
bloom under the author's pen. He knew how to listen! Towards the back some great essays on
growing up along the Carolina coast.

Up in the Old Hotel is a masterpiece. I've read it so many times (it is my ultimate desert island book) and have yet to tire of it. The essays (and the few short stories that are included) are timeless, generous works of genius. Joseph Mitchell captures his odd and wonderful subjects as richly realized individuals, and appreciates the smallest of beautiful, dark and humorous nuances. His vision is presented so humbly and offhandedly, yet with absolute precision and so much respect. You truly feel a part of the experience. I'm not sure there is anyone who could write better. All of the essays are amazing, but my favorites are Mr. Hunter's Grave, The Old House at Home, Mazie, and Up in the Old Hotel. The short stories in Section II of the first book are heart wrenching. This book also makes a really great gift.

Are you going to visit "the City"? Have you been to NYC (and loved it)? Up in the Old Hotel was written before most of us were born but still delivers the savory secrets of this great metropolis. Characters abound who could only exist in NY. Meet them before you go. And be sure to eat a slice of Ray's pizza on Sixth Ave. and 11th Street!

This writing puts you right into a time and a place and makes it real.. This is one of the most charming collection of writings I have read so far.. Joseph mitchell's characters of New york are so endearing.. From irish saloon keepers to gypsys to stubborn old men who swear by their diet.. this is great story-telling.. this is the legend of new york..the legends of the real people and eccentrics who inhabit its streets..

Whenever I can't think of something to read, I pick up Up in the Old Hotel and read a story or two out of it. I've probably read it 4-5 times and never get tired of it. It captures a lost era of American life that is what I think of when I imagine America in its finest light. Reminiscent of Tortilla Flats and other Steinbeck and even On the Road in a way - a gentler time in our history.

I gave this as a gift to someone who likes to read about the movies as much as he enjoys watching them. Because he has a collection of movie guides, this one caught my eye because it was different with a more unique take on film.

I have purchased other movie guides in the past but always end up getting the current Videohound. It's more concise than other books. Lots more information available. I love the catagory lists. Some of the catagory titles they think up are great! I would recommend this book for video lovers over any other that I've purchased.

i consider myself a movie buff, and this is my bible. this is the fourth edition of this book that i bought, and i will continue to buy one every year. it helps me to choose the movies i watch, and answers the questions that plague me. with the many options for reference (title, category, actor, director, composer, awards), i find this book very easy to use. not only does this book list actors, awards, directors, etc. a description of the film and a rating are included. i freaking love this book! 'nuff said.

The only short side is that it only produces info for on tape or DVD. Other than that it is a gem. When ever you don't remember an actors name, find the movie or the movie you remember them in and your there.

The bones critic of the film (ergo hound) is very good, a real persons review of the film.

Look for info by genre, title, actor or whatever.

This is a film buffs must and a great conversation starter!

What was Bogart's final film? What was Lizabeth Scott's first film? How many movies did Gregory Peck make? How many movies did Raoul Walsh direct? When did John Wayne die? And what was Vincente Minnelli's final film? Answers below! All this and considerably more movie information is included in the veritable encyclopedia "Golden Movie Retriever". There are fully 929 pages of movie synopses and ratings. Also included are indices on movie writers, cinematographers, composers and categories -how many Zorro movies are there? (13!). There are over 30 pages of major awards- and even a section on alternate titles! Apparently, "Summer Stock" may also called "If You Feel Like Singing"! It could easily take a lifetime to mine the nuggets here. The only possible weakness to GMR is the paper cover, which should be well worn very quickly. Answers to the questions above are: "The Harder They Fall" (1956); "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946); 49 (count `em!); 43; 1979 and "A Matter of Time" (1976). What's not to like? There is absolutely nothing for a movie fan to ponder here. Hit hat "Add to Cart" button now!

For some time now I've had a fascination with the F-105 Thunderchief and the men who went Downtown during the Vietnam war. To further my knowledge on the aircraft and the men who flew her I picked up When Thunder Rolled.

Overview
When Thunder Rolled is a pilots view of the F-105 and the missions he flew during the Vietnam War. In this book our Fighter Pilot (I mean this a complement to Mr. Rasimus. I believe it would be a greater honor to call him a Fighter Pilot than by his retired rank, read the book if you want to understand why) gives us a view of the F-105 from training thru his time in Thailand flying missions in North Vietnam.

The Good
Wow! What a book. Mr. Rasimus pulls no punches. In all of the books I've read dealing with a persons own experiences in war I've found very few that are as candid about being scared. Mr. Rasimus tells us about how his initial debate is if he should fly combat mission or not and then flies a couple. I have to think that the fear Mr. Rasimus talks about is more common than many other books would have you believe.

I also loved how Mr. Rasimus mentions the maintenance men who took care of the Thud he borrowed (sorry, everyone knows that a fighter is owned by the crew chief, pilots just borrow it). This is something kind of rare and nice to see.

The description of the environment is great. Referencing stealing hubcaps for what it took to be a fighter pilot over there was sheer genius! Between the use of vernaculars and a simple honest approach, one is able to visualize and feel something of what he was experiencing. I also loved the way Mr. Rasimus takes us thru the base and the missions. From premission briefings thru the return. Interestingly there isn't a lot of focus on the post mission time at the Club.

The Bad
The only one I can readily think of is that the book ended. I loved the story telling. It flows so nicely. The real shame is that we know that our fighter pilot went on to fly F-4's in the Linebacker timeframe. I'd have loved it if this would have been brought together to hear the differences in the aircraft and how the war was fought.

Rating Wise
5 Stars! This is the best personal account I've read from an aviator. A solid read and is a must read by anyone interested in knowing about F-105's, the Vietnam airwar, or about a pilots view of combat.

This is the best book along with Jack Broughten's "Thud Ridge" that I have read concerning the Air War in the North, especially as it relates to F105's.If I were to write a book on this subject, this is what I would have written.

Whilst putting you very much in the cockpit Mr Rasimus has at the same time managed to produce a thoughtful, insightful, and instructive book that gives an excellent view of the experiences, feelings and thoughts of what it meant to be a fighter pilot in the early years of the Vietnam war. Highly recommended.

What a great book! I agree that this is the best of the F-105 books about combat during Rolling Thunder. Such detail! Ras explains everything so well and puts it in words that non-pilots can understand. He even takes you on R&R to a Bangkok niteclub to get a "massage" ;-) The difference between a fighter-pilot and a pilot of fighters is explained. I was at Takhli, the other F-105 base in Thailand, and I remember the Wild Weasel/Iron Hand "F" models. The initial group was sent in and shot down. Then another batch was sent in and shot down. I believe there were five or six airplanes in each group. During that initial period, the crewmembers of F-105F (Weasels)were virtually assured of death or capture. What a slaughter.
I loved the noise of that beautiful bird when afterburner with water injection kicked in. Not to mention the noise when a pilot returned after his 100th mission and went "supersonic" right on the deck. Awesome!!!! Also described in the book was the practice of burning off fuel with the speed brakes open and the afterburner on. I saw this on another 100 mission bird going low and slow with the "finger" extended in a pass just above the runway. This book brings back memories of that. In the meantime, back in the "world" (US)Hippies were coming on the scene. It was a shock to me and many others returning. And, by the way, so much for the "domino theory" - Thailand is still there.

As a story of courage and combat flying this book sits near the top of the list. Daily missions into the heart of a well defended N Vietnam, flying against targets selected in DC by those with no combat flying experience, training in tactics of successful air campaigns, appreciation for those who did and with the even greater corruption of a lack of commitment.

Somehow Rasimus and his fellow pilots keep getting up after sleepless nights, getting the brief and launching missions into North Vietnam. It is sad to hear of the lives lost dumping bombs on "suspected truck parks" and other secondary targets.

The author was one of those for whom successful completion of 100 missions over N Vietnam was improbable. One wonders how our nation produces those with the skill and courage to fly these missions day after day. Add to the burden the knowledge that far too often the missions were flown against insignificant targets while truly valuable targets were off limits.

The author was blessed with the skills of a fighter pilot and the writing skills normally associated with those sedentary pursuits of a writing career.

Highly recommended.

This is a remarkable book. The author's knowledge, insight, analysis and synthesis are amazing. There's too much to praise about it, so I'll just mention one aspect: Amar makes a very compelling case that from the beginning slavery was a disease spreading infection in our society and political system (aided by the 3/5 clause), increasingly corrupting our character and institutions until a terribly bloody breaking point was reached. The evil was partially righted, then amorality returned, allowing a viciousness to fester until another crisis led to new progress. But it remains that slavery and its legacy constitute the central national failure, which we still haven't nearly corrected. Most of the book is quite positive, and slavery's not the principal focus, but Amar's treatment of it is both convincing and unforgettable.

For decades I've been wandering about with a mish mash of semi-contradictory ideas about the constitution. Mr. Amar has managed to correct, justify, and reframe most of them into a (_thoroughly_ documented) coherent whole.

Where the constitution is unclear, he quotes the debates and letters of the founders explaining what they meant. Where there is modern debate, he footnotes where to look for different viewpoints. Where there was debate during the writing of the constitution, he tells you who said what and why.

That would probably be enough to earn 5 stars, but he somehow managed to turn an erudite treatise on the history of one government into a page-turner. I don't know how, but there it is...

Wow, I learned more about the consitution then I ever could have imagined. I didn't have any idea about many of the themes and debates over the constitution and it's amendments. I'm a novice at political thinking, before the presidential campaign I could've care less about politics. Some of this is a bit over my head since I don't have a background in law or political history. However, Mr. Amar explains it well enough that most should understand. I can't recommend it enough for anyone interested in the constitution.

What an absolutely fantastic reference! Much of this book's praise has been sung by previous reviewers, but I'd like to add that I especially appreciate Amar's powerful paradoxes and equally profound "what-ifs." Buy the man's book so he blesses all of our futures with even more jewels of his erudition.

Although there are some tedious places, the book has a number of very valuable and interesting insights - especially the topics of the Second Amendment, the Eleventh Amendment, and the "privileges and immunities" clause stood out for me. He does a good job interweaving historical context and the text of the document. There are some unexpected emphases and omissions:for example, it emphasizes slavery more often and more heavily than I expected for an issue that was resolved 140 years ago, and there was a little less on the Bill of Rights and on executive power than I was expecting, although those are more contemporary issues. His chapter on the path, pre-Civil War to the 13th amendment, was terrifically concise but there is very little discussion on the issue of habeas corpus during the war. These aren't complaints, just notifications; overall it was very stimulating. Like most constitutional scholars, he has some outside-the-box interpretations that are obviously developed to accomplish a particular outcome but these are fruitful to reflect on as well.

This was a great book and filled in a few of the questions I had always had about Anne Frank. For it to be written by Miep added so much on a personal level that I loved. This book along with the Diary of Anne Frank should be required reading for the human race.

This is a well written and thoroughly moving memoir. Read in conjunction with the diary of Anne Frank you get such a feel for people from two different backgrounds on the same side of an abominable war. I loved her humbleness and it gives great insight into the pressure on those who were protecting others.

My son had to do a report on a historical character for his 8th grade English class so we picked up this book and several others at the library. I had read the Diary of Anne Frank several times in the past - mainly for school when I was younger. I started to look through this book and couldn't put it down. It is a very simply written and a straightforward account of the story of the Frank family, how she got to know them and their years in hiding. The last section when Otto Frank returns home (he was the only survivor of the original eight) is heartbreaking. Miep was there through it all and her strength and courage are incredible.

We visited the Holocaust Museum in D.C. last summer and all those haunting pictures and displays came back to me. If you visit D.C. you should go there. We must never forget what happened to these people.

Miep Gies does not consider herself to be a hero, although anyone familiar with her story would probably consider her one. In "Anne Frank Remembered" Gies (along with Alison Leslie Gold) tells of the role she played in hiding the Frank family in Amsterdam during WWII. She sets the stage with her own personal background and how she came to work for Mr. Frank, and the special connection that she almost instantaneously shared with Anne.

Thousands are familiar with the events that happened while the Franks were in hiding, thanks to the legacy of Anne's diary that Gies rescued when the families were finally captured and taken to concentration camps. Gies recalls what life was like in those days, when her husband played a role in the Dutch Resistance movement and they took a Jew in to hide in their own home while hiding the eight people at 263 Prinsengracht. Her story is one of almost unbelievable courage and audacity - to so boldly defy the German captors who invaded their land and to stand up against the evils that were being perpetrated against the Jews. Miep Gies believes that others would have done, and did do, the exact same thing that she did.

The story Gies has to tell expands upon the events put forth in Anne's diary. Although those in hiding knew the danger that awaited not only them but also their helpers, reading events from Miep's perspective adds another layer to the saga of the Frank family. One might wish that she expounded more upon the period after the war ended, but her focus is on Anne Frank first and foremost. So much hope was held out that Margot and Anne might make it. When news came that they didn't, it seems as if a part of Miep died, and it took her several years before she could bring herself to read Anne's diary. Even if these events are hard to speak about and hard to read, her story is a necessary addition to Anne Frank's legacy.

Millions of people around the world have been inspired and touched by the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl, who spent two long years in hiding, with family and a few friends, in Amsterdam, from their Nazi persecutors, during the second World War, before they were discovered and shipped off tho their deaths in Auschwitz.

Twenty years ago Miep Gies (98 years old at the time of writing of this review) revealed her own courageous and generous role in hiding the Frank family and others, and providing them with food, companionship, and most of all hope.

She gives revealing insight into Anne's life and of her own.

Miep had been a hungry child refugee from Austria, just after the First World War, and passed her own experiences of generosity and compassion on.

We read of the Nazi ocupation of the Netherlands, the decrees and attacks against the Jews, and of the deportations and hidings.

Ultimately every man and women must ask what they would do, when a world goes mad.

This has been one of the few excellent books i have ever read. It is actually real, it really happened, so it makes you feel as if this was happining before your eyes. It was sad, and well written. i actually heard David Faber, the author of this book, speak. He was an incredibly powerful speaker, and his book places you in his position, just as his speech does.

David faber visited our high school last week, and had told us about his horrific ordeal during the holocaust. And I was utmost touched and embraced him. I could see those fear he told us in his eyes. And some of us left the auditorium in tears. I recommend this to anyone, because there is a dark side of humanity we taken for granted, and people had suffered more than anyone who had to go through.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Faber as he spoke at the middle school I attended when I was in 7th grade. He spoke to us about his experiences and encounters during the Holocaust that took part in Europe during WWII. Our history teacher read us "Because of Romek" as it was part of our curriculm. I have not been the same since. This is an incredible account of what he went through in keeping of his promise to his mother to stay alive. I would recommend this to a more mature audience being that it does have some parts that are somewhat rough to handle...or so were for myself but overall is an incredible read...as he takes you through his experiences.

This book explains how David's encounter with the Holocaust and yet his story is sad but a good book to read. This is one of the best holocaust memoir I've read! I highly recommended. When I was starting to read the book, I couldnt but the book down...( I ended up finishing the book in 2 days!). I loved it and highly respect the holocaust survivors and of course, David Faber.

Had I thought it was fiction, I would have thought the author went over the top with this farfetched tale. To know that it is authentic is horrifying and at the same time captivating. If you are into the holocaust, then you will find this book absolutely fascinating; and if you aren't a history buff I recommend this book as enlightenment. My utmost respect to anyone that has been through this nightmare. And David Faber my deepest gratitude for having written this book.

Hi again, friends;
THis little review is to let you all know,( not that you really care) what i am reading, now. I have purchased about 20 books the last half-year, and have read approximately 11 of them. From Dostoevsky (2), Dumas(3), Tolstoy (1),Joel C. Rosenberg (2) Margaret George (1), B. Cornwell (1) now N. Tranter's "Bruce Trilogy"( is that 1 or 3 ??). I am 2/3 of the way through it and it is very exciting. The Battle of Bannockburn at the end of Book 2 was so real, it seemed Mr. Tranter was actually there. The characters are well-drawn and come in and out of the story at just the right times. Robert the Bruce comes across as a truly very human person who was humble and wise. Yes he did terrible things that we could not stand for in our time, but they couldn't be helped. The King Edwards' ( pere & fils ) were vicious to the extreme in regards to there Scottish subjects( ahem ).

If there is a flaw in the book it's the archaic Scottish dialect that grates on our modern ears. some of the terminology of the landscapes were hard to figure out, at first, but I think ive got the meaning of them If someone does a new edition of this work in the future, maybe a glossory of terms or footnotes would be helpful to those not familiar with the Scottish dialect.

In the future, I may look into Diana Galbaldon's "Outlander" series and the "Outlandish Companion" to get some of these straight in my mind.

I'm going to try and finish the 3rd book of the Trilogy by the weekend, then I think I'll tackle the "Tales of Genji" or " A Suitable Boy" ( or maybe something heavier, heh, heh ).

Keep reading, everyone and enjoy your favorite authors and books.

I recommend this book, highly!

This book greatly exceeded my expectations. I had read a 'similar' book by Sharon Kay Penman, which was excellent also by the way, and had hoped to find books of similar quality by other authors. Nigel Tranter met my hopes and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

The Bruce Triology is an oustanding work detailing the life and times of Robert the Bruce. Fictionalized or not, it creates for the reader a real place in time and the reader shares the atmosphere of time and place. The terrain, the battles, the people, all come alive in this book. A great book that leaves several of the other books by Tranter lacking. If this book is truly based on historical facts and events, then the movie Braveheart is an interesting tool to compare and contrast for they have little in common.

Containing three books originally published under separate titles, this trilogy tells the story of Robert the Bruce, who became King Robert I of Scotland. It begins with THE STEPS TO THE EMPTY THRONE, which portrays an impetuous strong-willed young man who agrees to co-govern the country with his personal enemy in an attempt to win its independence from England. The effort soon fails and Bruce steps down, but then he makes a separate move to unite Scotland under his sole leadership. Amongst much internal fighting, he makes great strides.

The second book, THE PATH OF THE HERO KING, reveals a passionate, courageous leader who has learned to win over some of those who would oppose him through a mix of diplomacy and cunning. The winning doesn't come easily, though. Bruce is excommunicated as well as harassed by Edward I's efforts to keep Scotland under England's control. This story culminates in the Battle of Bannockburn, which was an amazing win for the Scots.

THE PRICE OF THE KING'S PEACE, the third book, tells of the years of struggle to obtain a peace treaty from England after Bannockburn. During this time, Bruce's brother takes Scotland's fight into Ireland in a blatant ploy for power. Bruce's dealings in this treachery reveal a savvy leader, whose goals ever are to strengthen Scotland's independence. The story ends with his death.

All told, the trilogy covers about 1296 to 1328. Tranter is at his best when describing the history while the interaction between characters is sometimes stilted. Nonetheless, lovers of historical fiction will enjoy the action and adventure as well as a story that sticks close to the facts. I enjoyed books 2 and 3 the most.

The Bruce Trilogy is actually a set of three separate novels written by Tranter about Robert the Bruce of Scotland, and I think enough previous reviewers have stated the basic outline of the novels that I don't need to restate it again. This was a fascinating story of an honorable, courageous man and an incredible military tactician, and his battle for freedom and peace for Scotland from the English, and most especially Edward I and II. The author did a marvelous job bringing not only Robert to life, but the secondary characters as well. I did find the third book, The Price of the King's Peace to be a bit slower than the first two, but in the end culminating into a spectacular finish as Scotland and Robert find peace at last.

Well worth taking the time to read this for anyone interested in this period in history, I found it both fascinating and educational at the same time, and isn't that what historical fiction is for after all? And I loved the epilogue with James Douglas as he made his final battle cry, "Lead on Brave Heart". Although I am probably the only person on the face of the planet who hasn't seen the movie. Highly recommended.

Very well put together book of white captives abducted by the Indians.
Scott Zesch did a great job at researching information to put to this book together.
This book tells the life of the captured and also helps the reader to understand how the captives became Inianized with in a short time frame.
The transformation of being taken from the captives white family to become Indians, then being recovered back to their birth parents gives the reader a better understanding of what they had to go threw.
Thank you Scott Zesch.

This is a must have book.

A few years back, Scott Zesch was doing family history when he ran across a grave of a long-lost ancestor named Adolf Korn. Scott eventually learned that Adolf had been a captive of the Comanche Indians for several years as a boy. After being "rescued," he was always strange, and ended up living his life as a hermit in a cave.

Zesch expanded his research, and the result was "The Captured," a fascinating book about children captured by the Comanches, their experiences, and what became of them in later years. Zesch discovered that children younger than puberty tended to assimilate almost immediately; they forgot their native language (English or German) and even lost their attachment to their mothers. Zesch examines this heartbreaking psychology through his research into the lives of the individuals, which he relates in vivid detail.

"The Captured" is a thoughtful book that both sweeps you up in human drama and leaves you with a lot of things to think about.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"

My 7th grade Horizons English class enjoyed this novel immensely! We used it as an extension of Texas History, combined as an interdisciplinary unit.

I have a Great-Great Grandmother who was kidnapped by Indians and taken to Canada. Her story is lost but I wanted to get the gist of what kinds of things may have happened, and why she didn't want to be "rescued". This was just the ticket. Well-researched and written, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't dry or overly scholarly.

picked up my first copy of this book in Fredericksburg, TX where I happened to be eating some BBQ and looked across the street to see an old settlers outpost fort. I wandered around to check it out and the volunteer guide there showed me the book and said it was an amazing story about a little known niche of our history - children kidnapped by the Indians to re-populate their own tribes thorugh a process of "the strongest will survive and be good warriors" they rode the kids hard and if they cried or shoed signs of weakness, they killed them on the spot, figuring they wouldnt be worth the effort to train and raise. if the kids were able to endure the introduction phase, then they began living life like kings, training to shoot arrows, ride horses, fight, and hunt all day. leaving the domestic chores to the women. nearly all of them eventually were returned or sold back to the white settlers but some refused to go and a number of them ran away and rejoined their indian families.

it reads like an adventure book and proves that real life is better than fiction. the Author does a great job o story telling and is very diligent to accurately reflect true historical data as pulled from historical interviews, military records and newspaper articles.

A wonderful, wise book brimming with Toltec wisdom and practical examples. I have read it more than once and given it as a gift to friends (who always borrow my copy).

This was a pivotal book for me. Upon reading this clear, funny, beautifully written text, I went from being a casual "spiritual surfer" to jumping in with both feet! I literally could not put it down, and when I finally finished it, I decided to apprentice with Sheri, who is an amazing teacher. I have never looked back as my life has gotten better and better. I have immense gratitude for this book and highly recommend it to others with a wish that they might have the same experience.

Dr. Rosenthal explains the Toltec path quite eloquently and leaves little room for possible misinterpretation!

I am in the middle of this book, and despite my reservations about the title, it's really a great resource. I've loved Don Miguel Ruiz's writings for years, and Ms Rosenthal, the author, is one of his students. Highly recommended.

As a "left-brained" sort of person on a spiritual quest, I have found books by don Miguel Ruiz and others to be vastly inspiring, but also frustratingly short of definitions, history, and structured calls to action. Sheri Rosenthal's book addresses all these issues in a precise yet profound way - extending the work of earlier Toltec Masters while providing structured step-by-step guidance for the rest of us.

This is the best--the very best--of all the collections of the sayings of the early fathers. The choices are superb. The explanations of the translations are direct and clear and the short biographies that introduce each author include every drop of information you need.

Want to look up 1 Clement? Jurgens includes a biography with all the facts listed, plus speculative information: "Whether or not he was Peter's convert, as the Pseudo-Clementines would have it..." p 8). And in the footnotes: "This is the first time the word 'layman' was used in Christian literature" p 13).

The depth of the information, the perfect choices are remarkable. You might be able to live without these three volumes, but studying the early fathers without them would be much, much more difficult.

Without exception the best collection of early church teachers. In addition to the writings of the early church is a thorough general index but more than that an invaluable doctrinal index to find the seeds of virtually every doctrine imaginable. Do not presume to understand early church history without this reference. All three volumes are ideal but, at the very least, get volume 1. Do not learn church history by other sources, return to the original documents and rediscover the church that Jesus Christ founded. You will be richly rewarded in what you find.

Beautiful insight on how the earliest Christian's received Christ's message.

The book is an excellent resource to see how the early church fathers built on the teachings of the Apostles based on their writings. For example, you can see how they regarded the Eucharist as the body and blood of Jesus Christ and other foundational doctrines of the church. It is an excellent resource.

The writings of the early church fathers leave no doubt that they are linked directly to the 12 apostles and that their beliefs in dogma which go back 1500 -2000 years ago are consistent with the teachings of the catholic church to-day.The catechism of the catholic church which sets forth what catholics are required to believe to-day is consistent with the teachings of the early fathers.Is would be impossible for this consistency to last 2000 year if the catholic church were not the church founded by Jesus Christ.This volume of books proves this beyond any doubt.Excellent reading for any Christian!