Saint Louis University Books

The tension is palpable as Tess and Jerry Brennan wait for the police to arrive. Their family lives, friendships, even their marriage, are in freefall.

Jerry has been caught in a misdemeanour which will mean the end of a successful career, while Tess did not foresee the devastating consequences of her own actions, however innocently undertaken. To add to her distress, her two best friends are likewise shocked. Big, warm-hearted Rita, having enjoyed a seemingly unassailable relationship with her doting Ricky, is reeling, Maddy is struggling with alcohol in an attempt to cope with the behavior of her husband, a TV soap star.

Life had skated along for the three couples and their assorted offspring until last summer, when they all traveled to the heavenly village of Collioure in the south of France...

Unerringly perceptive, LAST SUMMER IN ARCADIA is a compellingly written, powerful exploration of the complex mix of love, trust and compromise called "marriage".

It is never surprising, but still disconcerting, to learn that the character, achievements, and history of a particular individual have been exaggerated or blatantly distorted. When this person commands the attention of a substantial number of people, this situation is known as a cult, and there have been many of these throughout history. Some of these have been benign, others quite deadly in their capacity to incite violence, murder, terrorism, or even suicide. Cults usually arise in a religious context but not always, but when they do they seem to be accepted as legitimate to a certain degree by those that are not part of its members. The figurehead of the cult is treated with an overabundance of admiration by the members of the cult, but even those that are not still view him (or her) with a large degree of respect. It is difficult to pin point the origin of this respect, but it might come from political or social needs that non-members feel the figurehead can help them fulfill. Non-members feel safe in doing this since religious groups or cults have an image of morality or "respectability" attached to them. Thus tolerance towards the cult evolves into a false portrayal of veneration, with the effect sometimes of increasing the popularity of the figurehead dramatically. These exaggerations survive over time, or may even increase, with the result that the real nature of the figurehead is forgotten (it never really being recorded in the first place).

Canonization is a canonical example of this type of historical distortion, as the author of this book shows in great detail for King Louis IX of France, who ruled from 1226 to 1270, and who became Saint Louis in 1297. Readers, such as this reviewer, who are not experts in Catholic dogma, will have to pay close attention to the details and such readers will naturally have to read at a slower pace, but the effort is worth it. The author includes many references at the end of the book for readers who need more in-depth discussion. Like most academic studies in history, this work suffers from the "tyranny of the footnote", but the author keeps them at a manageable level. But there are places in the book that make it different from what is usually produced by an academic, but still without losing the quality of presentation. This is where the author refrains from indulging in the "tact and prudence" that can frequently masquerade as rationality in some texts.

An example is the author's frequent use of the expression "cult of St. Louis", which may seem pejorative but actually describes well the aristocratic, Dominican, Franciscan, and Parisian interest in the canonization of Louis IX. It is these multiple interests, sometimes greatly differing from each other, that serve as the author's essential thesis. In modern terminology one might call these `interest groups' in that they had their own agendas and reasons for supporting the canonization of Louis IX. It is readily apparent in reading the book that these interests were satisfied by his canonization, and some "benefited" from it a long time after it happened.

The book can also serve as a brief account of the historical events of the time, including discussions of the crusades in Egypt that Louis IX participated in, and his eventual death resulting from this participation. One will learn of the role of Philip II, son of Louis IX, in the canonization and the importance of the Franciscans in the same. Interestingly, without exception the different groups who supported the canonization viewed the Egyptian crusades as being a sign of good religiosity.

This is a genuine work of history and not of historical analysis, so it is relatively free of value judgments as to the character and conduct of Louis IX. The author does conclude that the drive for the canonization of Louis IX was kind of a forum for the articulation of cultural and ideological identity. To some extent her conclusions are believable, but such an articulation came from fractured groups each inhabiting their own logospheres and their consequent biases. They supported the canonization of Louis IX for different reasons, some of the ideological remnants of which can be found in this century.

This book is invaluable therefore not for understanding the real Louis IX, but rather for understanding the reality of his cult and the motivations of those who did not hesitate to exaggerate his contributions to further their own ends. Louis IX was a man, not too much different than other men at the time. Saint Louis however is a myth, not a man. This myth has been constructed from stories, liturgies, and icons, and as is the case for all individuals who achieve sainthood, Saint Louis has been the object of an excess of veneration. His cult, and that of the other saints, continues to this day.

"Men To Remember" is a partial history of Saint Louis University told through the lives of 47 of its Jesuit teachers during its first 150 years of Jesuit Administration. On its pages we learn much about the University as well as get a glimpse of the breadth of accomplishment of the Jesuits.

Fr. Faherty starts this book with a brief history of the university, after which he goes lays out the one to two page biographies in alphabetical order. At the start, I thought that this may be of little interest because I attended during the tail end of the covered era and, therefore, expected to have known few of the featured teachers. I was pleasantly surprised. I did read about a couple whom I had known and enjoyed being reminded of sayings that I had heard often and finding out things about them that I had not known. I also read about others whom I had known by reputation. This book did expand my understanding of the wide range of interests of our Jesuit teachers. I had read that Jesuits had been accomplished in many fields, but this book packs samples into an easy read. As a student, I had heard that Fr. Davis had started the Business School and the legends of Fr. Brown as a labor mediator, but here I read their stories. In these pages we read of historians and philosophers, economists and theologians, a seismologist, a photographer and an astronomer as well as a challenger to racial segregation and a strict religious conservative. Among these and others are holy men with their own fair share of quirks.

The Jesuits find God in all things and use all things to lead to God. In this book we are given just a few examples of how they go about this. I enjoyed this book both because of what it tells us about the Jesuits and about Saint Louis University. If either of these topics interests you, try it, you'll like it!

Maureen Slattery's argument concerning the primary biography of Louis IX is an invaluable resource to anyone reading de Joinville. She takes the utmost care to account for the different modes of research (namely, what Joinville saw, heard, and read) which are of particular importance considering the date of the authorship, or more importantly the fact that it was written prior to the invention of the printing press. Slattery has gone to the greatest lengths to uncover all that one must know while reading this monumental work.

An excellent, thoughtful historical account that give us insight into the during the "age of reason", and unfortunately, that if there is are a number of "other" groups to persecute, the effect on any single group can be minimized. Great scholarship and also highly readable. REVIEW: An excellent, thoughtful historical account that give us insight into racial hatred during the "age of reason" and that if there are a number of "other" groups to persecute, the effect on any single group is minimized. Great scholarship and also highly readable

A comprehensive, well-written, easy-to-read informative discussion which ties together various aspects of typefaces and their history. Mr. Mullen has written an excellent description of a time period in which this growing industry influenced the disemination of information in the westward expansion of our nation. If you are interested in printing, its history, type, or the history of St. Louis , you will enjoy the depth of well-researched information in this book. I particulary enjoyed the demographical information which was included. Yet another interesting feature is the pictorial description of the typefaces produced in St. Louis.

I got this as a gift and am very glad that I did. While not a complete identification tool like RIC or SEARS, this is an awesome book for someone starting out with an interest in Imperial coins. It provides detailed inscriptions, RIC and SEARS numbers for the coins pictured, then provides an index of inscriptions and subjects. Truly a great catalog of a collection I want to see in person. Worth the price.

Edited by Richard Peterson (Professor Emeritus of English, Southern Illinois University), The St. Louis Baseball Reader is a carefully selected anthology of writings by a wide variety of authors about St. Louis' two most famous baseball teams: the Cardinals and the Browns. Covering St. Louis baseball from its late-nineteenth-century origins to the amazing tales of its hall-of-fame players to how Jackie Robinson stood up to racism and Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause to modern-day games. Articles include "World Champs: Cardinals Wrap It Up" by Rick Hummel, "Browns in American League Since 1902" by Frederick J. Lieb, "The Cardinals' First Publicity Man" by Gene Karst, and many more. A delight for sports fans to page through or read straight cover to cover.

Compiled and edited by Eric Sandweiss (Carmony Associate Professor of History, Indiana University - Bloomington) St. Louis In The Century Of Henry Shaw: A View Beyond The Garden Wall is a collection of essays by notable contributions and was assembled and published in tribute to the 200th anniversary of the birth of philanthropist and entrepreneur Henry Shaw (1800-1889). Touching upon politics, ethnicity, business, literature, and more, these informed and informative treatises offer perspectives upon a thriving cultural center of 19th century America. Enhanced with a number of black-and-white illustrations, St. Louis In The Century Of Henry Shaw is a highly recommended contribution to 19th Century American History Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

This book is an excellent insider guide into both the university and the city of Saint Louis. The facts in this book are given by students, so it ultimately is the best guide into how SLU really is. I definitely recommend the book if you are considering SLU or even attending. I have learned so much about the university that I would otherwise would not have learned by reading this book. And it is by no means a boring read.... I found the university more desirable after reading it.