Unique among the works of Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914), this short biographical sketch of St. Thomas a Becket, "the holy blissful martyr," began as research for a historical novel. Becket's murder at the instigation of Henry II launched the famed pilgrimage to Canterbury and inspired countless works of literature. When his collaborator bowed out of the project, Benson reworked the material into a compelling non-fictional portrait of one of England's most popular and significant historical figures. This edition features an in-depth foreword by Benson scholar Michael D. Greaney

This collection chronicles the fiction and non fiction classics by the greatest writers the world has ever known. The inclusion of both popular as well as overlooked pieces is pivotal to providing a broad and representative collection of classic works.

This visionary dystopian and apocalyptic novel of 1907 presents a future in which secular humanism has triumphed, with religion suppressed and almost non-existent. It follows the fortunes of an M.P. and his wife, who come under the sway of the antichrist figure, the titular Lord of the World, who appears to promise a heaven on earth, and a catholic priest, who is fighting to keep the Church alive through its many tribulations. It is highly readable and seems prescient on many counts - the rise of communist states, the advent of air travel and the dominating power of a forceful leader - but...

Belief in God has been replaced by secular humanism in this gripping tale of the apocalypse. Protestantism is over, Catholicism is driven underground, and the Eastern religions have merged into a single pantheistic creed that poses an ongoing military threat to the West. Without a spiritual dimension to their lives, people are literally bored to death, choosing legal euthanasia rather than an empty existence. A charismatic leader arises amid this culture of despair, and in their eagerness for change, the citizens support the coming of the Antichrist and the end of days.
One of the first...