Arthur C. Benson's touching tribute to his brother, Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914), the noted author and preacher, whose conversion from the Anglican communion to Catholicism in 1903 startled Edwardian England. Arthur's sketch of his brother, fondly known as "Hugh," in general avoids discussing religious issues, however, and paints a glowing portrait of a beloved brother, focusing on Father Benson's character, temperament, and personality, leaving discussion of his more "sensational" fiction to fans and critics. This book is invaluable for gaining insights to an author popular with both...

A compilation of articles previously appearing in Social Justice Review, based on the Four Pillars of an Economically Just Society: 1) Limited economic role for the State, 2) Free and open markets, 3) Restoration of the rights of private property, and 4) Widespread direct ownership of the means of production. The Just Third Way is a holistic program developed by the interfaith Center for Economic and Social Justice ("CESJ") in Arlington, Virginia, USA, in response to the growing disparities of wealth and the failure of today's institutions to meet people's wants and needs in a manner...

The fourth of Robert Hugh Benson's "mainstream" novels, "An Average Man," first published in 1913, is a far from average production. The novel may well be Benson's finest achievement, ripping to shreds the assumptions on which Edwardian upper class society believed civilization itself was built. Worldly success destroys one "average man," while it presents another, afflicted with seemingly endless and crushing defeats, with the opportunity of practicing virtue of a heroic stature. This edition features a foreword by Benson scholar Michael D. Greaney.

The fifth of Robert Hugh Benson's "mainstream" novels, first published in 1914, "Initiation" relates a man's redemption, or initiation into his full humanity, through pain. The novel explores the different types of pain with which people are afflicted - spiritual, psychological, and physical - none of it deserved, yet all of it leading to greater self-awareness and understanding of what it means to be human. Despite the grimness of the theme, the novel is both entertaining and profound. This edition features a foreword by Benson scholar Michael D. Greaney.

The sixth and final of Robert Hugh Benson's "mainstream" novels, "Loneliness?" examines the life of a woman who sacrifices everything to be accepted by people who can see her only in terms of her singing ability and the roles she plays on the stage. She is abandoned by them when she can no longer fit into their preconceived ideas. Published posthumously in 1915, "Loneliness?" may be Benson's least known, yet one of his most insightful - and entertaining - novels. This edition features a foreword by Benson scholar Michael D. Greaney.

Mixing such seemingly incongruous elements as social satire, near-slapstick, and obsession with death, "A Winnowing," first published in 1910, is the first of Robert Hugh Benson's "mainstream novels." An undeservedly overlooked work today, the novel flays Edwardian society in terms that bring to mind the comedy of P. G. Wodehouse, and the black humor of Evelyn Waugh. The influence of "A Winnowing" is evident in Evelyn Waugh's take on the funeral industry in Southern California ("The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy"). This edition features a foreword by Benson scholar Michael D. Greaney.

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