This is a fine, solid, beautifully produced book, running to some 250 pages which will delight any one in any way interested in the history of Ireland’s capital as expressed in maps over the centuries.
This unusual exhibition at the Irish Architectural Archive (IAA), which has another week to run, is well worth catching, and the names of those mounting it should be noted for a sight of their future work.
Ignatius Loyola Christian Mystic, by Brian O’Leary (Messenger Books €19.95/ £18.95) Ignatius and his Spiritual Exercises have been explored by readers since they were written, and have proved over the centuries to be immensely influential. The idea of ‘composition of place’ can even be traced, so I believe, in the earliest impulses to write…
A Quiet Space: A short history of the Sanctuary, by Sr Stan Kennedy and Sr Síle Wall (Veritas, €16.99/ £14.90) This little book is a short history guide to the Sanctuary, founded by the redoubtable Sr Stan and her associates. She herself writes: “Over 23 years ago, we had a vision for the Sanctuary.…
The visit of Pope Francis to Mongolia elicited some curious reactions, which show that many people are far from appreciating the role of Mongolia, not only in medieval history, but also nowadays and the place in today’s world the country’s government is attempting to build. It was pointed out that there were only about 1,450…
With God You are Never Alone: The Great Papal Addresses, by Benedict XVI (Bloomsbury, £14,95 / €17.50) In this book, which is bound to secure a wide readership, the 10 most important speeches of the Pontificate of Benedict XVI, are collected by Fr Federico Lombardi, of the Ratzinger-Benedict Foundation in Rome. These speeches reveal the…
Sacred Space: The Prayerbook (Messenger Publications, €14.95/£12.95) A sure sign that the year is beginning to draw to an end is the early appearance of Sacred Space: The Prayerbook, the manual derived from the astonishing, globally popular online prayer site. This book has been appearing for many years and is always a sure-fire option for many as…
The Slavic Myths by Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak (Thames and Hudson, £20.00/ €23.50) The strange world of Slavic myths is usually beyond the imaginative reach of those of us brought up in Western Europe. However, many years ago now, when I was at college in the USA, I had a regular place I sat…
I am Infinitely Loved: A Month of Meditations by Brian Grogan SJ (Messenger Publications, €7.99/ £6.95) This is a new edition of a booklet first published back 2017. It was popular then, and in its new form will reach an even larger audience of those who are now regular readers of Brian Grogan’s many books.…
A History of the World in 500 Maps, Christian Grataloup and others (Thames & Hudson, £35.00/ €40.50) This is an interesting and unusual book. It was originally published in French a couple of years ago. Christian Grataloup is the overall editor; the introduction is by Patrick Boucheron; other associates were French academics; and the attractive cartography…