Butler's Lives of the Saints: Concise Edition, Revised and Updated

I highly recommend this book to someone who is searching for a few role models on our daily journey to Christ. A saint a day is good for the soul.

I love this book. I read it almost every night. It's awesome to have a saint to intercede for you each night. It's also great to see the suffering and endurance of our past Christians and to witness to the 2,000-plus-year-old history of our church.

The good news is that Butler's Lives continues to be a popular brand name over 100 years after its first edition; the bad news is that many of its revised editions aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Not so with this red cover "concise edition" from 1985 (ISBN-10: 0060692510.) It retains the verve, clarity, and style of the original four volumes in a single-volume format. If you are an Anglophile or have an interest in English Catholicism, this edition is especially attractive; editor Michael Walsh includes many saints from British history, and the book comes with a foreword by the late Cardinal Basil Hume. Its main drawback is the inclusion of only one saint per day. This means, for example, that on June 22's memorial of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher just one man -- Fisher -- is described. No book or format is perfect, however. So look for the red cover, and learn to love your faith from the saints.

Simply put...this is a great resource. It is concise and interesting information compiled in one book that we found fascinating. A great reference book and the profiles will whet your appetite to know even more on the subjects. But we read it because it's just plain interesting!

I just love this book. I bought McBrien's Lives of the Saints at the same time and this one is far superior in that it is scholarly without losing its spirituality. You get more than just a biographical sketch, you also get a sense of the spirit of each saint, including quotations. The quality of the paper, printing and binding is superior as well---this book will last for generations. I am now saving up for the 12-volume unabridged set!