History and Devotion of Rosary

This book is a great introduction for anybody who is interested in the historical development of the rosary. The author does a good job of simply laying out the historical facts of the rosary's development, and does not allow his Catholic beliefs to influence his interpretation of those facts too heavily. Each chapter has a concise summary that provides the audience with a good review of the most important points of that particular section of the book. The first three chapters are perhaps the most important sections of the book as the author does a great job of dispelling Catholic myth about the origins of the rosary. Here, we learn of the gradual development of the rosary from the counting beads of the early Christian monks, to the evolution of the Paternoster "cord" of the Middle Ages, and the gradual replacement of the "Our Father" prayer with the "Hail Mary" prayer in the 13th to 15th centuries. The third chapter in particular is a fantastic overview of how, during the 16th century, many different forms of the rosary were unified into one universal form, popularized, officially recognized by the Catholic Church, and solidified into the rosary that modern Catholics would recognize today.Given the scholastic achievement of the first three chapters, the readers of this book will probably not be too impressed with the rest of the book. In the later parts of this work, Gribble describes how later Popes, priests, and events helped to increase popular devotion to the rosary. He also outlines the evolution of the rosary in European art, and the use of prayer beads in other world religions. Though these later chapters are interesting, they are nowhere near as important and informative as the first three for the person who is trying to learn more about the rosary. The first three chapters alone make this book a great purchase and addition to your library.