The Book of Love: A Treasury Inspired by the Greatest of Virtues

by Mary G. Durkin and Andrew M. Greeley

Book Overview

Love. Of all the virtues that have been passed on to us through the ages, from the great poets to the saints and scholars, throughout history and literature, love is the one virtue that we as a society cannot live without.The ability to love well and to love wisely is the most important trait that parents can pass on to their children. As children grow, the longing to share this love as well as receive it will remain strong throughout their lives.Bestselling author Andrew M. Greeley and his sister, Dr. Mary G. Durkin have complied a beautiful and inspiring anthology that will help us comprehend this the most important of virtues and also help us express and understand what it means to love, and how to love wisely. The Book of Love is a perfect gift for a parent to give to a child, for relatives or friends to share, or for those who are coming to know this virtue in all its glory. People of all nations, creeds, colors, and denominations will appreciate this treasury of essays, poems, stories, and songs reflecting the one human need that has remained constant: Love.It has been written about in the Bible, and it was passed down orally in myth and legend. It was discussed by the Chinese philosopher Confucius and in the Koran, and it inspired great works of literature and the pages of popular fiction. The Book of Love is a testament to the enduring nature of our own good, a good expressed through the human bond. In the tradition of William J. Bennett's The Book of Virtue, The Book of Love is a collection to be treasured, and shared, but most of all, it will guide us to express and to pass on the greatest of life's virtues: Love.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031287183X
• ISBN13: 9780312871833
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Very highly recommended

THE BOOK OF LOVE examines the possibilities and challenges of love, inviting the reader to enter the imaginations of others who have examined this greatest of all virtues. Images of love give wing to imagination and the lifting of our spirits as the words through the centuries and from across the world inspire reflection. Some sections give obvious answers to love's meaning even as others present the troubling aspects of love that can confound us all.Authors Andrew M. Greeley, a Catholic priest and best-selling author, and his sister Mary G. Durkin, a pastoral theologian and author, co-edit this collection on love. Drawing from poetry, folklore, sayings, music, stories and autobiographical reflections, these experts from around the world examine the question of love's meaning. More than just sentimental mush, in the hands of these editors, love unfolds as defining virtue that bonds us each to the other and to the divine. THE BOOK OF LOVE comes very highly recommended.

For those who love...

In this collection of poetry, vignettes, Bible verses, legends, and classical literary quotes, the editors delve into the nature of the finest human emotion, that of love. All forms of it are examined, young love and old, love lost and love that is never lost, love between Man and God, love in families, romance, love of nature, etc. Even though many of the stories will be familiar, seen in this new presentation, they take upon added depth and meaning. Readers will come away knowing that love is both the most simple thing in the world, and at the same moment, the most complex. Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.