The Book of Saints

by St. Augustine's Abbey, Basil Watkins

A comprehensive biographical dictionary of saints canonised by the Roman Catholic Church. It contains the names of over 10,000 saints, including all modern ones, with significant information about their lives and achievements. There are illustrations showing the saints as identifiable individuals, and the volume includes a list of national martyrs, a bibliography, a glossary, and list of relevant Web sites.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, History

640 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1921

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

An encyclopedia of saints, updated many times over the last century. Black and white images accompany some saints. All have their feast days listed. Back matter includes a brief list of works cited, a list of websites for further information, a glossary, and a list of martyrs by nationality. The edition my library has is not the most up-to-date, and I would be curious to see what else the most recent version includes. Useful for reference, even if it's a couple decades out of date.

[Mircah Foxwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why would I check this book out of the library, you may ask? Well, after coming across the legend of St Bernard of Clairvaux, who is said to have received breastmilk from a statue of the Virgin Mary, I became interested in knowing more about the saints, and what they were canonized for.

Unfortunately, this book is a pretty dry list of Catholic saints (there are over 10,000 of them!), with only bare-bones information about them - if any at all. It doesn’t tell you what they are sainted for, either. Like, today, I think you have to perform an after-death miracle to be made a saint.

It does indeed provide an alphabetical list of the saints, and the editor notes that he made an effort to provide historically accurate information only. So I can’t fault it as a reference for someone who wants this sort of reference. But there are no cool legends about the saints, and it’s not interesting to browse through.

[Diegowench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great source for finding your patron.

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun! There is even a Blessed Saint Willa & no one who knows me would be surprised that she was a recluse LOL! This book probably has every saint you have ever heard of many you haven't.

[Armand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dull.

[Izabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful addition to your daily prayers! It has a whole index of saints and what days their feasts are! The stories are so powerful!! Love it!