G. K. Chesterton
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Ball And The Cross
$22.95Add to cartWhen two men decide to fight for their respective beliefs, they discover to their astonishment that an unbelieving world won’t let them, and they find themselves partners and fugitives from the law in this steampunk satire. Penned by G.K. Chesterton in 1909, this whimsical and biting novel eerily foreshadows a world in which “tolerance” is the only god and all those who believe ideas are worth dying for are forced to stand together to defend freedom of speech and belief.
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Heretics And Orthodoxy
$18.99Add to cartTwo of G. K. Chesterton’s most important and well-known works are contained in this volume: Heretics, and Orthodoxy. In the first of these, Chesterton addresses the intellectual movements of his time that he considered most prominent and destructive. Chesterton confronts relativism, individualism, neo-paganism, and other trends of the modern period, paying special attention to the artists and intellectual elite of his time. He writes in detail about events of his time that were affected by these viewpoints. Heretics begins and ends with chapters on orthodoxy, anticipating the content of his most famous book-Orthodoxy, a classic that is part memoir, part apologetic. It exhibits Chesterton at his finest-a combination of literary wit, theological acumen, and pointed cultural critique. The two works complement each other perfectly, providing an accessible entry point to the battleground of truth and falsehood. Lexham Classics are beautifully typeset new editions of classic works. Each book has been carefully transcribed from the original texts, ensuring an accurate representation of the writing as the author intended it to be read.
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Orthodoxy
$14.99Add to cartIn response to G. K. Chesterton’s book Heretics, H. G. Wells said, “I will begin to worry about my philosophy…when Mr. Chesterton has given us his.” And that is what Chesterton set out to do. But, like any good theorist, he truly believed that he could not undertake this task without first articulating what he did not agree with. Having completed this act and receiving many responses to it, he set out to articulate the philosophy he had come to believe.
In a personal way, Chesterton uses “a set of mental pictures” to describe his journey in discovering the truth. Among his key points is the role of reason and fantasy in helping him to discover true orthodoxy. They led him to see that this was not a product of chance but was fashioned by a divine Creator. His timeless wisdom is relevant to the struggles of many Christians today.
Chesterton was surprised to find that what he discovered about orthodoxy was not unique to him at all; rather, it had been passed down through many generations. And he admitted, after much struggle and in much humility, “I will not call it my philosophy, for I did not make it. God and humanity made it; and it made me.”
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Heretics
$14.99Add to cart“The word heresy not only means no longer being wrong; it practically means being clear-headed and courageous. The word orthodoxy not only no longer means being right; it practically means being wrong.”
-G. K. Chesterton, HereticsThe “modern” world of G. K. Chesterton’s day was one that often celebrated the independence and courage of heretics, while decrying the rigidity of conservative orthodoxy. In this classic collection of twenty essays, Chesterton uses wit and paradox to take on the popular philosophers of his day, including Henrik Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, Oscar Wilde, and Friedrich Nietzsche.
In taking on the “heretics”-modern thinkers who considered their views to be superior to “antiquated” conservative thought-Chesterton called out their tendency to focus on evils, such as segregation and slavery, without pointing men and women toward any idea of what is good. Chesterton criticized those who rebelled against traditional Christian beliefs-those who proudly defied the Word of God. With biting prose and incomparable wit, Chesterton exposes the heretics as not only wrong but also dangerous.
Written more than a century ago, Heretics remains a remarkably relevant work for today’s modern culture.
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Innoncence Of Father Brown
$14.99Add to cart“He thought his detective brain as good as the criminal’s, which was true. But he fully realized the disadvantage. ‘The criminal is the creative artist; the detective only the critic,’ he said with a sour smile, and lifted his coffee cup to his lips slowly, and put it down very quickly. He had put salt in it.” -G. K. Chesterton, The Innocence of Father Brown, “The Blue Cross”
In 1911, G. K. Chesterton published this first collection of twelve short stories featuring Father Brown, a priest-turned-detective who combines philosophical and spiritual reasoning with scientific observation to solve crimes. In doing so, Chesterton laid the foundation for future fictional detectives, such as Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Ellery Queen, and Nero Wolfe.
Unlike other writers of his time, who concocted outlandish crimes and intricate puzzles for the protagonist to solve, Chesterton pioneered the cozy mystery, narrowing the scope of the investigation to limited time, limited space, and a limited number of suspects, with all the clues revealed to the reader as well as to the detective.
Chesterton is highly regarded as a biting social commentator, and his humorous and insightful comparisons leave readers reeling. These tales are short, easy reads with strong plots, all connected by the clever detective with an above-average understanding of human nature.
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Man Who Was Thursday
$14.99Add to cartPart detective story, part surreal thriller, and part social commentary, The Man Who Was Thursday is a masterpiece of literary fiction by the brilliant G. K. Chesterton. The story centers around seven anarchists in turn-of-the-century London who call themselves by the days of the week. Fearing an impending act of terrorism, Gabriel Syme is sent by Scotland Yard to infiltrate their ranks by becoming “Thursday.” Elected undercover into the Central European Council of anarchists, Syme must avoid discovery and save the world from future bombings.
Beyond the excitement of an elephant chase, duels, elaborate disguises, and a hot-air balloon pursuit through the streets of London, Chesterton is most interested in the battle of ideas. Indeed, his real agenda is to expose the moral relativism and parlor nihilism for the devils he believed them to be in the world of his day. Chesterton’s classic novella tackles anarchy, social order, God, peace, war, religion, and human nature, somehow managing to combine them all into a delightful tale full of biting social commentary that is still relevant today.
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Man Who Knew Too Much
$14.99Add to cartFrom the creator of the Father Brown mysteries come eight short stories that trace the activities of Horne Fisher, “the man who knew too much,” and his trusted friend, political journalist Harold March. Horne is a socialite who uses his keen mind and powerful gifts of deduction to investigate crimes committed on the sprawling country estates of the aristocracy. Much loved for their wit and sense of wonder, these stories offer a fascinating portrait of upper-crust society in pre-World War I England.
Highly regarded as a biting social commentator, Chesterton fully displays his humorous and insightful comparisons through his colorful and poetic prose.
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Manalive : A Comic Novel By G.K. Chesterton About Murder Bigamy Burglary In
$16.95Add to cartIntroduction
Part 1. The Enigmas Of Innocent Smith
Part 2. The Explanations Of Innocent SmithAdditional Info
This classic novel by the brilliant G. K. Chesterton tells the rollicking tale of Innocent Smith, a man who may be crazy-or possibly the most sane man of all. Arriving at a dreary London boarding house accompanied by a windstorm, Smith is an exuberant, eccentric and sweet-natured man. Smith has a positive effect on the house-he creates his own court, brings a few couples together, and falls in love with a paid companion next door. All seems to be well with the world.Then the unexpected happens: Smith shoots at one of the tenants, and two doctors arrive to arrest him, claiming that he’s a bigamist, an attempted murderer, and a thief. But cynical writer Moon insists that the case be tried there-and they explore Smith’s past history, revealing startling truths about what he does. Is he the wickedest man in Britain, or is he “blameless as a buttercup”?
Beautifully written, mixing the ridiculous with the profound, full of hilarious dialogue and lushly detailed writing, Chesterton’s main character Innocent Smith somehow manages to restore joy to all the dull and cynical lives around him. In this delightfully strange mystery, Chesterton demonstrates why life is worth living, and that sometimes we need a little madness just to know we are alive.
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Orthodoxy
$14.99Add to cartIf G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy: The Romance of Faith is, as he called it, a “slovenly autobiography,” then we need more slobs in the world. This quirky, slender book describes how Chesterton came to view orthodox Catholic Christianity as the way to satisfy his personal emotional needs, in a way that would also allow him to live happily in society. Chesterton argues that people in western society need a life of “practical romance, the combination of something that is strange with something that is secure. We need so to view the world as to combine an idea of wonder and an idea of welcome.” Drawing on such figures as Fra Angelico, George Bernard Shaw, and St. Paul to make his points, Chesterton argues that submission to ecclesiastical authority is the way to achieve a good and balanced life. The whole book is written in a style that is as majestic and down-to-earth as C.S. Lewis at his best. The final chapter, called “Authority and the Adventurer,” is especially persuasive. It’s hard to imagine a reader who will not close the book believing, at least for the moment, that the Church will make you free.
