April Series of the Month: Encyclopedia of Religions

In honor of Easter and Passover this month, we are happy to announce Encyclopedia of Religions by John G. R. Forlong as our April Series of the Month.

This 1906 classic three volume set of comparative literature, hard to find in print today, was the first English-language project to approach the world's religions from an anthropological perspective. This work of thirty years for Scottish author John G. R. Forlong, was originally published under the now-antiquated title A Cyclopedia of Religions and produced at the author's own expense, so strongly did he feel about the need for it despite the reluctance of the publishing houses of the day to produce it. A road engineer by trade, Forlong traveled the world, learning seven languages and becoming an avid amateur student of native culture-his labor of love was gathering, in this set, a comprehensive, academic knowledge of the totality of human religious belief.

About the Author

John G. R. Forlong (1824-1904),  a road engineer by trade, Forlong traveled the world, learning seven languages and becoming an avid amateur student of native culture-his labor of love was gathering, in this three-volume set, a comprehensive, academic knowledge of the totality of human religious belief.


Cosimo offers this series by individual volume at leading online bookstores or as a full two-volume set in paperback or hardcover. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The paperback retail list price for this series is: $89.97, but now our price is: $74.99 (you save $14.98 or a 16 percent discount)

The hardcover retail list price for this series is: $175.97 , but now our price is: $139.99 (you save  $35.98 or a 20 percent discount)

March Classic of the Month: Life of St. Patrick and His Place in History

Today is Saint Patrick's Day and in honor of this Christian holiday we at Cosimo are celebrating by reading our classic of the month: Life of St. Patrick and His Place in History by J.B. Bury.

This renowned biography of the great Catholic saint, famous for converting Ireland to Christianity, is also a stunningly vivid portrait of life in the British Isles in the fifth century. Born in Britain as a Roman citizen and kidnapped by raiders to Ireland as a teenager, where he remained to do his holy work, Patrick's life encapsulates the themes of the era, as the new religion won out of paganism as the Roman Empire fell. Almost as valuable as the biography itself are Bury's complex appendices, which comprise more than half the book, and include such important scholarly details as the author's notes on Patrick's own writings, the memoirs of the saint by other writers including Tírechán and Muirchu, an examination of other Irish source materials, and a look at the historical evidence for such events as the dates of Patrick's birth and captivity, his possible visit to Rome in 432, his consecration, the location of his burial, and much more.
About the Author:
British historian John Bagnell Bury (1861-1927) was professor of modern history at Cambridge. His writings, known for a readability combined with a scholarly depth, include History of the Later Roman Empire (1889), History of Greece (1900), and Idea of Progress (1920). 

Life of St. Patrick and His Place in History is available on Amazon (hardcover and paperback), at Barnes & Noble (hardcover and paperback), and at your favorite bookstores.

March Series of the Month: The Catholic Church in New York

In celebration of Easter this month, Cosimo is celebrating with The Catholic Church in New York by John Talbot Smith and Joseph F. Mooney as our Series of the Month for March.

First published in 1905 and written as an official chronology of the Diocese of New York—then one of the powerhouse regions of the Catholic Church in America, as the Archdiocese of New York is today—this two-volume work remains an important document of the Church.

Useful in both the historical and cultural dimensions, this highly readable but powerfully written account reveals the prejudices and partialities of the time as filtered through the viewpoint of one of its most influential institutions.

Volume I explores:
• the first Catholics in the State of New York
• the early years of the organization in the state
• the first bishop and early administration
• anti-Catholicism and the Knownothing Party
• the growth of the parishes
• politics and Catholicism
• and much more!

Volume II explores:
• the Church's education and charity systems
• religious communities including the Jesuits
• Church legislation
• relations with the Holy See
• the progress of the clergy
• the character of the laity
• the Catholic press
• and much more!

Cosimo offers this Classic series by individual volume at various online bookstores or as a full set in paperback.

The paperback retail list price: $29.98, but now: our price: $24.99 (you save $4.99 or a 20 percent discount)