Each sermon is introduced by a short note on the preacher and his time and a contemporary prayer is added at the end. The sermons range from hell fire to profound spiritual comfort. John Knox's sermon castigates the monstrous regiment of women, Bossuet preaches on the love of God and Martin Luther King on his dream of the Promised Land.Some sermons are familiar as are many of the authors but the book is also packed with surprises- including sermons by Herman Melville, Laurence Sterne and Thomas Aquinas. This unique book will edify, delight and amuse. It is also of quite exceptional historical interest.

"There is certainly plenty of magnificent stuff here"--The Tablet, February 16, 2002
" . . . there is much to nourish mind and heart, intellect and will - gourmet morsels for the erudite and good staples for the rest of us . . . a delightful book of perceptive, sharp sermons: they inspire and rasp, rebuke and enchant." --The Spectator, February 9, 2002
"A fascinating collection which illuminates, informs and even amuses." --Methodist Recorder, 25 April 2002
"An elegantly produced 200-page hardback...the passages are substantial, and many of the sermons complete...this book would make a thoughtful gift." --The Church Times

Christopher Howse is a writer for the Daily Telegraph, writing about the world's faiths. He also blogs about the English language and is a regular contributor to The Spectator and The Tablet. He is the author of A Pilgrim in Spain (2011), The Train in Spain (2013) and Soho in the Eighties (2018), all published by Bloomsbury Continuum. Among his other bestselling books for Continuum are Prayers for This Life (2005) and The Assurance of Hope (2006). He is the author of How We Saw It: 150 years of The Daily Telegraph (2004).