In print for more than thirty years, this book has long served as a standard text on the Germanic penetration of the Roman Empire. Bury's history is indispensable to anyone who seeks to understand the connection between the barbarian migrations of the third to the ninth century and the framework of modern Europe. ...

The most important biography of St. Patrick of Ireland—now in PB!

Explore Patrick’s place in history, the spread of Christianity beyond the Roman Empire, how Patrick first came to Ireland, the influence of the earlier Palladius on Patrick’s work,     political and social conditions at that time, and the spiritual battles with the Druids. This 21st century edition now includes notes from other biographers, mystics, historians, and storytellers of Ireland.

“Bury proves to be more than a mere dry historian; he turns out to be a fine storyteller as well, and his accounts of Patrick’s spiritual duels with Druid priests for the heart and mind of the Irish king are quite gripping.”

—History Book Club

“Editor-writer Sweeney gives Bury’s 1905 biography of the legendary St. Patrick a greater contemporary context in this meticulously researched and presented work…. Bury wrote what Sweeney calls the ‘ideal modern biography’ of Patrick…. Sweeney assembles and rearranges material from Bury’s original work and incorporates more of Patrick’s own words, from his Confession and Letter against Coroticus. Sweeney’s light edits to Bury’s text clarify exactly what Patrick did in Ireland, noting that although he did convert some pagan kingdoms, he also was responsible for organizing Christians who were already there and connecting the island with the church of the Roman Empire.”

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Discover how a boy became devoted to the people who enslaved him, returned to their shores, and changed Ireland forever...

He was taken from his home in England and dragged across the sea to Ireland. When he escaped, he traveled on the European continent, lived for a while as a monk, and then returned as a missionary to the people who had enslaved him.

Many legends surround the life of St. Patrick. He competed with Druids and negotiated with tribal leaders. He traveled all over the emerald isle bringing both Christianity and the Roman Empire to its shores. J. B. Bury, the first modern biographer of St. Patrick, sought to find the man beneath the layers of myth and legend. Explore Patrick's place in history, the influence of earlier Christians on Patrick's work, the political and social conditions in the Roman Empire at that time, and much more.

This new edition of Bury's classic biography has been re-edited, introduced by Jon M. Sweeney, and includes sidebar notes from other biographers, mystics, historians, and storytellers of Ireland.

Praise for Jon M. Sweeney's biography of St. Francis of Assisi:

"There is no sounder introduction to Francis' life." - Catholic News Service

"This new and updated edition...is nothing short of astonishing in its power to touch the heart and revive the soul." -St. Anthony Messenger

"Sweeney achieves a fine balance between excellent scholarship and sweet accessibility for every average reader." -Walter Wangerin, Jr....