Misc.

Rod Bennett would like you to take a look at his post about Chesterton in Nashville, TN.

Sara Bowen sends this bit of information: Anne Perry, the interesting (to say the least) historical mystery novelist, was asked for her top 5 historical novels by the Wall Street Journal. Ballad of White Horse is #5. The text of the article is on-line but requires a subscription. Here is a summary, thanks to Sara.
1. I, Claudius
2. Full Dark House
3. The Scarlet Pimpernel
4. To Say Nothing Of the Dog
5. The Ballad of The White Horse
By G.K. Chesterton
John Lane, 1911

This is the story of the English King Alfred's desperate stand against invading Danes in 878. England is conquered, and Alfred is a fugitive when he sees a vision of the Virgin Mary that bids him call together the remnants of his people for a final battle. "The Ballad of the White Horse" is an epic poem of courage, passion and unsurpassable beauty. When Alfred asks the Saxons to join the battle, the dismaying reply is: "Friend I will watch the certain things, / Swine and slow moons like silver rings, / And the ripening of the plums." Left to fend for themselves, Alfred and his followers are strengthened by a faith in God and a love of England that are as deep as the bone. It is the meeting of history and myth, a song of undying hope and faith in mankind. "Being what heart you are, / Up the inhuman steeps of space, / As on a staircase go in grace, / Carrying the firelight in your face, / Beyond the loneliest star."

Ms. Perry's "We Shall Not Sleep" (Ballantine), the fifth and final novel in
her World War I series, has just been published.