The Global Youthful Face of Christ

Every three years thousands upon thousands of Evangelical college students unite to sing, pray, and commit to the Great Commission at Urbana.  Urbana is InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's student mission conference and its beautiful call to preach the Good News is largely unknown to Catholic and Othodox Christians.  I grew up with parents whose Christianity was decisively shaped by InterVarsity and my own high school and college formation grew under the influence of many an IVPress book.  I post the video below in the hopes of sharing with our Catholic and Orthodox readers the global youthful face of Christ present at Urbana 2009.


Urbana 09 Summary Video from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.

Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

Happy Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas to all scholars!




We offer for your perusal this fine set of St. Thomas Aquinas' Opera Omnia.












THOMAS AQUINATIS, SANCTUS. Divi Thomae Aquinatis Opera Omnia. Editio altera Veneta ad plurima exempla comparata, & emendata. Accedunt vita, seu elogium eius a Iacobo Echardo diligentissime concinnatum, & Bernardi Mariae de Rubeis in singula opera [28 volumes bound as 22, complete]. Venetiis: Ioseph Bettinelli, 1745-1760. 4vo. Bound in full original vellum. Four raised bands. Most volumes worn on spines. Significant chipping to head and foot of a few spines. One volume lacking vellum on spine. Some volumes show warping boards and cracking front and rear hinges. Interior hinges still firm. Scattered foxing. Beautiful frontispieces. Clean text. Text set in dual columns. Speckled page edges. A scarce edition, yet the typical eighteenth century edition of Thomas Aquinas's Opera omnia. Still regarded to be among the principle editions. Song of Songs commentary done by Pseudo Haimo of Halberstadt.


Thanks again to Matthew Alderman for the use of his image of St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

Loome Medallion Found!

The hunt is over, gentle readers. The Loome Medallion was found late Wednesday afternoon by Brad Lindberg on the third day of the hunt. The medallion was hidden in Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh in our Modern Christian Literature and Poetry section. For your enjoyment, we present the clues below in their entirety.

1.
Welcome to the hunt! I'll be blunt,
when I say I don't let it go 'til March.
The thing that is main, is not to let the medallion remain
until your throat is parched.

2.
Ladies and Lords could not afford
to let the hunt go on longer.
Adam and Eve, might even grieve
if their hunch wasn't stronger.

3.
You think Loome is cold? Don't be so bold.
Imagine life across the pond.
Britain's winter is humid, don't think me stupid,
but of dry winter I am fond.

4.
We are the Bride of Christ, that should suffice
to tell you our clues hint at salvation.
Sacred or profane, I do not feign
when I say I can't tell you the location.

5.
Pray to the saints, if your heart faints,
Don't let our clues fool ya'.
Try St. Charles Borromeo, he's not one to lay low,
St. Sebastian or St. Julia.

6.

We'll end all our quotes with a literary note,
we've found this hunt exquisite.
This'll get you over the hump, if you're still stumped,
The old clues you must revisit.

Congratulations to Mr. Lindberg!

Medallion Hunt Clue #3

You think Loome is cold? Don't be so bold.
Imagine life across the pond.
Britain's winter is humid, don't think me stupid,
but of dry winter I am fond.

Medallion Hunt Clue #2

Ladies and Lords could not afford
to let the hunt go on longer.
Adam and Eve, might even grieve
if their hunch wasn't stronger.

Medallion Hunt Clue #1

Welcome to the hunt! I'll be blunt,
when I say I don't let it go 'til March.
The thing that is main, is not to let the medallion remain
until your throat is parched.

Loome Medallion Hunt Rules and Information

NB: Clues to the Loome Medallion Hunt will be sent to the Medallion Hunt e-mail list at midnight and posted to the Ex Libris Theologicis blog at 3 p.m. Join the Medallion Hunt e-mail list to receive the clues early!

Contest Details and Rules:

Loome Medallion Hunt clues will be published daily to the Medallion Hunt e-mail list at midnight, and Ex Libris Theologicis blog at 3 p.m. starting Monday, January 25, 2010. A new clue will appear daily through Saturday, January 30, 2010, unless the medallion is found prior to that date. Read the daily clues to search for the medallion hidden in one of Loome Theological Booksellers 200,000 books. The medallion will not be hidden in any of our antiquarian or rare books. Those participating in the hunt must handle books with care and re-shelve books in the proper location, or participants may be disqualified from the hunt.

If you find the Loome medallion, promptly return it to the staff at Loome Theological Booksellers to qualify for the $250 book credit prize. The book credit prize may be redeemed at Loome Theological Booksellers or Chestnut Street Books. The prize may not be used for Loome Sacred Gifts. The prize is not redeemable for cash.

Loome Theological Booksellers reserves the right to discontinue the hunt at any time if property of Loome Booksellers is destroyed.

General Conditions:

All participants agree that Loome Theological Booksellers and their respective affiliate companies, parents, subsidiaries, advertising representatives and agents will have no liability whatsoever, and will be held harmless by participants for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of the prizes or participation in this contest.

Except where legally prohibited, by accepting prize, winner grants permission for Loome Theological Booksellers, its partners, and those acting under its authority to use his or her name, photograph, voice and/or likeness for advertising and/or publicity without compensation.

No purchase is necessary to win. All contest rules and decisions are final. Employees and immediate family members of Loome Theological Booksellers and Chestnut Street Books are not eligible.

Happy Hunting!

Loome Theological Booksellers

320 4th Street N

Stilllwater, MN 55082

651-430-1092

Hours:

9-5 Monday - Saturday

Feast of St. Agnes

Happy Feast of St. Agnes!

The Passion of Agnes was written by Patristic Era poet Prudentius. Prudentius, who turned from legal success to become an ascetic, wrote his poems to glorify God.

If you are interested, we recommend The Poems of Prudentius: Hymns for Every Day & Book of the Martyrs' Crowns from The Fathers of the Church series.









Special thanks to artist Matthew Alderman for allowing us to use his ink print of St. Agnes.









Bonus picture: Pope Pius XII blessing lambs on the Feast of St. Agnes.


St. Agnes, virgin martyr, pray for us.

$250 Giveaway and 25% off Cold Books

As winter lingers in Minnesota, we'd like to do our part to make our grey, cold sojourn more lively and bookish. To that end, we bring you our combined 25% off Cold Sale and $250 Loome Medallion Hunt!

25 % off Cold Sale

At this time of year. the books pictured above retain a core temperature of around 25 degrees. Why? Because half of our store is heatless. All cold books are 25% off from now until January 30th.

Subjects included in the cold:

Biblical Studies

Literature and Poetry

Moral Theology

John Henry Newman

Catholic & Protestant Americana

Canon Law

Ecumenism

Gregorian Chant Studies

Liturgical Texts

G.K. Chesterton

many many more.

25 % off Cold SaleThe picture above will be attached to the $250 Medallion, which will be hidden in one of Loome Theological Booksellers' 200,000 books next week. If found, this Medallion is good for $250 worth of books. In the spirit of the St. Paul Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt, we will be releasing one clue a day, starting next Monday, January 25th, until the Medallion is found. However, to receive the clues, you have to sign up on the Medallion Hunt Clue List below. Further details to come before the hunt starts next week.

*$250 NOT applicable to Loome Sacred Gift items*

Join the Loome Medallion Hunt list to receive clues!

Follow the instructions after clicking above to subscribe to the Medallion Hunt List (it may take a couple clicks to do so).

Loome Theological Booksellers

320 4th Street N

Stilllwater, MN 55082

651-430-1092

Hours:

9-5 Monday - Saturday

England and "the Romish Religion"

The Misfits have climbed another Catholic “literary mountain;" this time, Eamon Duffey’s masterful work, The Stripping of the Altars. Completing the book is a transformative experience. Anyone reading the book will have a new understanding of the Reformation and the great tragedy that befell the medieval Church in England. It will also serve as a cautionary tale—never assume that others will step in to save your faith. Each Catholic is personally responsible for the strength of the Faith. As shown by Duffy, the Faith can be destroyed in two generations if not resisted.

One of the most poignant phrases in the book occurs at the very end of Duffy’s account. He describes the grudging final acceptance of a new Protestant faith by the people of Tudor England after being relentlessly subjected to the depredations on their Catholic faith by Henry VIII, Edward VI and finally, Elizabeth I. He writes, “When the crises of Reformation came [the people] mostly behaved as mercenary, worldly, and weak men and women will, grumbling, obstructing, but in the end taking the line of least resistance, like Bishop Stokesley lamenting his own helplessness in the face of advancing heresy and wishing that he had had the courage to stand against it with his brother the Bishop of Rochester.” (Note: The Bishop of Rochester was St. John Fisher, martyr for the Faith.)

It is interesting to note that as I write this, on [January 16th] 429 years ago, the English Parliament outlawed Roman Catholicism. The 1581 statute stated that it was an "act to retain the Queen's Majesty's subjects in their obedience" and made it high treason to "reconcile anyone or to be reconciled to 'the Romish religion.'" The act made it unlawful for people to go to Mass; persons breaking the law were subject to fines and a year in jail. The people could avoid these troubles by renouncing the Pope and joining the Anglican Church. Most of the English martyrs in the Catholic Church come from the time of Elizabeth's reign, St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More chief among them.

But now, on to the future. We have decided to once again read C. S. Lewis. Our book for February is Lewis’ novel, Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold. It is a retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, a myth that haunted Lewis all his life, and which is itself based on a chapter of The Golden Ass written by Apuleius. (The Golden Ass is the only Latin novel that has survived in its entirety). “The first part of the book is written from the perspective of Psyche's older sister Orual, and is constructed as a long-withheld accusation against the gods. Although the book is set in the fictional kingdom of Glome, Greece is often invoked to give the story a setting in time, as well as to allow for an interplay between the Hellenistic, rationalistic world-view and the powerful, 'irrational', and 'primitive' one.”

For March we will read a play by T.S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral. Eliot's short play was originally written for the Canterbury festival and tells the story of the murder of Archbishop Thomas Beckett (1118-70) by Henry II's henchmen. One reviewer notes that it “is essentially an extended lyrical consideration of the proper residence of temporal and spiritual power, of the obligations of religious believers to the commands of the State, and of the possibility that piety can be selfish unto sin.”

For April, the Misfits will finally read a book by Minnesota author (now deceased) and firm Catholic, Jon Hassler. (It occurs to me to wonder why we have not yet read a novel by Hassler?) We will read Dear James a novel set in the fictional small Minnesota town of Staggerford. The story features Miss Agatha McGee, an upright elderly resident with a saw-toothed tongue. The novel deals with a relationship that Agatha develops with a pen-pal in Ireland--who she subsequently discovers is a priest. It is rich novel of simmering envy, charity, and finally, redemptive love.

Finally, I look forward to another wonderful year of reading with you, the great books of our Catholic literary tradition. What an adventure in reading it is!

Misfit Buzz

Edward Cornelis Florentius Alfonsus Schillebeeckx (12 November 1914 - 23 December 2009)

To mark the death of Edward Schillebeeckx, Loome Booksellers has compiled a list of his books for sale, now available on our front page. Dominican, Roman Catholic theologian of international renown, and distinguished peritus (Latin: expert) at the Second Vatican Council, Edward Schillebeeckx lived and taught with distinction at Catholic University of Nijmegen for over 50 years. He was granted a doctorate to teach sacred theology from the Sorbonne, where he wrote his popular thesis De sacramentele heilseconomie (The Redeeming Economy of the Sacraments). During Vatican II Schillebeeckx, Hans Kung, Yves Congar and Karl Rahner founded and contributed to the influential theological journal Concilium, which promoted "reformist" theology. Schillebeeckx made anonymous comments and wrote articles on the theological schemata debated at Vatican II (for sale at Loome’s), which apparently had a great deal of influence on the final constitutions. On three different occasions, the orthodoxy of Fr. Schillebeeckx was called into question by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. A notable inquisition was conducted in 1984 by Joseph Card. Ratzinger (a former colleague at Vatican II and later elected pope) over the Christology in his books on Jesus Christ. Schillebeeckx was finally condemned in 1986, after which he continued to work until his recent death at the age of 96.

The study of Schillebeeckx naturally raises important questions for the well instructed Catholic, particularly the moral question: To what extent may the Catholic exercise intellectual license while remaining in good moral standing? Is it permissible to read condemned books? While there is no Index Librorum Prohibitorum in effect, the answer under usual circumstances is “no.” However, there are circumstances where it becomes not only permissible but necessary (particularly in academia) to read these books, as the Holy Father does when he quotes truly insightful passages from otherwise heterodox sources.

Loome Booksellers exists to provide scholarly books to the discerning readers of the world who seek the Truth, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, secular, etc., and to this aim we are tirelessly, vigorously, committed.

The Art of Adaptation

Movie adaptations of beloved books always seem to be a touchy endeavor. Book lovers are often torn between curiosity in seeing their favorite characters on screen and anxiety over the prospect of their favorite bits cut out.

Filmmakers and the screenwriters who adapt the book must struggle as well. Hew too close to the original book, and you risk ruining the movie. Take too many liberties, and you risk ruining the book.

Imagine what it must be like for the author.

NPR recently ran a series of stories interviewing authors whose books have been adapted into movies.

Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare at Goats, expanded upon the tension between a writer and the screenwriter who has been tasked with adapting the book for film.

"I bumped into [the screenwriter] one time when he was writing [the screenplay], in a Starbucks in central London," Ronson says with a laugh. "I swear when he saw me walk in, the blood drained from his face. ... Obviously, you know, the last thing in the world he wanted was for me to go up to him and ask him how it was going. Which I immediately did."

Sixteen weeks later, [the screenwriter] sent Ronson a finished screenplay.

"And I loved it — and then everything thawed," Ronson says. "Everything was OK."

Source: Jon Ronson, Staring (At 'Goats') From The Sidelines

All three of the authors who were interviewed said they were pleased with the finished film. Walter Kirn, author of Up in the Air, talked about distancing himself from the process of adaptation by viewing the book and movies as two separate creatures.

"There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend to come from the inside of a character and movies tend to look at them from the outside in relation to others in their world. And so, I fully understood that for this book to make it onto film it had to be sort of opened up, unfolded. And for me to worry over that process, scrutinize it too closely or take it personally would only retard the freedom with which the writer/director was able to do that. So I sat back, let it happen. And the finished product, though it bears the distinct genetic imprint of the book, is quite different in some details and yet I am entirely pleased with it."

Source: For 'Up In The Air' Writer, Book, Film Different

If anything will make book lovers cry foul, it's major changes to plot or characters. Kirn said he didn't mind such changes.

"If they'd filmed the novel completely faithfully, it would've been a lot of voiceover and a lot of the shots of planes crossing the sun."

To solve this problem, the screenwriter introduced a new character to open up the script to interplay and dialogue.

For Lynn Barber, author of An Education, sometimes the small changes were the most intriguing. For example, the movie adaptation of her book shifted the setting of the story from 1960 to 1961.

"I was very interested in that. And, in fact, the production designer and the producer explained it to me. And in 1960, England, to all intents and purposes, looked exactly the same as England in the 1950s. It was incredibly drab. There was a lot of bomb damaged. There was no glimmer of fashion in the streets. Whereas in 1961, you're just beginning to get the birth of the '60s, I mean still not really. But - and I think the art director told me that you got more colored cars in 1961. And before that, a street would have entirely consisted of dark green and black dull-looking cars. And it would have just looked dull and drab, you know."

Source: 'An Education' Writer Praises Film Of Memoir

I recently finished Evelyn Waugh's opus, Brideshead Revisited. I am in the process of watching two adaptations: the 2008, feature-length Hollywood remake and the 1981, 11-hour BBC saga.

The BBC miniseries is an acclaimed adaptation with a reputation of being faithful to Waugh's text. The 2008 Hollywood remake... not so much. Although I must say, I am eager to see Michael Gambon and Emma Thompson as Lord and Lady Marchmain, respectively.

I'm curious, what are your thoughts on movie adaptations of books?

Merry Christmas & Epiphany

Loome Booksellers would like to send out a few last seasonal greetings:


Merry Christmas to Orthodox Christians and Eastern Rite Catholics. (January 7)
Христос раждається! - Славіте Його!


Epiphany greetings to Latin Rite Catholics and all other Christians. (January 6)

The staff at Loome prayed a special Epiphany blessing at the store today. The traditional blessing was written with blessed chalk above our front door.



Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 12

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

Loome Gifts gave to me
Twelve books for boys...

(Selected from The Art of Manliness Blog: 50 Best Books for Boys and Young Men)



Eleven olive carvings










Ten roasts of coffee










Nine holy icons














Eight books of devotion











Seven Ukrainian eggs










Six handmade rosaries












Five Alderman originals












Four Trappist caramels














Three baptismal gowns
















Two Marian statues















And an icon in a bare tree.



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Loome Theological Booksellers!

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 11

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

Loome Gifts gave to me
Eleven olive carvings...


Ten roasts of coffee
Nine holy icons
Eight books of devotion
Seven Ukrainian eggs
Six handmade rosaries
Five Alderman originals
Four Trappist caramels
Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.

"Not all those who wander are lost."

Happy 118th Birthday to
J. R. R. Tolkien!





Check out our handsome early editions of The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Rings
The Two Towers
The Return of the King


"Not all those who wander are lost."
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Rings

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 10

On the tenth day of Christmas,

Loome Gifts gave to me
Ten roasts of coffee


(Christmas Blend, Jingle Bell Java, Mystic Monk Blend, Hermit's Bold Blend, Dark Roast, Medium Roast, Hazelnut, Cowboy Blend, Breakfast Blend, Espresso Blend)






Nine holy icons
Eight books of devotion
Seven Ukrainian eggs
Six handmade rosaries
Five Alderman originals
Four Trappist caramels
Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 9

On the ninth day of Christmas,
Loome Gifts gave to me
Nine holy icons...



















Eight books of devotion
Seven Ukrainian eggs
Six handmade rosaries
Five Alderman originals
Four Trappist caramels
Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 8

On the eight day of Christmas,

Loome Gifts gave to me
Eight books of devotion...


Seven Ukrainian eggs
Six handmade rosaries
Five Alderman originals
Four Trappist caramels
Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.