Through beautiful prose and meditations, Caryll Houselander depicts the intimately human side of Mary, Mother of God, as an empty reed waiting for God's music to be played through her. Lovingly bringing Our Lady down off her time-honored, ancient pedestal, Houselander shares her insightful and beautiful vision of Mary on earth, Mary among us, Mary as a confused but trusting teenager whose holiness flowered with her eternal "Yes." With profound theological teachings and appealing imagery, "The Reed of God" is a spiritual classic written in the mystical tradition of Julian of Norwich.

In the English-speaking world, the Catholic Literary Revival is typically associated with the work of G. K. Chesterton/Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene. But in fact the Revival's most numerous members were women. While some of these women remain well known?Muriel Spark, Antonia White, Flannery O'Connor, Dorothy Day?many have been almost entirely forgotten. They include: Enid Dinnis, Anna Hanson Dorsey, Alice Thomas Ellis, Eleanor Farjeon, Rumer Godden, Caroline Gordon, Clotilde Graves, Caryll Houselander, Sheila Kaye-Smith, Jane Lane, Marie Belloc Lowndes, Alice Meynell, Kathleen Raine, Pearl Mary Teresa Richards, Edith Sitwell, Gladys Bronwyn Stern, Josephine Ward, and Maisie Ward. There are various reasons why each of these writers fell out of print: changes in the commercial publishing world after World War II, changes within the Church itself and in the English-speaking universities that redefined the literary canon in the last decades of the 20th century. Yet it remains puzzling that a body of writing so creative, so attuned to its historical moment, and so unique in its perspective on the human condition, should have fallen into obscurity for so long. The Catholic Women Writers series brings together the English-language prose works of Catholic women from the 19th and 20th centuries; work that is of interest to a broad range of readers. Each volume is printed with an accessible but scholarly introduction by theologians and literary specialists. The first volume in the series is Caryll Houselander's The Dry Wood. Houselander is known primarily for her spiritual writings but she also wrote one novel, set in a post-war London Docklands parish. There a motley group of lost souls are mourning the death of their saintly priest and hoping for the miraculous healing of a vulnerable child whose gentleness in the face of suffering brings conversion to them all in surprising and unexpected ways. The Dry Wood offers a vital contribution to the modern literary canon and a profound meditation on the purpose of human suffering.

Caryll Houselander is best known for the intensity of her vision of the suffering Christ and His immeasurable love for us, a theme that she frequently spoke of with breathtaking luminosity in her many books about Him.

Few know, however, of the many remarkable stories she wrote for Catholic children -- delightful tales that are simple but not shallow. Indeed, like her books for adults, they manifest a tender love of Christ and His little ones not commonly found among us these days.

Here are twelve of Houselander's best tales, charmingly illustrated with Renee George's lively drawings of pirates and princesses, castles and kings.

Through the tale of Jack and Jim, even young children will grasp the meaning of Christ's suffering; in Racla the Gypsy, they'll discover the charity which is at the heart of the Eucharist; in the The Cure's Guest, they'll see how Christ makes up for the sins of others.

Other stories touch on other Catholic themes, but these tales are not really catechetical. Yes, they do take for granted that Catholicism plays a large role in the lives of these children, especially prayer and the Mass. But they do something more . . . and more important.

Tale after tale introduces children to the tender love that Jesus has for each of them, and to the fire of love for Him that can burn in the heart of Catholics -- even in the hearts of little ones like themselves.

There is no better gift you can give to a young child.

Twelve lessons focus on important teachings of the Catholic faith, including our relationship with God, the consequences of sin, and events in the life of Jesus.

"The Way of the Cross is a glorious meditative journey in which readers are led to meet themselves through re-experiencing the Passion of Christ. Each of the 14 meditations concludes with an original prayer. This revised edition is enhanced by 14 of the author's own powerful line drawings.

Sheed and Ward, London, 1990. Soft Cover. Book Condition: New. 8vo - over 73/4" - 93/4" tall. Brand new, unread. Seldom found this pristine. Caryll Houselander's spirituality brings to light the importance of Our Lady and Suffering.