In this volume Christopher Dawson outlines his main thesis for the history of culture, which was his life's work. Anthropology, sociology, philosophy, religion and history form the backdrop for the key idea of his thought - namely, that religion is the soul of a culture and that a society or culture which has lost its spiritual roots is a dying culture. To Dawson, a return to the Christian culture that had formed Western civilization was the only remedy for a world adrift. Dawson was writing in a period between the two great wars of the 20th century, a time when some thought that the idea of progress had finally been discredited by the carnage and barbarism of World War I. This text was designed to challenge the doctrine of progress, the rather naive but persistent belief that ""in every day and in every way the world grows better and better"". Dawson argued that Western civilization was at a turning point and confronted with two real choices: reappropriate a vital Christian culture or move increasingly toward more dangerous and alienated expressions of consumerism and totalitarianism. In this volume, he contends that no culture could truly thrive if cut off from its religious roots.

Nelson Mandela is one of the world's most revered public figures, a man synonymous with the long, bitter struggle to rid South Africa of an apartheid regime and replace it with a multi-racial democracy. Today he is seen as the face of world freedom, an ambassador for civil rights, a heroic liberator whose influence and image of moral integrity extend way beyond his homeland. Fully illustrated, this book chronicles the remarkable life of Nelson Mandela, from his days as a student activist and guerrilla leader to his position as iconic statesman. After spending 27 years in prison, his eventual release and election as South Africa's first black president were landmark events in 20th century history.

The Compact Guide: Nelson Mandela is the definitive short chronicle of perhaps the most recognised and best-loved statesman and activist in history. Starting from the very beginning of Mandela's life in the tribal Thembu clan, read how this unassuming young man became a figure that led the people of South Africa into a new world, away from the apartheid regime and into a multi-racial democracy. Nelson Mandela will always be seen as the face of world freedom, an ambassador for civil rights, and a heroic liberator whose influence and image of moral integrity extended way beyond his homeland. He spent 27 years in prison; his eventual release and election as South Africa's first black president were landmark events in twentieth-century history. Packed with narrative colour, this is the essential life of one of the world's most revered leaders.