Saints: A Visual Almanac of the Virtuous, Pure, Praiseworthy, and Good

For beauty, humor, pathos, and captivating detail, few stories can equal those of the saints: Ursula was slaughtered by the Huns along with 11,000 other virgins; Joseph of Cupertino was legendary for recognizing sinners, whose faces appeared black to him; an angel dropped down a chastity belt for Thomas Aquinas. Lushly illustrated with portraits drawn from medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary sources, this elegant book offers concise, accessible retellings of over 120 saints' lives, from the renowned and popular to the obscure, together with a list of their attributes and feast days. For anyone interested in religious or art history, or for those looking either for inspiration or a patron saint, this appealing compendium is a beautiful, informative guide to the glories -- and weaknesses -- of sainthood and saints.

Tom Morgan is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York. He runs a design firm in San Francisco and has designed for the Pace Gallery, as well as for many other companies, including Chronicle Books. His interest in art and the legends of the saints inspired him to write Saints, the first book he has authored.