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After love, book collecting is the most exhilarating sport of all. -- A Book Hunter's Holiday, A. S. W. Rosenbach
 

Title of Book: A New Religious America (order)
Author of Book: Diana L. Eck

This book grew from the Pluralism Project in which Eck and her students explored the growing complexity of the religious landscapes in their hometowns. Largely due to the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act, more people with beliefs and practices outside of the Judeo-Christian tradition live in the U.S. than ever before. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam have each established a place within their larger communities in the U.S. Hindu communities commit to building temples which remain open day and night. Buddhism, which at first received teachers from the East to establish new communities, now sends Western teachers to Japan and Thailand. Muslims and their neighbors learn it is not enough to just live next to one another; only by receiving and accepting open invitations can stereotypes be challenged. Overall, Eck reminds us there is great pleasure in knowing one another.

Title of Book: Dante (order)
Author of Book: R. W. B. Lewis

As Lewis concludes his Penguin biography of Dante, he writes, "Dante is the universal presence in literature around the globe, to a degree matched only by Shakespeare." Lewis's book brings Dante's life and poem, the Divine Comedy, to readers who may be overwhelmed by a comprehensive account of his life. In the early 1300's, Dante's Florence was a city of ugly politics and powerful families, merchants, and guilds. The barricaded wall surrounding Florence at this time "gave shape and identity to a great city." For Dante, a well-run city, the opposite of Florence, was the ideal for human habitation. Lewis moves us through the three parts--the Inferno, the Pugatorio, and the Paradiso--of Dante's most famous work, showing us how Dante built his cities of heaven and hell. Lewis's book resulted in perhaps the best consequence of reading a literary biography: it made me want to read the Divine Comedy again.