Dale Ahlquist does a wonderful job of introducing Chesterton’s commentary, wit and wisdom to the new reader of Chesterton, and I think it may very well be the best book to start reading on Chesterton. In fact, it’s probably better than reading Chesterton cold turkey, because it takes various Chesterton comments and principles and organizes it into a unified whole so that the new reader can understand him better and more completely. I’m a newcomer to Chesterton, but am amassing a small but treasured collection of works by and about him. As a Southern Baptist, I never accepted some of the more banal beliefs sometimes heard about Catholocism, and now, due to Chesterton and Ahlquist, I understand Catholocism possibly better than a good many Catholics do, and I value that greatly. I don’t believe I could ever turn away from the Church that brought me to Jesus some 52 years ago, but I sure can appreciate the value of the Catholic church now, and its wholeness and clear theology. That ain’t no small thing, folks! This is probably the best book to start out with to come to an understanding of Chesterton. He clarifies so much that I’ve always known, inately, but could never quite put into words. He truly has a gift that I’ve found in no other author, anywhere. I very highly recommend this book. It may challenge you, and it must be read with a strict and earnest and whole-hearted search for the simple Truth, but other than that, it’s very easy reading, very entertaining, at times very humorous, and wholely worth the time to read. I don’t say that about many books, but this one, and this author, has EARNED it!
