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Rating: 
Summary: You don't need to be a Catholic to enjoy this book
Review: - I'm not, but I did. A compelling collection of hard historical fact, complex theological issues and magnificent trivia, this is not only a great reference book but read cover-to-cover makes a great yet compact history of the Roman Church - and indeed of Rome, Italy, Europe, western civilization etc.
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Summary: A Female Pope?!?
Review: Any book that deals with the topic of Pope Joan, the only female pope, and does not do it with guffaws for comic relief, is a keeper in my library. He also includes a Pope whose four day papacy before his death, never gave him the time to be "sworn in"! Now that is a complete study. Feminism and curiosity aside, though, this is a valuable reference that is also enjoyable reading. My favorite attraction is that for each Pope, Kelly directs you to the best sources for more information on everyone of the Popes he has studied. As interesting groups of people go, it just doesn't get any more interesting than these guys!
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Summary: Top Notch Theological Resource
Review: For the serious theologian, be it of the lay or ordained variety, this is a great resource.Here, chronologically, the renowned historian Kelly provides insightful, concise historical background into the papacy. One can be assured that his research is spotless, since his early church knowledge and expertise is renown. This is continued here. Great to have the bibliographical resources for each entry, knowing that Kelly has sorted the possibilities out and provided valuable service in providing primary assets to investigate. I'll be referring to mine often in historical research. Anyone who delves into this prominent area will want this valuable, economic resource in their library.
Rating: 
Summary: A needed scholarly overview.
Review: The late Church of England clergyman and Oxford scholar JND Kelly has, in his "The Oxford Dictionary of Popes" provided a needed resource accessible to scholars, clergy, and laity alike, and is valuable for both Protestants and Catholics. The "Dictionary" summarizes the life, important acts and writings, and controversies surrounding the Successors to St. Peter, and the various pretenders to that throne. He doesn't pull any punches -- several of the medieval and Renassiance era popes get the short shrift that they so desperately deserve! But these brief biographies are written without rancor, without agenda, and with good bibliographic references so the reader can identify the primary source material. Furthermore, Kelly seperates fact from fiction, debunking David Yallop's "In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I" and the various legends surrounding the ficticious "Pope Joan". All in all, a valuable reference text that belongs on the shelf of every historian, clergyman and theological scholar.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is excellent. I don't know where to start. Often, we study history with respect to different countries, geographical areas, or religions. This book draws them all together. It provides insight into what these men were thinking, and the personal and political influences they had to deal with. Really interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is excellent. I don't know where to start. Often, we study history with respect to different countries, geographical areas, or religions. This book draws them all together. It provides insight into what these men were thinking, and the personal and political influences they had to deal with. Really interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Mirabilis!
Review: Without a doubt, this is the best available general resource source on papal histories, well referenced and organized with a no-nonsense writing style that makes it both an invaluable source of information for scholars and a fun book to just open to a random page and read. The collection of papal mini-biographies here is the most complete I know of, including even the various anti-popes and the historically questionable Pope Joan. Where the available information is incomplete or contradictory, author, editor and researcher J.N.D. Kelly usually points that out. Other books give more information about specific aspects of the papacy, but none offers such a wide range of information between two compact covers. My one complaint is a minor one: Mr. Kelly's judgments about what did and did not happen and who should and should not have been pope (regarding everything from Pope Joan and the anti-popes to conspiracy theories surrounding the unexpected death of Pope John Paul I in 1978) tend toward the official Vatican view more often than I'd like. But a book has to take some point of view, and if Mr. Kelly had done the opposite I'd probably be complaining now that he was a bit too antagonistic for my taste. All in all, this is an irreplaceable resource for any theologian, religious scholar, or intellectually curious reader.
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