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Rating: 
Summary: Interesting compendium of information
Review: For most of us, irrespective of our religious orientation, the Papacy is a religious institution the responsibility for which was purportedly handed from Jesus to his disciple Peter and from him to his successors unto modern times. While it cannot be denied that the Church has had a pervasive influence through time and space, the Chronicle of the Popes by P. G. Maxwell-Stuart makes it abundantly clear that the Roman Catholic Church and its head were much more than mere relgious bystanders in world history. For much of its existance the Papacy was a temporal power subject to the political realities of its times, the luck, stengths and weaknesses of the individuals serving in the role of Pope, and the machinations of the other powers around it with agendas of their own. Setting aside the religious aspect of the institution, Chronicle of the Popes reads like the history of a small kingdom struggling to exist in the face of fierce competition, international intrigue and vast social changes. Maxwell-Stuart discusses the excesses of some of the Popes, their attempts to advance the causes of members of their own families, the furtherence of the interests of illegitimate children, the sale of church offices and indulgences, and the repression of other religious points of view. He discusses the bravery of early leaders who persisted in their pursuit of their religious beliefs despite the personal danger in which this placed them, and the efforts of church leaders to define the institution as a religious construct in times as rapidly changing as our own. It becomes apparent that the Church underwent changes in orientation, stressing temporal over spiritual or the reverese, as political circumstances dictated the need. In fact one might almost compare this to the invisble hand that directs supply and demand economics. Though from a strictly religious standpoint it often failed to meet the expectations of its purported founders, the Papacy served a mediating political influence on the behaviors of the world powers around it and contributed to the evolution of the world in which we presently live. Given that it outlived most of the political entities that it encountered throughout it's history, one might almost say it provided a critical element of stability that permitted that evolution. The author, Peter Maxwell-Stuart, has served as Head of both the History Department and the Classics Faculty at Chesterton College, Cambridge, and his present work reflects this orientation; he does not appear to have any pet religious orientation to advance. Like any good historian he approaches his subject as a study of a political and social institution and one of considerable longevity. The book is beautifully illustrated with reproductions of early art and architecture, which make the personalities of the various Popes and their world setting clearer for the reader. Charts recording the known data regarding each church leader summarize the pertinate information in a manner that clarifies the text well. This is a truely readable book and one which I will pass on to a friend with similar interests.
Rating: 
Summary: Less Than Meets the Eye
Review: Frankly, I was disappointed with this book. On the plus side, the illustrations are numerous and fascinating. The book is a treasury of portraits, maps, and timelines. The text is another matter. Throughout, the author adopts the role of papal apologist far more often than the role of objective historian. For those who would like their papal history without the rose-colored glasses, I would recommend McBrien's, "Lives of the Popes", De Rosa's, "Vicars of Christ", and J.N.D. Kelly's, "Oxford Dictionary of Popes".
Rating:
Summary: An essential reference for the Medieval /Church Historian
Review: I am a History Major in college and one of my area's of interest is the Middle Ages (400AD-1500AD). Of course this means that to study the time of the Middle Ages, one must study Papal History as well. I find that this book is essential in researching not only the history of the Papacy but also the Emperors who were allies and enemies of individual Popes. This reference is easy to follow, outstanding timeline references, great drawings, paintings and pictures, but MOST OF ALL it has the brief history of each Pope since St. Peter and also significant achievements of each Pope as well. It also tells about other significant events around the world during the history of the Catholic Church as well. Without this reference book (I consider it a tool) I would be at a definite disadvantage. This book is a MUST have for Medieval-Church Historians as well as those who are Medieval History Buffs as well.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to reference, yet enough material to do good research
Review: I bought this book, because I already have the Chronicles of the Pharaohs & the Roman Emperors. I haven't read it thru yet, but it's great to have beside other books when I want to know something about a special pope. Now I see there's also one about Chinese Emperors. That will be the next book to buy!
Rating:
Summary: Great Concept but...
Review: The illustrations in this book are wonderful, but the descriptions are not very detailed, and the book does not give references. For example, it is said that a particular pope was highly critisized, but it doesn't say by whom or what was the pope's response -- if any -- to that criticism. (Nor does it cite any documents that critisize him.) It accuses another pope of "extensive" nepotism, without mentioning which members of his family he gave jobs to or even how many people the author means by "extensive" and again no references are given. I did not find the "rose colored glasses" nor apologist approach that another reviewer mentioned, but the lack of references made this book of limited, and questionable, value.
Rating:
Summary: Great Concept but...
Review: The illustrations in this book are wonderful, but the descriptions are not very detailed, and the book does not give references. For example, it is said that a particular pope was highly critisized, but it doesn't say by whom or what was the pope's response -- if any -- to that criticism. (Nor does it cite any documents that critisize him.) It accuses another pope of "extensive" nepotism, without mentioning which members of his family he gave jobs to or even how many people the author means by "extensive" and again no references are given. I did not find the "rose colored glasses" nor apologist approach that another reviewer mentioned, but the lack of references made this book of limited, and questionable, value.
Rating: 
Summary: Good chronicle of the office, short on details
Review: The papacy is one of the more interesting offices in the world - in essence the oldest democracy in the world. The pope, in spite of the notion that he is appointed by God, is elected by bishops, and as the book reveals, often with less-than-holy intentions. The biggest asset for this book is the illustrations of the popes, with the art reflecting the evolution of the religion and the European Renaissance. But the book is really more of a timeline of the office, rather than biographies of the indivdual pontiffs. Often, entire reigns are lumped together as a general trend in the papacy, and some popes earn no more than a quick mention of their ascention. Granted, many of them deserve no more, but for those curious as to the individual stories behind each Father, this book will come up lacking. Even some of the more sordid and disgraceful popes, like John XII or Alexander IV, are taken in stride in this chronicle, where the reader probably would have appreciated a bit more detail on the story. The history of the Throne of Peter is one of the more intriguing tales in European history, and to have them reported in this sterile manner doesn't do justice for those fascinated by the men under the mitres. But for those who want to see a general progresion of the office and its evolution from humble beginnings to corrupt demagogue to modern and politically inactive spiritual leader, this book is a good tool. Plus, in a genre and with a topic that is rarely the subject of unbiased scrutany, it has value in its objective portrayal of bizarre and often sacriligous history of the Holy See.
Rating:
Summary: Good chronicle of the office, short on details
Review: The papacy is one of the more interesting offices in the world - in essence the oldest democracy in the world. The pope, in spite of the notion that he is appointed by God, is elected by bishops, and as the book reveals, often with less-than-holy intentions. The biggest asset for this book is the illustrations of the popes, with the art reflecting the evolution of the religion and the European Renaissance. But the book is really more of a timeline of the office, rather than biographies of the indivdual pontiffs. Often, entire reigns are lumped together as a general trend in the papacy, and some popes earn no more than a quick mention of their ascention. Granted, many of them deserve no more, but for those curious as to the individual stories behind each Father, this book will come up lacking. Even some of the more sordid and disgraceful popes, like John XII or Alexander IV, are taken in stride in this chronicle, where the reader probably would have appreciated a bit more detail on the story. The history of the Throne of Peter is one of the more intriguing tales in European history, and to have them reported in this sterile manner doesn't do justice for those fascinated by the men under the mitres. But for those who want to see a general progresion of the office and its evolution from humble beginnings to corrupt demagogue to modern and politically inactive spiritual leader, this book is a good tool. Plus, in a genre and with a topic that is rarely the subject of unbiased scrutany, it has value in its objective portrayal of bizarre and often sacriligous history of the Holy See.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiffully illustrated guide to Catholic history
Review: This book was a bit of a disappointment in that it was shorter than I expected. However the art is beautfiul the biographies are intriguing, and all the extra information they have included in tersm of myths about the papacy, church history, and various other insersts was really interesting.
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