Best Catholic Books of All-Time

I have read 30 of the titles you listed, so I won't write them all out here. I have also read some of the other authors, but different titles. It's not easy to pick favorites, but I'll try. These are not in any particular order:
Anything by Chesterton, I read all of those listed before age 25.
Journal of a Soul made a huge impression on me when I was in college.
I loved The Seven Story Mountain when I was in high school.
The Diary of a Country Priest helped me understand priests are human.
I like Flannery O'Conner's compiled letters in A Habit of Being even more than her stories.
My high school teacher gave me Spiritual Combat, and it was very helpful in taming me down.
I loved Sheen's Life of Christ.
The Imitation of Christ is probably an all time favorite.
Story of a Soul is tied with Imitation.

I feel there are wonderful books missing from the list. You might one day try these, too:
The Way of a Pilgrim
The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena
The Practice of the Presence of God
Ascent to Love by Ruth Burrows
Reed of God by Houselander
Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly
Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers

You most likely have a long life ahead of you, so take your time. No need to rush!

Ruth Ann: Wow! Thanks for the extra recommendations. I'm already preparing a post with other classic spiritual books that didn't make this list.

And I'm envious that you jumped on spiritual literature at such a young age. I wish people would have encouraged such a pursuit when I was in high school in college. I'm going to recommend the same books that you read as a young adult to my own children when they reach that age.

Brent: Yeah I try not to read too fast, for the very reasons you mentioned. A good book is one that has been chewed before digested. Nevertheless, I've already read 14 of these titles, so I can make my goal by reading one per month-and-a-half.

Adrian Fortescue wrote some great history books that are very readable. Check out his work on the Eastern Orthodox Church

So happy Kristen Lavransdatter is on there! They're some of my favorite books, and too many people don't know about them.

Thanks for compiling this list!

It's not on the list but try Fr William Doyle by Alfred O'Rahilly. Fr Doyle was an Irish Jesuit who was a military chaplain in WW1. It is an astounding book which combines adventure and deep spiritual insight. St Josemaria Escriva read it as a young priest and was deeply moved.

You can find a link to the book at this site dedicated to Fr Doyle: http://www.fatherdoyle.com

If you're looking for 'great books', you can hardly do better than the Great Books of the Western World:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the_Western_World

A few months ago I was lucky enough to find a complete, pristine set of all 60+ books on Craigslist for $100.

I see partial sets all the time at used bookstores and library sales, though.

Don't waste your time with Thomas Merton, other than that the list is great.

Donna: As a Lewis fanatic, I count "The Great Divorce" as one of his best books: it highlights both his imagination and his sharp theological mind.

Brother Paul: Why the distaste for Merton? I know some criticized his rubbing shoulders with Eastern religions, but is there something beyond that?

Carl: I'll agree with each of those. And as an Ignatius man, you'll be pleased to know that my BoC--Bible of Choice--is the RSV, 2nd Catholic edition (especially the Ignatius Catholic NT).

As for the Fathers, I've been slowly making my way through the Jurgens three-volume set. You have any favorite books on patristics?

As for the Fathers, I've been slowly making my way through the Jurgens three-volume set. You have any favorite books on patristics?

Jurgens is a great resource, or any of the various selected collections of the Apostolic Fathers or early Church Fathers, among them Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words by Rod Bennett (Ignatius, 2002). I would also highly recommend two books by J.N.D. Kelly: Early Christian Creeds and Early Christian Doctrines, which are very helpful studies that contain a wealth of quotes. Another helpful book (that might be hard to find) is Handbook of Patrology (Herder, 1951), by Rev. J. Tixeront. And while I've not read it, I assume that Jimmy Akin's new book, The Fathers Know Best, is a good introduction. Finally, a pretty good resource for those interested in both patristics and Scripture is the Ancient Christian Commentary set, published by IVP.

Personally, I think Fr. Dubay's Fire Within is his best book (of the ones I've read), and it should be on the list. Also missing is Blessed Columba Marmion (I like Union with God best). What about Dietrich von Hildebrand's Transfiguration in Christ? Fr Raoul Plus is good, too.

So many books, so little time... I'm sure we all have our own list of classics to add. I will say that Shusaku Endo's 'Silence' struck me in a profound way at a time when I was losing my faith -- and made me hang on with the thinnest of tethers. It was a true gift of the Holy Spirit.
I waded through the Seven Story Mountain only to be thunderstruck at the beginning of part 2 as Merton spoke seemingly to me alone.
And today, Escriva's The Way and The Furrow are genuinely remarkable in keeping my head and soul screwed on straight while my parish is in the process of suppression.
Thanks for the Post!

Great list! Might I suggest A Canticle for Leibowitz (for us Catholic/Sci-Fi buffs) under Literary Classics?

Have read 48 of what is a solid collection.

Just off the top of my head:

I would add Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory, though Endo's Silence explores similar themes.

Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov is remarkable, even if he was a bit of an anti-Catholic in his Orthodox perspective. Certainly a must read.

One category missing is the liturgy. I would recommend both Romano Guardini's The Spirit of the Liturgy along with Cardinal Ratzinger's book of the same title. In fact not having Ratzinger's "Introduction to Christianity" is a serious knock against this list.

On the Church Fathers I would recommend Rod Bennetts "Four Witnesses" along with Jimmy Akin's "The Fathers Know Best", but of course Carl's suggestion is great.

Urs von Balthasar's Heart o the World is also amazing, but i guess I could go on and on.

Of course we want to mention titles left out. What an incredible intellectual heritage we are heirs to!

The Spiritual Life (Tanqueray) is remarkable for its clarity of exposition on sin, helping immensely to know one's self.

Chesterton - I found "Heretics" as useful as "Orthodoxy".

"Love and Responsibility" by Pope JPII is challenging but so rich as an antidote to the modern idea of who a man is. Probably the one I most wish for my college age children to absorb.

Sorry for the really late reply on Thomas Merton, I did not think to check back due to other kinds of research.

I think that he had too great a fascination with the eastern religions and that anyone reading him has to be well grounded in theology and knowing well what Christian prayer is not before reading him.

Personally I will never read him devotionally because there are far too many saints whose wisdom is well acknowledged for me to waste time reading someone who may or may not be in error because of an undue fascination with false religion.

If I do read him it will be with a hermeneutic of suspicion.

God Bless

More recent "Best" Catholic Books: "A Travel Guide to Heaven" by Anthony DeStefano & BJP2G's "TOB" and "Love & Responsibility"! Thanks for the list, Brandon!

While Newman's Parochial and Plain Sermons are justly famous, I'm not sure they belong on the list under the heading "The basics of Catholicism". They are from his Anglican days and the theology reflects this.

St Thomas More's The Sadness of Christ I enjoyed greatly, but his Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation is also a must read.

Pierre Camus' The Spirit of Saint Francis De Sales deserves to be under the heading Holy Men and Women.

A Scripture Category would have been nice. Aquinas' Catena Aurea and his commentaries on John and Romans would deserve to be on the list (I'd include his whole pauline corpus). Also, Bernardine de Piconio's Exposition of the Epistles of St Paul, Maldonado's commentaries on the Gospels, and Lapide's Great Commentary (ponderous at times, but its influence was significant). Finally, I'd recommend the three volume Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (This Should make Mr. Olson very happy).

Combining Patristics and Scripture I'd recommend Chrysostom's homiletic commentaries; the previously mentioned Catena Aurea and the commentaries of Jerome and Bede.

Quasten's multi-volume Patrology provides a comprehensive introduction to the lives and thoughts of the Fathers of the Church.

I was so happy to see Cormac Burke's Covenanted Happiness on the list -- one of the greatest books I have ever read!

I have read Sertillanges' "Intellectual Life" many times, and always keep it close for reference. Often a single paragraph or even a sentence provides enough fruit for contemplation or inspiration. I try to read at least parts of "The Intellectual Life" and Chautard's "Soul of the Apostolate" once of year.

I would add to your Classics section The Little Flowers of Saint Francis by Brother Ugolino di Monte Santa Maria written around 1325. The edition by Raphael Brown is the best one I've seen.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arts-of-learning-and-communication-benedict-m-ashley/1102570688?ean=9781606089316

I love books....and I love my Catholic faith.....and yet I have read or have in my library very few of these. I don't see any of the Anne Catherine Emmerich books, or Mary of Agreda's City of God. Perhaps because I am a woman they speak more easily to my heart.