“Mr. William Canton’s ‘A Child’s Book of Saints’ is everywhere spoken as the children’s book of the year.” -The Bookman, Volumes 14-16, April, 1898

“Beautiful stories exceedingly well told in poet’s prose.” -The Spectator

“As a piece of fine taste and perfect workmanship has no rival among the Christmas books of the present year. The name of Mr. Canton is a guarantee for delicate, beautiful, and original writing….A haunting touch of genius…no rival as faithful and tender records at first-hand of the child-mind…A spontaneity that almost disguises the skill of the artist. In writing ‘A Child’s Book of Saints,’ Mr. Canton had no common task. The beautiful stories of saints and angels have never yet been put in a fitting literary vesture, or rather, we should say, Mr. Canton is the first to provide them with a clothing of wrought gold. To take these stories and make the Catholic in the full sense, and bring them home to the hearts and imaginations of English children, it was necessary for the writer to conceive and produce a style of his own – a style in which to render them adequately Throughout this volume the writing is fascinating and musical. With all its beauty and grace, it has a certain serious depth….As English writing, a style fitted to the substance, few books are more triumphantly successful. The result is a volume for children of all ages – a pioneer work, in short, pointing to the accomplishment of a still greater task, a classical collection of the lives of the Saints.” -The Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality, Volume 24, October, 1898

Contents

IN THE FOREST OF STONE

THE SONG OF THE MINSTER

THE PILGRIM OF A NIGHT

THE ANCIENT GODS

PURSUING THE DREAM OF THE WHITE LARK

THE HERMIT OF THE PILLAR

KENACH’S LITTLE WOMAN

GOLDEN APPLES AND ROSES RED

THE SEVEN YEARS OF SEEKING THE GUARDIANS OF THE DOOR

ON THE SHORES OF LONGING

THE CHILDREN OF SPINALUNGA

THE SIN OF THE PRINCE BISHOP

THE LITTLE BEDESMAN OF CHRIST

THE BURNING OF ABBOT SPIRIDION

THE COUNTESS ITHA

THE STORY OF THE LOST BROTHER

THE KING ORGULOUS

THE JOURNEY OF RHEINFRID

LIGHTING THE LAMPS