32 Books That Will Take You Deeper into Dante's Comedy

As longtime readers of the blog are aware, I'm a huge fan, student and teacher, of the great Dante Alighieri (I blogged my way through most of Inferno, check it out if you missed it - and yes, I plan on finishing posting the rest of Inferno at some point). I have read his masterpiece well over a half dozen times and his letters and minor works each at least once.

I've just finished teaching The Divine Comedy at a parish in the south and thought I'd share my "suggested reading" list here with my blog readers. The books under each heading are listed in order, from easiest to hardest. For the beginning student in any of these topics, I recommend reading just the first one (or two) choices. If you are more advanced, feel free to dive into the harder choices.

Each title is also a link to purchase the book online at Amazon.

SCRIPTURE
The Gospel of Mark
The Gospels
The Psalms
The Holy Bible (RSV-CE)
The Holy Bible (Douay Rheims)

GENERAL CHRISTIANITY
Kevin Vost, The Seven Deadly Sins
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
Introduction to Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI

BIOGRAPHY
RWB Lewis, Dante, A Life (Penguin Lives) 
Giovanni Boccaccio, Life of Dante 
Leonardo Bruni, Life of Dante
Robert Hollander, Dante: A Life in Works

HISTORY
RWB Lewis, The City of Florence
Dino Compagni, Chronicle of Florence
Giovanni Villani, Chronicle of Florence (at least books 7, 8 & 9)

AQUINAS
Kevin Vost, One Minute Aquinas
Edward Feser, Aquinas, A Beginners Guide 
Peter Kreeft, A Shorter Summa
Peter Kreeft, Summa of the Summa 
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae 
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles

CATHOLICISM
YouCat
Catechism of the Catholic Church for Adults
Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs 
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catechism of the Catholic Church

OTHER
Mortimer Adler, Aristotle for Everybody 
Guy Raffa, Danteworlds
Dante Alighieri, Vita Nuova (New Life) 
Ovid, Metamorphosis (at least selections) 
Virgil, The Aeneid (at least Book 6)
Dante Alighieri, The Banquet
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 

There are many other great books to read on the subject, of course, but these are a great place to start. I'm currently in the middle of Marco Santagata's Dante: The Story of His Life, which has been solid so far.

And here's a little motivation to get started.

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Election Season Advice from CS Lewis

Here's a sample of my latest article for Catholic365.

Voting season is in full swing.

We have already been subjected to, from one party, a nativism that extolls love of country and, from the other, a globalism that despises it. What attitude should a Catholic agree with?

Should we believe that patriotism is a great good, a great evil, or something else entirely?
Is preserving the distinctions of our own nation, of our own culture, something to aspire to or something to avoid?

Our 'globalists' (those on the left on this issue) seek what they term 'cultural diversity.'

What does that mean? 

Read the rest at Catholic365: C.S. Lewis on Patriotism