The Select Life and Works of Thomas More presents the writings and biographies of Thomas More, a saint and statesman who was martyred during the bloody reign of King Henry VIII. Learn about this fascinating Reformation martyr through his own words and faithful biographical sketches. This collection includes More’s influential Utopia and his controversial The Supplication of Souls. You’ll encounter More’s sharp humor throughout this collection, particularly in The Wisdom and Wit of Blessed Thomas More. Four biographies present the facts of More’s life, including an intimate portrait by his son-in-law William Roper and another by his great-grandson Cresacre More.

Noted Catholic author Thomas E. Bridgett highlights Thomas More’s characteristic wisdom and humor, and contributes an essay on More. Bridgett divides More’s writings into five categories: Ascetic; Dogmatic; Illustrative of the Period; Fancies, Sports, and Merry Tales; and Colloquial and Quaint Phrases.

Biographer Thomas E. Bridgett quotes Thomas More’s impatience with pious depictions of the saints’ lives, “They have scarcely left a life of martyr or of virgin without foisting into it something untrue.” To avoid committing this himself, Bridgett collated the biographies of More from reliable resources to present the facts of More’s life and character as they appear in this volume.