The Collected Works: "Man Who was Thursday", "Club of Queer Trades", "Napoleon of Notting Hill", "Ball and the Cross" v. 6 [Paperback]

The Club of Queer Trades - Not quite like the Father Brown mystery stories but very close. GKC traces the adventures of a club comprised of men and women who invented their own trade. You usually don't understand the trade until the end of the story, and the book never disappoints.

The Man Who Was Thursday - This is probably the most famous of all Chesterton books. The book describes the attempts of a Scotland yard detective to infiltrate a secret anarchist society. The garden party conversations between anarchists are laugh out loud funny. I'm still fascinated by the ending, mainly because I don't understand it.

The Ball and Cross - Chesterton's hilarious story of how an adamant Catholic duels to the death with an ardent atheist is a worthy read. Chesterton systematically critiques popular delusions of educated thinking as the book unfolds. The atheist and the Catholic grow closer together through their duel, and realize that they understand each other better than the other characters understand either of them. Chesterton's wit is second to none and if you liked Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis, you will love this book.

I've loaned two of these books to friends, and both of them were immediate fans. If you find this collection interesting, try the Napoleon of Notting Hill also by GKC.

The Club of Queer Trades is by far the funniest story I have ever read! I assure you that it will keep you rolling on the floor from the beginning to the end of the story.

This was my introduction to GK Chesterton, and I loved it! The charming zaniness of The Club of Queer Trades enchanted me, and I found the other stories to be remarkably profound.

The Club of Queer Trades made me chuckle, and the delightful charcoal illustrations by Chesterton himself added to the simple pleasure of incredibly silly, very clever "detective" stories. I read "The Remarkable Adventures of Major Brown" to three of my younger siblings.

The Man Who Was Thursday was beautiful in its blend of insanity and philosophy. I read the book of Job from the Bible as a sort of companion to it, and it made the story much more poignant... I loved Thursday's realization that they had descended into the very depths of hell for one reason... so that they could turn to the accuser (the literal meaning of "Satan") and say, "You lie!" It's one of those books that is both simple and silly, and incredibly deep and profound at the same time.

The Napoleon of Notting Hill was absolutely charming. Chesterton's description of the age-old game of "Cheat-the-Prophet" is wonderful. One can almost see it all unfolding before one's eyes, and the delightful incongruity of the Charter of Cities is immensely amusing. And when all this farce is turned into an epic - when one man, one mad poet, Adam Wayne (coincidence that his name means "Man"?)takes this seriously, clings to the wonderful, amazing sanctity of the most every day things, announces his willingness to kill and be killed for one small street - it is just insane enough to be believable. And at the end, when all has fallen in ruin and all is dark, then the questions are asked and the answers are found. Quinn, the madman, the artist of humor turned king who has created the charter of cities, says, Suppose I am God, and suppose that all this I have made is nothing more than a joke to me. To which Adam Wayne, the madman, the poet, the patriot replies, And suppose that I am man, and I give the answer that shatters even a laugh. Suppose I stand under the stars and thank you, with a literal pain of ecstasy, for this fool's paradise you have created. The book ends with Adam and Auberon, two halves of the same brain, leaving to wander the world together.

Finally, the Ball and the Cross. This is my favorite book of Chesterton, and I love the parable that Father Michael gives of the man who tried to destroy all the cross and ended up being found in the river. (Stand up with your arms stretched out to each side, left and right, and your legs together) The two protagonists, MacIan and Turnbull are equally likable, and that each one is willing to die for their faith makes it all but impossible to know which is the better man. Of course, as a Catholic, I am biased; but I digress. Basically, MacIan reads Turnbull's comparison of Mary, Mother of God, to women seduced by gods in Mesopotamian mythology, smashes Turnbull's shop window, and challenges him to a duel that will only end when one or the other of them is dead or converted. I really like how Turnbull gets to the heart of a truly heated philosophical debate with his quote: "One cannot be really angry at a bad man, but a good man who is in the wrong - My God! It makes you thirst for his blood." My complaint is that they don't have the entire story in this collection. If you are able to read the entire version somewhere else, please do. I was a little miffed that I had to buy a separate copy of this wonderful novel.