The Flowering Hawthorn

This book tells the story of the coming of Christianity to the English-speaking world and features the beautiful legend of the flowering hawthorn that blossoms every Christmas. Hugh Ross Williamson relates, with charm and understanding, the story of the flowering hawthorn and Glastonbury. He tells of St. Joseph of Arimathea, who lowered Jesus from the Cross and buried Him; of the Abbey at Glastonbury which became the "second Rome"; of Dunstan and Henry of Blois, who forged a state from antagonistic elements; of the great soldiers, Alfred and Arthur, who saved faith and order from threatening chaos and made themselves legends forever; of St. Patrick, patron Saint of Ireland; of St. David, patron Saint of Wales; of the destruction Glastonbury by the Puritans, its desolation until the present century, and its restoration-all inextricably interwoven with the story of Glastonbury and the flowering hawthorn. Beautifully illustrated with magnificent woodcuts by Clare Leighton, movingly written by Hugh Ross Williamson -historian, novelist, playwright, actor-and expressly designed to complement the story, this attractive volume will prove the ideal gift. Includes an "afterword" about the author, the illustrator and their book. Gold embossed hardcover, 60 lb. cream paper, smyth-sewn, 104 handsome pages.