The Everlasting Man »

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, play writing, journalism, public lecturing and debating, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. Chesterton has been called the "prince of paradox". Time magazine, in a review of a biography of Chesterton, observed of his writing style: "Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out." For example, Chesterton wrote the following: Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it. Chesterton is well known for his reasoned apologetics and even some of those who disagree with him have recognized the universal appeal of such works as Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man. Chesterton, as a political thinker, cast aspersions on both liberalism and conservatism, saying: The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected. Chesterton routinely referred to himself as an "orthodox" Christian, and came to identify such a position with Catholicism more and more, eventually converting to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism. George Bernard Shaw, Chesterton's "friendly enemy" according to Time, said of him, "He was a man of colossal genius".

Chesterton's view of Christianity — as a blend of philosophy and mythology, satisfying intellect and spirit — applies to his brilliant book, which appeals to readers' heads as well as their hearts.

Preface to the Hendrickson Publishers Edition     vii
Preface to the First Edition     xiii
Introduction: The Plan of This Book     3
On the Creature Called Man
The Man in the Cave     17
Professors and Prehistoric Men     34
The Antiquity of Civilization     49
God and Comparative Religion     74
Man and Mythologies     92
The Demons and the Philosophers     107
The War of the Gods and Demons     128
The End of the World     142
On the Man Called Christ
The God in the Cave     159
The Riddles of the Gospel     175
The Strangest Story in the World     188
The Witness of the Heretics     203
The Escape from Paganism     221
The Five Deaths of the Faith     238
Conclusion: The Summary of This Book     249
On Prehistoric Man     259
On Authority and Accuracy     261