Oxford Dictionary of Saints

The Oxford Dictionary of Saints is well-written and contains the biographies of any possible saints, famous as well as more obscure ones. The book also has some very useful appendices with maps showing pilgrimage sites, a list showing the patron saints of countries and towns worldwide, an index of places in Britain and Ireland, a list with the principal patronages of saints as well as one listing the principal iconographical emblems of saints, which is especially useful for art historians, and a calendar of the principal feasts of saints. The only thing the book lacks is that the index of places listing the saints associated with a place covers only the British Isles, but not the Continent or the rest of the world which would have been desirable for European readers, nor is the list of patron saints of towns comprehensive. The book also contains some useful recommended web links. All in all a rather comprehensive book for everyone interested in the lives of saints, and an indispensable dictionary for all students of art history and theology.