Mary, the Second Eve is a collection of excerpts from the writings of Cardinal Newman covering the nature of the Virgin Mary, including whether or not she should be venerated, her Immaculate Conception, and her Assumption. Everything is either by Newman or one of the Early Church Fathers, if he is quoting, and cited so that you can find the quote in its original context. Pretty much everything is straight from the original editions, which is good, except that Newman preferred to spell Theotokos with a "c", which was a constant distraction because I kept reading it as "Theotacos" (mmm...tacos...). But the fact that that is my biggest issue with the book (at just under 40 pages long, it's really more of a pamphlet) should underscore just how useful and well-done it is. Anyone with an interest in understanding the venerable Christian tradition of honoring the Blessed Virgin or in Cardinal Newman's writings should pick this up. In fact, it would probably make a great introduction for someone wanting to try Newman for the first time, because everything is broken up into readable chunks and organized thematically. Highly recommended. ( )

Regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary

Proves that today's Marian doctrine is firmly rooted in the early Church's teachings and refutes the Protestant claim that Catholics invented devotion to Mary. Fresh, beautiful insights--typical of Cardinal Newman.