So much to read . . . so little time!  And not all books are created equal.  How do we identify the really good material that we should focus on with the little reading time that we have?

In his book A Catholic Lifetime Reading List, the Servant of God, Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. suggests 104 different authors that every educated adult should know, from every period of the Church's history.  He provides details about the author's life, and recommends particular works by that author that are must-reads.  We recommend acquiring the book and taking advantage of Fr. Hardon's explanatory material, but for the sake of getting the actual book list into your hands, we have reproduced this simple list below.  Please Note: Fr. Hardon's focus is on the author, and his list presents some works from each author which are "specially recommended."

The Age of Persecution

1.  St. Ignatius of Antioch
  • Letters
2.  St. Justin Martyr
  • The First Apology
  • The Second Apology
3.  St. Irenaeus
  • The Presentation of the Apostolic Preaching
  • Against the Heretics ('Adversus Haereses')
4.  Tertullian
  • Apologetical Works
  • Disciplinary, Moral and Ascetical Works
5.  St. Cyprian
  • The Lapsed, the Unity of the Catholic Church
  • On the Lord's Prayer
6.  Lactantius
  • The Divine Institutes

The Patristic Age

 7.  Eusebius
  • Ecclesiastical History
8.  St. Athanasius
  • The Incarnation of the Word
  • The Life of St. Anthony
9.  Prudentius
  • Poems
  • Hymns
10.  St. John Chrysostom
  • On the Priesthood
  • Address on Vainglory and the Right Way for Parents to Bring up their Children
11.  St. Augustine
  • City of God
  • Confessions
  • Of True Religion
  • Enchiridion: On Faith, Hope and Charity
12.  St. Jerome
  • Letters
  • On Illustrious Men

Medieval Civilization

13.  St. Vincent of Lerins
  • Commonitorium
14.  Boethius
  • The Consolation of Philosophy
15.  St. Benedict
  • The Rule of St. Benedict
16.  The Venerable Bede
  • A History of the English Church and People
17.  St. Anselm
  • Prayers and Meditations
  • Why God Became Man and the Virgin Conception
18.  St. Bernard of Clairvaux
  • The Steps of Humility
  • On Loving God
  • Magnificat: homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary
19.  St. Francis of Assisi
  • The Writings of St. Francis
  • The Little Flowers of St. Francis
20.  St. Thomas Aquinas
  • Summa Contra Gentiles
  • Summa Theologiae
  • The Catechetical Instructions
21.  St. Bonaventure
  • The Journey of the Mind to God
  • The Triple Way
  • The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary
22.  Bl. Jacobus de Voragine
  • The Golden Legend
23.  Dante
  • The Divine Comedy
24.  St. Catherine of Siena
  • The Dialogue
25.  Geoffrey Chaucer
  • The Canterbury Tales
26.  Thomas à Kempis
  • The Imitation of Christ
27.  St. Catherine of Genoa
  • Treatise on Purgatory
28.  St. Thomas More 
  • A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation
  • Prayerbook
  • Utopia

The Catholic Reformation

29.  St. Ignatius Loyola
  • Spiritual Exercises
  • Letters and Instructions
  • Autobiography
30.  St. Teresa of Avila
  • Autobiography
  • The Way of Perfection
  • Interior Castle
31.  St. John of the Cross
  • Ascent of Mount Carmel
  • Dark Night of the Soul
32.  Miguel de Cervantes
  • Don Quixote
33.  St. Robert Bellarmine
  • The Ascent of the Mind to God
  • The Art of Dying Well
34.  St. Francis de Sales
  • Introduction to the Devout Life
  • Treatise on the Love of God
35.  Richard Crashaw
  • Poems
36.  St. Margaret Mary Alocoque
  • Autobiography
37.  St. Louis de Montfort
  • True Devotion to Mary
38.  Alban Butler
  • Lives of the Saints
39.  Alphonsus de Liguori
  • The Holy Eucharist
  • The Glories of Mary
  • The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ
  • The Way of Salvation and of Perfection
40.  Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich
  • The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
41.  Frederick William Faber
  • Growth in Holiness, or the Progress of the Spiritual Life
  • The Blessed Sacrament, or the Works and Way of God
  • Poems
  • Spiritual Conferences
42.  St. Peter Julian Eymard
  • The Real Presence
  • Holy Communion
  • Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament
  • The Eucharist and Christian Perfection
43.  Alessandro Manzoni
  • The Betrothed
44.  Prosper Gueranger
  • The Liturgical Year: Advent to the Last Sunday of Pentecost

The Modern Age

45.  Orestes Brownson
  • Essays and Reviews chiefly on Theology, Politics and Socialism
46.  Matthias Joseph Scheeben
  • The Mysteries of Christianity
  • Mariology
47.  William Bernard Ullathorne
  • The Groundwork of the Christian Virtues
  • The Little Book of Humility and Patience
48.  Bl. John Henry Newman
  • Apologia Pro Vita Sua
  • Sermons and Discourses
  • The Idea of a University
  • The Dream of Gerontius
49.  Coventry Patmore
  • Poems
50.  St. Thérèse of Lisieux
  • Story of a Soul (Autobiography)
51.  Eugene Boylan
  • This Tremendous Lover
  • The Mystical Body: the foundation of the spiritual life
52.  Francis Thompson
  • Poems
53.  Robert Hugh Benson
  • Christ in the Church
  • The Light Invisible
  • The Necromancers
  • Come Rack! Come Rope!
54.  Henryk Sienkiewicz
  • Quo Vadis?
  • With Fire and Sword
  • The Deluge
55.  Augustin Poulain
  • The Graces of Interior Prayer
56.  James Gibbons
  • The Faith of our Fathers
  • The Ambassador of Christ
57.  Alice Meynell
  • Poems
  • Essays
58.  Adolphe Alfred Tanquerey
  • The Spiritual Life: a treatise on ascetical and mystical theology
59.  Bl. Joseph Columba Marmion
  • Christ, the Life of the Soul
  • Christ in His Mysteries
60.  Ottokar Prohaszka
  • Meditations on the Gospels
61.  Ludwig von Pastor
  • The History of the Popes
62.  Jean-Baptiste Chautard
  • The Soul of the Apostolate
63.  G.K. Chesterton
  • St Francis of Assisi
  • The Catholic Church and Conversion
  • The Everlasting Man
  • St Thomas Aquinas: the dumb ox
64.  Fernand Carrol
  • Liturgical Prayer: its history and spirit
  • The Prayer of the early Christians
  • Mass of the Western Rites
  • The Mass: its doctrine, its history
65.  Ferdinand Prat
  • Theology of St Paul
  • Jesus Christ: his life, his teaching, and his works
66.  Marie Joseph Lagrange
  • The Gospel of Jesus Christ
67.  Alban Goodier
  • The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ
  • The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ
  • The Prince of Peace
68.  St. Maximilian Kolbe
  • Personal Letters
  • Spiritual Writings
  • Theological Writings
69.  St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
  • The Science of the Cross
  • Essays on Woman
70.  Henri Gheon
  • Secrets of the Saints
  • Three Plays
  • Christmas in the Market Place
  • The Art of the Theatre
71.  Edward Leen
  • Progress through mental prayer
  • In the Likeness of Christ
  • The Church Before Pilate
  • The Holy Ghost and His Work in Souls
72.  Alexis Carrel
  • Man the Unknown
  • The Voyage to Lourdes
73.  Sigrid Undset
  • Kristin Lavransdatter
  • Saga of Saints
  • The Longest Years
74.  William Thomas Walsh
  • Isabella of Spain
  • Characters of the Inquisition
  • Our Lady of Fatima
75.  Owen Francis Dudley
  • Will men be like Gods? Humanitarianism or human happiness
  • The Tremaynes and the Masterful Monk
76.  Hilaire Belloc
  • The Path to Rome
  • The Servile State
  • Europe and the Faith
  • Marie Antoinette
77.  Paul Claudel
  • The Satin Slipper
  • The Tidings Brought to Mary: a drama
  • The Book of Christopher Columbas: a lyrical drama
  • Letters from Paul Claudel, my godfather
78.  Johannes Jorgensen
  • Saint Brigid of Sweden
  • Saint Catherine of Siena
  • Pilgrim Walks in Franciscan Italy
  • Jorgensen: an autobiography
79.  Pierre Pourrat
  • Christian Spirituality
80.  Ronald Knox
  • Enthusiasm
  • A Spiritual Aenid
  • The Belief of Catholics
  • A Commentary on the Gospels
81.  Paul de Jaegher
  • One with Jesus
  • The Virtue of Trust
82.  Francis Trochu
  • The Curé of Ars: St. Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney
  • St. Bernardette Soubirous
83.  John Peter Arendzen
  • The Holy Trinity
  • Reason and Revelation
  • What Becomes of the Dead?
  • Purgatory and Heaven
84.  Guiseppe Ricciotti
  • The Life of Jesus Christ
  • The History of Israel
  • Paul the Apostle
  • The Age of Martyrs: Christianity from Diocletian to Constantine
85.  Gerald Vann
  • The Divine Pity
  • The Seven Swords
86.  Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
  • Christian Perfection and Contemplation, according to St Thomas Aquinas and St John of the Cross
  • The Three Ages of the Interior Life
  • The Mother of Our Saviour and our Interior Life
87.  Henri Daniel-Rops
  • The Book of Mary
  • The Church of the Apostles and Martyrs
  • The Church in the Dark Ages
  • The Catholic Reformation
88.  Karl Adam
  • The Spirit of Catholicism
  • The Son of God
  • Christ Our Brother
  • The Roots of the Reformation
89.  Evelyn Waugh
  • Brideshead Revisited
  • A Handful of Dust
  • Edmund Campion
90.  Romano Guardini
  • The Lord
  • The Way of the Cross of Our Lord and Our Saviour, Jesus Christ
  • Freedom, Grace and Destiny: three chapters in the interpretation of existence
  • The End of the Modern World: a search for orientation
91.  Katherine Burton
  • The Great Mantle: Pope St. Pius X
  • Sorrow Built a Bridge: Mother Alphonsus
  • Witness of the Light
  • The Next Thing: autobiography and reminiscences
92.  Christopher Dawson
  • Religion and World History
  • Progress and Religion
  • The Crisis of Western Education
  • Religion and the Rise of Western Culture
93.  Francois Mauriac
  • Life of Jesus
  • Woman of the Pharisees
  • St. Margaret of Cortona
  • The Eucharist
94.  James Alberione
  • Personality and Configuration with Christ
  • Thoughts
  • Glories and Virtues of Mary
  • Daily Meditations: the great prayers, the great truths, the great virtues
95.  Jacques Maritain
  • An Introduction to Philosophy
  • Prayer and Intelligence
  • The Degrees of Knowledge
  • Art and Scholasticism
96.  Arnold Lunn
  • Now I See: an autobiography
  • The Revolt Against Reason
  • Switzerland: its literary, historical, and topographical landmarks
  • A Saint in the Slave Trade: Peter Claver, 1581–1654
97.  Charles Journet
  • The Church of the Word Incarnate
  • The Primacy of Peter
  • The Meaning of Grace
  • The Wisdom of Faith: an introduction to theology
98.  Dietrich von Hildebrand
  • Transformation in Christ: on the Christian attitude of mind
  • Marriage: the mystery of faithful love
  • Celibacy and the crisis of faith
  • The Sacred Heart: an analysis of human and divine affection
99.  Etienne Gilson
  • History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages
  • A Gilson Reader: selected writings
  • Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant
  • Recent Philosophy: Hegel to the present
100.  Ven. Fulton Sheen
  • Treasures in Clay: an autobiography
  • Peace of Soul
  • These are the Sacraments
  • Three to get Married
101.  Igino Giordani
  • The Social Message of Jesus
  • The Social Message of the Early Church Fathers
  • Mary of Nazareth
102.  Frank Sheed
  • Theology and Sanity
  • Communism and Man
  • The Church and I
  • Marriage and the Family
103.  Hubert van Zellar
  • We Die Standing Up
  • Approach to Christian Scripture
  • The End: a projection not a prophecy
  • Praying While You Work: devotions for the use of Martha rather than Mary
104.  John C.H. Wu
  • The Science of Love: a study in the teachings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux
  • Beyond East and West: an autobiography
  • Fountain of Justice: a study in the natural law
  • The Interior Carmel: the threefold way of love