The Premier See

Reviews / Votes

"Clearly, tightly and gracefully written, Spalding's volume is a marvel of compression...Readers who want an extraordinary account of an extraordinary archdiocese should run like all get-out to the nearest bookstore for Spalding's quiet masterpiece."--Joseph Gallagher, 'Baltimore Evening Sun' "This history reads like a novel, informs like a textbook and, like a good homily, provides much food for thought. This history shows the church coming to grips with itself and the world around it."--Daniel Medinger, 'National Catholic Reporter' "Brother Spalding's research is extraordinary and accurate...['The Premier See'] is a 'top of the line' book that belongs in the collection of every serious historian of the Free State."--Father Michael Roach, 'Catholic Review' "'The Premier See', the first comprehensive history of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to be published, makes a major contribution to understanding the evolution of Catholicism and religious culture in this country...Author Thomas W. Spalding... provides engaging, balanced portraits of Baltimore's archbishops, and he does not shy away from assessing their strngths and weaknesses as human beings and religious leaders."--William P. Leahy, S.J., 'The Journal of American History' "A magisterial work that will clearly be the standard acocunt for decades to come. The issues American Catholics have faced are those that affect all Americans--education, race, religious beliefs."--Jay P. Dolan, University of Notre Dame