Chapters of Gold: The Life of Mary in Mosaics

Those who recite the story of the Annunciation to Mary and the birth of Jesus during the holiday season will be enriched by seeing it depicted in vibrant, colorful works of art. In this small gift book, Billington and Mankowitz capture the story of Mary's life as told in mosaic, all taken from a 20th-century frieze in the Lady Chapel of Westminster Cathedral in London. The mosaics appear in chronological order, beginning with the betrothal of Mary's parents and ending with her ""dormition"" (death) and Saint Luke weaving her story into his gospel. Along the way are familiar scenes mentioned in the Bible (the Nativity, the flight to Egypt, the wedding at Cana, the crucifixion) and others that are attested in tradition or the Apocrypha (the risen Jesus appears to Mary, an angel predicts Mary's death). The full-color images are gorgeous and their accompanying quotations--from the likes of Gerard Manley Hopkins and T.S. Eliot, as well as the Gospels--are perceptive. This is a lovely gift for Anglicans and Catholics, as well as art lovers of all stripes.