Ben-Hur (Gateway Movie Classics) - Softcover

Wallace, Lew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0895264161 ISBN 13: 9780895264169

Publisher: Regnery Publishing Inc, 1998

Synopsis

Ben-Hur is better known as a film than as a novel. Cinematic in scope and narrative, it was nevertheless as a book that it first met huge popular success on its publication in 1880. Intended as a moral and inspirational narrative, Judah Ben-Hur's life parallels that of Jesus as he makes a journey of discovery and enlightenment through the Mediterranean world from Jerusalem through Nazareth to the galleys that carry him to shipwreck in the Aegean and, finally, Rome. A spiritual tale of the quest for love and the recovery of identity and patrimony, the novel also displays a vivid realism based on Wallace's biblical research and knowledge of the Holy Land. Like other 'toga novels' of the period, Ben-Hur reflects the dissent, division, and moral contradiction of America's emerging imperial culture, the 'New Woman' question, the settlement of the Far West, and even trade unionism. Rich in social parallels, Ben-Hur is both a great historical epic and a window on late nineteenth-century literature.

About this title

Review

"Compared with other romances . . . "Ben-Hur" easily passes them all, by a vitality which has a touch of genius." --Carl Van Doren

Compared with other romances . . . "Ben-Hur" easily passes them all, by a vitality which has a touch of genius. Carl Van Doren"

Compared with other romances . . . Ben-Hur easily passes them all, by a vitality which has a touch of genius. Carl Van Doren"

"Compared with other romances . . . Ben-Hur easily passes them all, by a vitality which has a touch of genius." --Carl Van Doren

-Compared with other romances . . . Ben-Hur easily passes them all, by a vitality which has a touch of genius.- --Carl Van Doren

About the Author

Lew Wallace was an American lawyer, soldier, politician and author. During active duty as a second lieutenant in the Mexican-American War, Wallace met Abraham Lincoln, who would later inspire him to join the Republican Party and fight for the Union in the American Civil War. Following the end of the war, Wallace retired from the army and began writing, completing his most famous work, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ while serving as the governor of New Mexico Territory. Ben-Hur would go on to become the best-selling American novel of the nineteenth century, and is noted as one of the most influential Christian books ever written. Although Ben-Hur is his most famous work, Wallace published continuously throughout his lifetime. Other notable titles include, The Boyhood of Christ, The Prince of India, several biographies and his own autobiography. Wallace died in 1909 at the age of 77, after a lifetime of service in the American army and government.

Edition details

• Publisher: Regnery Publishing Inc
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0895264161
• ISBN 13: 9780895264169
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 588