Books by J. B. Bury

Explore Patrick's place in history, the spread of Christianity beyond the Roman Empire, how Patrick first came to Ireland, the influence of the earlier Palladius on Patrick's work, political and social conditions at that time, and the spiritual battles with the Druids. This 21st century edition now includes notes from other biographers, mystics, historians, and storytellers of Ireland. The ideal place to begin any exploration of a much-loved but little-known saint. "e;Bury proves to be more than a mere dry historian; he turns out to be a fine storyteller as well, and his accounts of Patrick's spiritual duels with Druid priests for the heart and mind of the Irish king are quite gripping."e;-History Book Club"e;Editor-writer Sweeney gives Bury's 1905 biography of the legendary St. Patrick a greater contemporary context in this meticulously researched and presented work Bury wrote what Sweeney calls the 'ideal modern biography' of Patrick Sweeney assembles and rearranges material from Bury's original work and incorporates more of Patrick's own words, from his Confession and Letter against Coroticus. Sweeney's light edits to Bury's text clarify exactly what Patrick did in Ireland, noting that although he did convert some pagan kingdoms, he also was responsible for organizing Christians who were already there and connecting the island with the church of the Roman Empire."e;

In historiography, the Idea of Progress is the theory that advances in technology, science, and social organization inevitably produce an improvement in the general human condition. Meaning, people can be happier in terms of quality of life through economic development and the application of scientific progress. "To the minds of most people the desirable outcome of human development would be a condition of society in which all the inhabitants of the planet would enjoy a perfectly happy existence."

This 1911 work examines the text (of which Bury provides an edition) of the 'Kletorologion' of Philotheos, an otherwise unknown administrative official at the Byzantine court of Leo VI in the late ninth century. The work is a guide to precedence, which at this time was of great political importance.

This 1912 work argues that the 'Amorian epoch' of the ninth century should not be overshadowed by the better-known periods of Byzantine history before and after it. Bury describes how iconoclasm again became a cause of civil strife, and wars on the eastern frontier strained the empire's resources.

This two-volume 1889 work examines Byzantine history from 395 to 800. The account begins in the year in which, on the death of Theodosius I, the empire was divided into eastern and western parts. Volume 1 covers the period to the deaths of Belisarius and Justinian in 565.

St Patrick is perhaps the most venerated saint of the modern age. This biography dispels many of the myths and paints a portrait of the world around St Patrick, revealing the influences that transformed him from a minor fifth century missionary into the patron saint of Ireland and a source of living inspiration for countless people.