The book that began it all...
Mother Mary Loyola had used the simple allegory of a little maid and the gracious King who deigned to visit her as a catechetical tool for many years; a brief sketch of the story appears in The Children's Charter, her book of advice for parents and teachers published in 1911. But it wasn't until 1919, when she sent a version of the story to P. J. Kenedy, an American publisher who took a keen interest in her work, that she began expanding what was originally a simple vignette into a full book-length story. Two years later, The King of the Golden City appeared.
The King of the Golden City was in many ways the culmination of Mother Loyola's life's work. Into one simple and captivating allegory she distilled themes she had spent decades teaching: the love of Christ for each individual soul—the struggle with self and temptation—the formation of virtue with the help of grace—the long journey through this Land of Exile toward our true home in Heaven. At the center of it all are the visits of the gracious King Himself, Who comes to the little maid in humble disguise and teaches her how to prepare for Him, welcome Him, and long for His return.
Mother Loyola knew that children would love this wonderful story, but she could hardly have foreseen that it would be this—her only allegory and one of her last published works—that would rekindle interest in her writing many years later.
It was through our family's love of The King of the Golden City that we discovered the treasure trove of Mother Loyola's other works—and St. Augustine Academy Press was born.
This special Centenary Edition fulfills a dream we had from the beginning: to create a beautiful hardcover replica of the original 1921 edition. We have restored the original illustrations, including the beautiful frames surrounding the text on every page, and have carefully overseen each detail, down to the thicker paper that not only gives a similar feel to the original, but will ensure that this edition will make a lasting heirloom worthy of a story that families return to generation after generation.
And return to it they should! Boy or girl, old or young, each of us can recognize something of ourselves in the little maid—her early fervor, her forgetfulness, her struggles with Self, her failures, and above all her growing love for the King. The King of the Golden City is more than a story about First Holy Communion. It is the story of the Christian life itself, told in a form simple enough for a child to love—yet rich enough to call every one of us to greater holiness.
Read about the process we undertook in republishing this book here! Or learn more about Mother Mary Loyola here.
This book is available in several different languages as well. We carry Spanish, French and Italian, as well as a special version for boys!
8.25" x 10.5" hardcover with dust jacket 120 pages
Customer Reviews
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Gorgeous restoration
A gorgeous restoration of a compelling and beautiful allegory. It’s one of those books that the parent wants to read just as much or more! We ordered one on Amazon because we were running out of time, but its pictures were so blurry and the overall quality lacking that we went ahead and ordered this one late. So very, very glad we did!
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A beautiful book!
I am looking forward to gifting the Spanish edition to a young boy. Thank you for all your incredible books.
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The King of the Golden City
This is a CLASSIC First Communion gift - but also a great gift for other ages and occasions. I read it as an adult and was deeply moved by the deep analogy of the story.
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I love the pictures quality
I love the pictures quality and story so much I would recommend this book to anyone adult or child.
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A memorable book
This lovely book is a pleasure to read and also perfect for reading aloud. The story is one to think about long after it is finished and teaches virtue, the realities of the spiritual life, and the presence of Christ in our soul all through a charming story. A wonderful gift for a child or addition to the home library.
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Marvelous illustration and inspiration to sanctity
Previously we had an audiobook version of this story for our older boys, and they loved it. However, our daughter prefers reading books to listening to them, and our seven-year-old son, who is preparing for his first Holy Communion, very much wanted the boy version! So we bought both, as I think it's extremely important for boys to have their own version as well. The anniversary edition hardback is a beautiful volume, and both children love the story and read and reread it continually. However, this story is really a masterful exposition of the interior life, its growth and pruning, dangers and rewards. Mother Mary Loyola's genius, it seems to me, is in finding words and images to convey so simply and well what can take many chapters in lengthy adult books to unfold, and without being heavy-handed (a trap that too many children's books fall into). And, like Tolkien, she makes virtue really attractive, and sin really ugly. Much as our young children benefit from this story, I honestly think I'm getting even more out of it (and my teen and young-adult sons who hear a bit here and there while passing through). Recently I began Fr. Tanqueray's classic, "The Spiritual Life." I was surprised and excited that he mentions Mother Mary Loyola as one of the best modern writers on the interior life! Well-deserved praise, indeed. I think every Catholic home should have a copy of "The King of the Golden City."
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Beautiful book!
This is such a beautiful, high quality book. I am so thankful for St. Augustine Academy Press for helping me build up a quality personal library.
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amazing
amazing
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Great
Great read
