Against The Grain

John de Fiasole's recent blog ("an unsolicited testimonial", 5/22/03) sold me on the notion that I ought to subscribe to The Thomist (a good influence, if the quality of his blogging is any indication). I went ahead and added it to my "wish list" of periodicals I'd like to get at some point when finances permit, along with Touchstone, Crisis, and Communio.

On a similar note, a friend of mine gave me some old issues of The Chesterton Review and the Saint Austin Review, which I have never encountered before, but by all appearances promises to be an excellent read.

The Saint Austin Review " brings together scholars, journalists, poets and spiritual leaders from around the English-speaking world . . . Each month 12 pages of this 44-page magazine are devoted to a particular cultural or spiritual theme, with lavishly illustrated articles" by familiar authors such as James V. Schall, S.J., Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., Aidan Nichols OP, Thomas Howard, Janet Smith, Ralph McInerny, Scott Hahn, Peter Kreeft, and Joseph Pearce -- the latter being the magazine's co-editor and author of three excellent biographies on Tolkien, Chesterton & Belloc, published by Ignatius Press.