The following is a short list of books that have substantially influenced the perspective here at the Medieval Professor. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, nor a primer of necessary readings in Western Civilization at all. Rather I’ve highlighted mainly significant 20th century writers and works that have helped direct my perspective in particular ways.
Elementary Reading:
Orthodoxy, by G.K. Chesterton
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R Tolkien
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald
The Great Heresies, Hilaire Belloc
Desiring the Kingdom, by James K.A. Smith
Beauty: A Very Short Introduction, by Roger Scruton
Intermediate Reading:
The Everlasting Man, by G.K. Chesterton
For the Life of the World, by Alexander Schmemann
St. Thomas Aquinas (The Dumb Ox), by G.K. Chesterton
The Silmarillion, by J.R.R Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, by Tom Shippey
The Road to Middle-Earth: How J.R.R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology, Tom Shippey
An Experiment in Criticism, by C.S. Lewis
Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis, by Michael Ward
Europe and the Faith, Hilaire Belloc
The Servile State, Hilaire Belloc
The Crisis of Western Education, by Christopher Dawson
The Catholic Quest for the Holy Grail, by Charles Coulombe
Maxims of Christian Chivalry, by Kenelm Digby
The Symbolism of the Christian Temple, by Jean Hani
Divine Craftsmanship: Preliminaries to a Spirituality of Work, Jean Hani
The Sacred and the Profane, by Mircea Eliade
The Wood Beyond the World, William Morris
Advanced Reading:
The Beauty of the Infinite, by David Bentley Hart
After Writing: On the Liturgical Consummation of Philosophy, Catherine Pickstock
The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy, Mircea Eliade
The Erotic Phenomenon, by Jean-Luc Marion
The Call and Response, by Jean-Louis Chretien
Figuring the Sacred, by Paul Ricoeur
Symbols of Sacred Science, Rene Guenon
Sacred Royalty: From the Pharaoh to the Most Christian King, Jean Hani
The Secret of the Christian Way, by Jean Borella
The Monsters and the Critics, by J.R.R Tolkien
The Foundations of Christian Art, by Titus Burckhardt
The Pagan Temptation, by Thomas Molnar
Twin Powers: Politics and the Sacred, by Thomas Molnar
THE MEDIEVAL PROFESSOR 