This is an excellent book for anyone wanting clear and concise biographies of the men who have sat in the Seat of St Peter. In this first volume, the prolific Wyatt North starts at the beginning and carries through to the Middle Ages. As might be expected, the book starts with some facts in the case of St Peter, but must also include myth, legend and tradition. With later popes, as church record keeping became more standardized (and bureaucratic), most of the mythic trappings fall away and we are given more verifiable information. Even so, some of the early popes get only a few lines because not much is known about them other than some basic biographical data, some mentions in ecclesiastic and imperial records, and their actions (or non-actions) to various church crises or heresies. As we leave the shadow of Rome behind and pass through the Ostrogoth, Byzantine and other flickers of history, we are treated to more detailed chronicles of the individual popes. North presents an unbiased report for each pope, detailing faith and strength where there was faith and strength, villainy and weakness when there was villainy and weakness. He shows us the saints and sinners, men of faith and men of folly. At the end of the book, North closes with an overview of the period of time covered and a comparison between the Church and the empires under which it existed, a study of the enduring vs the transient. Although this book will be of great interest to a Catholic seeking a quick reference to the popes, it’s also a book recommended for anyone interested in history and the Early Church.