YOUNG HEROES OF THE LIVING RELIGIONS

An introduction to the world's religions through excellently retold legends of their founders by the author of two fine adult reference books- The Lore of the Old Testament and The Lore of the New Testament. Using the works as his sources- The Bible, the Koran, the Vedas, etc., Mr. Gaer tells of the principal achievements of twelve leaders- Vishnu, Gautama, Mahavira, Zarathustra, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Abraham, Moses, David, John, Jesus and Mahommed. Throughout the maintains the Confucian concept of the distinction between religious and moral thought, and although he does not explicitly state trends and similarities, the overall effect is correlative as well as informative. The leaders' younger years- Vishnu's miraculous birth, Nimrod's threat to the infant Abraham, Jesus' boyhood, receive more emphasis but their later lives are not neglected.