The Greatest Writer of the 19th Century
Upon his conversion to Catholicism at the age of 41 (1844), Brownson commenced the great bulk of his writing. Assuming editorship of the Boston Quarterly Review, Brownson changed the name of the scholarly review to Brownson's Quarterly Review. He considered himself a book reviewer. There is no doubt that he reviewed books, indeed thousands, as his writings suggest. Brownson is America's most voluminous writer, and we have encountered no author who approaches him in learning. His Review reaches roughly 20,000 words, leading up to his death in 1876, the first cenntenial of America. The late John Cardinal Newman of England once told a visiting priest in Rome that Brownson had no equal. His Excellency, John "The Dagger" Hughes , of New York City, who received Brownson into the Church, later remarked that Brownson, while yet a catechumen, knew more than himself.
If you are new to Brownson we understand that he can be quite daunting in scope. To get a good flavor of Brownson topic-by-topic we recommend the book Brownson's Views which is available on the site via "Brownson's Writings." This book, composed by Benziger Brothers many years ago will give the reader a good taste of Brownson's thought on various issues. We apologize for the typos in some of the articles and are working to fix them, in addition to adding our own articles. This year is the 12th anniversary of the website (launched 4 July 2002). If there are any particular articles which you would like for us to put in print form, then send an email to www.orestesbrownson@gmail.com. Sincerely, Bryan Shepherd