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Last Words
Brief Description
Richard Holloway has been the archetypal 'turbulent priest'. Having risen to be the Primus (Head) of the Scottish Episcopal Church, he abandoned religion and ecclesiastical office to fight for the rights of minorities and to write a string of best-selling books, most famously Leaving Alexandria. He...
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Description
Richard Holloway has been the archetypal 'turbulent priest'. Having risen to be the Primus (Head) of the Scottish Episcopal Church, he abandoned religion and ecclesiastical office to fight for the rights of minorities and to write a string of best-selling books, most famously Leaving Alexandria. He also became Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council.
In this, his last book, Last Words, he reflects deeply on his life, most especially as a child of desperately poor parents in Dumbartonshire in Scotland. He tells the story of how he found faith but then abandoned Christian orthodoxy after leaving office as Head of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and discovered a new life as a writer, broadcaster, journalist, and public intellectual.
This book opens and ends with chapters of a philosophical kind in which he explains how he lost belief in a loving God and became true to himself.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781800755338
Publisher: Swift Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 28 August 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Swift Press
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 135.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 208
Collections
About the Author
Richard Holloway was formerly Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Born in extreme poverty in Alexandria on the banks of the Clyde, he became a priest and rose to the highest office, after he had a parish for some years in Boston, USA. Standing down from episcopal office, he abandoned his faith and devoted his time to writing, journalism and holding appointments such as Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council. He lives in Edinburgh.
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Leaving Alexandria
At fourteen, Richard Holloway left his working-class home north of Glasgow and travelled hundreds of miles to an English monastery to be trained for the priesthood. By twenty-five, he had been ordained and was working in the slums of Glasgow. In 2000 he controversially resigned as Bishop of Edinburgh, having lost heart with the Church over its condemnation of homosexuality....Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
On Reflection
In On Reflection, Richard Holloway thinks back on some of the questions that have shaped his life, sharing the wisdom of poets, writers, musicians, and artists he has encountered along the way. How can we forgive? Where does creativity come from? How can we face loss and death? How can we live a good life? How do we find beauty...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Between the Monster and the Saint: Reflections on the Human
Provocative, wide-ranging and full of wisdom, Between the Monster and the Saint is a brilliant book about our place in the world. Being human isn't easy. We might think that consciousness and freedom will give us control over our lives, but our minds are dangerous and unpredictable places. We are susceptible to forces we don't understand. We are capable of...Paperback$3100Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
On Reflection
In On Reflection, Richard Holloway thinks back on some of the questions that have shaped his life. Here, then, are the big asks: is there a God? How can we forgive? Where does creativity come from? How can we face loss and death? How can we live a good life? And how do we find beauty in the world? To...Hardback$4500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
A Little History of Religion
A rich and inclusive history of belief, from humanity's earliest days to our own times Religion is distinctly human. We can't help wondering about where we come from and why we are here. Did some all-powerful being make the universe? When we die, is there anything else to come? And what will it be like? Questions like these have occupied...Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$2599Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Heart of Things
Richard Holloway is one of our most beloved public thinkers. Throughout his life he has turned to poets and writers to help answer the big questions, and for solace and guidance in the face of life's challenges. Now he shares those poems and words which have been his own guide, offered in the hope they will help us too. The...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Heart of Things
Richard Holloway is one of our most beloved public thinkers. As Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, he put principle over Church policy to advocate for gay rights and women in the priesthood. He never shied away from confronting his own doubts and fears, whether questioning his own faith or facing the inevitability of death. Across...Hardback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Waiting for the Last Bus
Now in his ninth decade, former Bishop of Edinburgh Richard Holloway has spent a lifetime at the bedsides of the dying, guiding countless men and women towards peaceful deaths. A positive and profound exploration of the many important lessons we can learn, this is also a stirring plea to reacquaint ourselves with death. Doing so gives us the chance to...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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Throughout history, we have told ourselves stories to try and make sense of our place in the universe. Richard Holloway takes us on a personal, scientific, and philosophical journey to explore what he believes are the answers to the biggest questions. He examines what we know about the universe into which we are propelled at birth and from which we...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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“For readers in search of a thoughtful, thorough, and approachable survey of the history of religion, this book is an excellent place to start.” —Booklist Written for those with faith and for those without—and especially for younger readers—A Little History of Religion sweeps us through the story of religion in our world, from the dawn of religious belief to the...PaperbackSold Out
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