LIFE OF LEO XIII

London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1887. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Ex library decorated red cloth. Plates. 603p. Gilded page edges. Papal coat of arms printed on cover. Other than a few old library markings, book is clean, tight, unmarked. Good reading condition. Pope Leo XIII (Italian: Leone XIII), (born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 - 20 July 1903, to an Italian comital family), reigned as Pope from 20 February 1878 to his death. He was the oldest pope (reigning until the age of 93), and had the third longest pontificate, behind that of Pius IX (his immediate predecessor) and John Paul II. He is the most recent pontiff to date to take the pontifical name of "Leo" upon being elected to the pontificate. He is well known for his intellectualism, the development of social teachings with his famous papal encyclical Rerum novarum, and his attempts to define the position of the Catholic Church with regard to modern thinking. He influenced Roman Catholic Mariology and promoted both the rosary and the scapular. Leo XIII issued a record of eleven Papal encyclicals on the rosary earning him the title as the "Rosary Pope". In addition, he approved two new Marian scapulars and was the first pope to fully embrace the concept of Mary as Mediatrix. He was the first pope to never have held any control over the Papal States, after they had been dissolved by 1870. He was briefly buried in the grottos of Saint Peter's Basilica before his remains were later transferred to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.<br /> This is a biography of Leo XIII based on a memoir given to O'Reilly in order to write the book. No modern, critical biography of Leo XIII exists.