"The Idea of a University" is an eloquent defense of a liberal education which is perhaps the most timeless of all [Newman's] books and certainly the one most intellectually accessible to readers of every religious faith and of none . . . Only one who has read "The Idea of a University" in its entirety, especially the nine discourses, can hope to understand why its reputation is so high." —from the Introduction by Martin J. Svaglic