Assembled with the aid of noted scholars from a wide range of fields, The Book of Marriage gathers some of the deepest, wittiest, most edifying and influential wisdom on marriage from throughout the history of literature, poetry, the social sciences, philosophy, psychology, and law. This book meets the urgent need for a discussion of marriage that is intellectually engaging, morally rich, and ideologically balanced.

Each chapter introduces a different quandary of marital life and then offers the best historical writings on the theme chosen not only for their wisdom and accessibility but also for their ability to lend background and insight to our contemporary context. The questions posed and answered by the book are these:

1. Why Get Married at All?

2. What Are We Promising?

3. Can Love Last a Lifetime?

4. Should I Marry One of My Own?

5. How Do We Handle the Money?

6. Who's the Head of the Family?

7. What about Children?

8. What about When We Fight?

9. What about Divorce?

10. What about Old Age, Sickness, and Death?

Frank, open, and easily accessible to young adults, college students, and engaged and married couples as well as to educators, marriage counselors, therapists, pastors, and other family professionals, The Book of Marriage will become an invaluable resource for intelligent though on our most important social institution.