s and rituals. There were no other books about Easter alone. But the section also featured books that dealt with the entire yearly cycle of holy days and religious observances in Christian churches. The books by Nardone and by Cowie and Gummer were in this section. Cowie and Gummer approach the annual Christian calendar in daily order, explaining the origins and meanings of the rituals and prayers used on each of the days of the year that feature some special observance. Nardone's book is more concerned with the history of holy days in the Catholic church. He deals with the development of the holy days throughout the church's history.
None of the authors of these books seems to be interested in promoting a religious point of view. Nardone is the only author who writes as though he assumes that the reader shares a belief in the same things he does. He writes as though he was writing for other Catholics. But Parrinder, who covers the religions of dozens of cultures in his survey, is only interested in supplying facts--not in commenting on the beliefs he discusses. Cowie and Gummer also supply facts and explain the ideas behind various practices. They do not support any particular point of view.
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