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Rating: 
Summary: Fresh Information and Lesser Known Sightings
Review: As one (non-Christian/Catholic but spiritual and Jewish...go figure) who has been fascinated with Marian Apparitions, I enjoyed this book and found it informative. There are apparitions included that I was not familar with, as well as the more "famous" sightings, such as Fatima, etc. Swann has also inlcuded a lot of detail about various apparitions that have not been addressed by other writers. I personally found the section on the Egyptian apparitions particulary interesting. Swann treats this subject with respect. I wish Swann had included a little more of his own personal thoughts on what these apparitions are; religious? "alien?" truly paranormal/supernatural? etc. but it's a minor point, and he does give his thoughts throughout the various chapters. A concluding chapter of "what if/what is it?" would have been interesting. But Swann has chosen to focus on specific apparitions, with detail and information that has not appeared elsewhere, or, is very difficult to find. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject, including as a first book for someone just beginning to become familar with this area. I enjoyed it very much, and appreciated Swann's style, tone, and detail.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative with a scary slant
Review: Don't get me wrong, I'm a Catholic and I love my heavenly mother, but this guy is bonkers for Mary. It was downright scary the powers that he gives to her. It made me want to dis-believe in all the private revelations. I don't think Mary would smile on this one. However, there was lots of legendary information there.
Rating: 
Summary: Turning Mary into an anticommunist
Review: This book is certainly valuable as a kind of encyclopaedia of apparitions of Mary through history. But it is, unfortunately, coloured by the author's own political agenda. In many cases Swann tries to interpret Mary's message as some kind of anticommunist propaganda, although the actual quotes from the texts seldom supports that interpretation. In the case of La Salette 1846, Swann interprets Mary's warning for disasters as partly referring to the rise of Communism. In the case of Zeitoun in Egypt 1968 Swann even suggest that Mary's apparition was the reason for Egypt moving closer to the US some years later. Mary is seen as a cold warrior on the US side! This says something essential about Swanns own political views but almost nothing about the apparitions. It is sad that the author use this interesting subject as a pretext for writing a rightwing pamphlet. The apparitions of Mary are indeed fascinating but it is hard to distinguish between those things in the stories that are genuine and what are later additions by the Catholic Church, or by local sectarians. Swann is incapable of making these distinctions, because he is sometimes a defender of orthodoxy, sometimes a defender of sectarian views (cf how he downplays the anti-semitism in the Wisconsin "apparition" in 1949!). But for those who seek a short overview of the Mary apparitions Swanns book is certainly useful. A last comment, though. Isn't it sad that the woman who made the Magnificat is portrayed as a symbol of reaction!
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