4027. The Scholastic Analysis of Usury, by John T. Noonan, Jr. (read 25 May 2005) I have read three other books by Noonan and his Power to Dissolve: Lawyers and Marriages in the Courts of the Roman Curia won my "Best Book Read This Year" award in 1973. This is his first book, published in 1957. I admit I did not attempt to follow the very intricate theoretical discussions of usury which scholastics devoted much attention to in the Middle Ages and after, and I became impatient with what I regarded as poor arguments in opposition to the taking of interest. But Noonan's research is awesome and he concludes respectfully that the theoretical structure while not always consistent encouraged investment and charity to the poor, and its practical success may be measured by a comparison between conditions of credit in medieval Europe and those in classical Greece or China or India. This is a worthwhile and brilliantly researched book. ( )