The length of the text is not well represented by the number of pages, 510. The left pages are in Latin and the right pages are the English translation by F. A. Wright, making the total number of pages to be read in either language about 250. The text has a useful introduction divided into four section: (a) Life of Jerome, (b) Jerome's works, (3) The Letters, and (d) Text and Bibliography. These sections put Select Letters in the proper context and provide interesting extras, like comparisons of Jerome's letters to those of Cicero.
At the end of the text is a table showing the relationships among the recipients of the letters chosen for this text. This table adds greatly to the understanding of the personalities Jerome addresses directly or makes reference to. Because of the usefulness of the table, the publishers should consider moving it to the front of the text for future editions and readers would do well to bookmark it for easy reference.
Folliwng the table are two appendices. The first is a biographical sketch of St. Jerome's friend Paula, with whom he worked during the latter years of his life. A number of the letters are addressed to her or to her family. Other letters are about the subjects that come up because of his long relationship with Paula, such as giving advice on the rearing of daughters. So this appendix shows her influence on the content of a number of the letters in the volume.
The second appendix is entitled "Jerome and Origenism" and makes no real contribution to this volume. Select Letters are personal in nature, rather than theological or controversial. This essay would be useful in a study of Jerome's life as a whole, but seems out of place in this volume with letters about avoiding sexual temptations, raising daughters and consoling the bereaved.
For students who would like to know what St. Jerome wrote about a particular person, there is an index of proper names at the very end of the text.
Select Letters includes 18 letters. The publisher identifies the letters by their number in St. Jerome's larger collection, so while a student is reading the third letter of the text, the letter will be identified by XIV. Each letter is dated, the first being written in A.D. 370 and the last in A.D. 413.
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