When the publishers decided to bring out an Australasian edition of father Charles Hugo Doyle's Book 'The Life of Pope Pius XII', they manifested a commendable breadth of vision, for Pope Pius XII is one of the world's great personalities, with whom Australians in general should become acquainted. It would be a mistake to regard Pius XII only as the head of the Catholic Church and consequently as a figure of no interest to people who do not belong to that church. Father Doyle's book is not an exhaustive study of Pope Pius XII. It would require many volumes of this size to do justice to this Pope, and they would interest only student. Because the book extends only to the first half of 1945 the reader should keep in mind that Pope Pius XII has not slackened his efforts on behalf of the world in the post-war years. This capacity to see things as they are, and to view them from the point to view of the ordinary citizen who has to live in this world, is characteristic of Pope Pius XII.