Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace is one of the most popular and beloved 19th century American novels. 

When his childhood friend Messala wrongly accuses Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince alive during Jesus Christ’s lifetime, of attempting to assassinate the Roman governor of Jerusalem, the Romans enslave him and capture his mother and sister.

This classic New Testament tale combines the events of the life of Jesus with grand historical spectacle in the exciting story of Judah of the House of Hur, a man who finds extraordinary redemption for himself and his family through personal fortitude and inspiration. 

The epic novel, spanning about 12 years of Ben-Hur’s life, will be relished not only by fans of Christian fiction, but any reader who craves historical accounts of high adventure, action, and drama. 

When the author delivered his manuscript to Harper & Brothers in 1880, they had no idea it would make publishing history. The book became the best-selling novel of the 19th century and has been translated into more than 40 languages. 

It has never been out of print.

LEW WALLACE (1827 – 1905) was a Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, lawyer, diplomat, and author from Indiana. A lawyer by training, he served on the tribunal that tried the Lincoln assassination conspirators.  Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is best known for his historical adventure story, Ben-Hur (1880), a bestselling novel that has been called "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century."