Regan is one of the most respected translators of Aquinas An accessible, non-technical summary of Aquinas`s major works
Towards the end of his life, St. Thomas Aquinas produced a brief, non-technical work summarizing some of the main points of his massive Summa Theologiae. This `compendium` was intended as an introductory handbook for students and scholars who might not have access to the larger work. It remains the best concise introduction to Aquinas`s thought. Furthermore, it is extremely interesting to scholars because it represents Aquinas`s last word on these topics. Aquinas does not break new ground or re-think earlier positions but often states them more directly and with greater precision than can be found elsewhere. There is only one available English translation of the Compendium (published as `Aquinas`s Shorter Summa: Saint Thomas`s Own Concise Version of his Summa Theologiae,` by Sophia Institute Press). It is published by a very small Catholic publishing house, is marketed to the devotional readership, contains no scholarly apparatus. Richard Regan is a highly respected Aquinas translator, who here relies on the definitive Leonine edition of the Latin text. His work will be received as the premier English version of this important text