In partnership with ARPress, Michael P. Closs, author of “The Book of Mary,” held a successful book signing event during the 2025 Los Angeles Festival of Books (LATFOB) at the University of Southern California.
The 2025 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (LATFOB), held on April 26–27 at the University of Southern California (USC), was a significant cultural event that brought together a diverse array of participants and marked its 30th anniversary with a vibrant celebration of literature, culture, and community. The festival is known for attracting a large crowd each year. For instance, the 2024 festival drew over 150,000 attendees, and the 2025 event featured more than 550 writers, experts, and storytellers, along with hundreds of exhibitors.
The festival featured over 100 ticketed author events, children’s storytelling sessions, poetry readings, book signings, and more than 400 exhibitor booths. Notable participants in the 2025 festival included authors such as Stacey Abrams, Jon M. Chu, Amanda Gorman, Chelsea Handler, Ibram X. Kendi, and Rebecca Yarros, among many others. The festival’s success was also attributed to the generous involvement of volunteers who assisted with various aspects of the event, including welcoming attendees, staffing author events, and supervising book signings.
LATFOB 2025 emphasized accessibility and community involvement. General admission was free, with select programming requiring tickets. The festival’s partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs ensured that a wide range of activities were available to attendees of all ages and backgrounds, fostering a welcoming environment for literary enthusiasts and families alike.
Michael P. Closs’ masterpiece, The Book of Mary, was featured in the February 2025 issue of The New York Times Book Review (NYTBR) magazine.
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly magazine supplement included in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, where professional critics review current fiction and nonfiction books. It is considered one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the world. Essentially, it serves as a dedicated section within the newspaper, offering in-depth analyses of new books.
Michael P. Closs is a retired professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is also a Catholic deacon who has served in both Canada and Mexico. Closs’ work is thoroughly researched and carefully crafted. He opens with background on the Gospel of Mark, who likely drew primarily from the Protoevangelium, especially in relation to the Messianic Secret. After this introduction, Closs presents the Protoevangelium itself, based on Mary’s testimony regarding her birth, childhood, Immaculate Conception, and the birth of Jesus. The full text is included, with footnotes for each verse providing historical context, biblical parallels between Mary’s story and Old Testament figures, semantic insights, and interpretations of key events.
“The Book of Mary” by Michael P. Closs takes a fresh, critical look at the Protevangelium of James, one of the earliest texts detailing the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Closs meticulously analyzes historical manuscripts, including Syriac and Greek sources, to explore how this ancient work influenced early Christian beliefs and shaped traditions about Mary’s life, from her miraculous birth to her role in the story of Jesus.
The US Review of Books (USRB) recommends The Book of Mary: A Commentary on the Protoevangelium of James, Edition 2 by Michael P. Closs. Here’s a review from the USRB that highlights:
“This is a thorough, insightful, and diligent commentary on an ancient text that is not widely known yet forms the basis of the Gospel stories Christians are intimately familiar with. Closs gently encourages readers to think critically about the stories they may have taken for granted, to ‘insert ourselves into the narrative,’ as he states at one point. He shows great compassion for the historical figures, noting, for example, that the Immaculate Conception of Mary ‘would be a nightmare for any woman, to find herself pregnant and not know how it happened. The entire scene is very spiritually painful to both Joseph and Mary.’ He provides bold critiques of other scholars but offers sufficient evidence to back up his conclusions. He also anticipates criticism of his own positions by preemptively providing solid resources and background for his arguments. He guides readers step-by-step through a meticulously crafted commentary, into which he evidently poured his heart and soul. It is a beautiful guide for anyone interested in delving more deeply into the origins of Christianity.”
Michael Closs was also interviewed by Benji Cole from CBS Radio. Michael was inspired to write “The Book of Mary” after years of studying ancient biblical texts and recognizing the gaps in commonly known Christian teachings. The Protevangelium of James fascinated him due to its unique perspective on Mary’s life, a perspective often neglected in mainstream Christian theology. Closs wanted to highlight how this ancient document provides insights into Jewish customs, early Christian beliefs, and the deep spiritual significance of Mary’s journey.
To delve deeper into Michael’s inspiration behind his book, you can watch the full interview below:
The book trailer for “The Book of Mary: A Commentary on the Protevangelium of James” by Michael Closs has just been released, which underscores the importance of the Protoevangelium of James as a foundational text for the Gospel stories. It offers a fresh perspective, interpreting it not as an early Christian text but as a late Jewish text with prophetic implications for the New Testament. Through historical context and critical analysis, Closs challenges readers to engage deeply with the roots of Christian narratives.
Watch the trailer now and deepen your knowledge of biblical history or uncover new dimensions of Mary’s story.
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