The new book by Pope Benedict XVI, the third and final volume in his international bestselling Jesus of Nazareth series is a penetrating and theologically rich exploration of the infancy and early life of Jesus. It will be released in the U.S. and Canada on December 4, 2012 by Image Books, the Catholic-interest imprint of the Crown Publishing Group at Random House, Inc. The first book in the series, a New York Times bestseller published in 2007, covered the period from Jesus’ baptism to his Transfiguration; the second, also a New York Times bestsller and issued in 2011, chronicled the passion and death of Jesus. Now, Pope Benedict focuses exclusively on the Gospel accounts of Jesus" infancy and childhood, sharing a compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of Jesus and inciting readers to encounter, face-to-face, the central figure and the hope of the Christian faith. Founded in 1954 with the mandate of providing quality religious titles to readers at an affordable price, Image Books is the only imprint from any trade publisher that is exclusively dedicated to Catholic topics. It has a uniquely rich history of publishing leading and classic Catholic-interest authors such as Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Scott Hahn, Ronald Rolheiser, Mother Angelica, Raymond Arroyo, John L. Allen, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan.