Katharine was twenty six when forty-two-year-old Martin Luther determined to "Take my Kate to wife ere I die, to spite the devil." Would the marriage succeed? Ernst Kroker's compelling biographical account of Katharine von Bora relates that their marriage not only succeeded but also set a high standard for marriage and Christian family life for centuries to come, Kroker paints an intimate picture of Katie and of family life in the Black Cloister during the formative years of the Reformation, showing how Katie's marriage to Martin Luther was a multifaceted vocation, with such tasks as household brew-mistress, cloister landlady, property overseer, gardener, cow and pigherder, and fishwife. Indeed, Katie oversaw their home much like a lord in her kingdom, yet in the midst of it all stood the man to whom her work, concern, and duty were directed. Originally published in German in 1906, this readable, fresh translation of one of the standard bio-graphical works on Katie Luther presents a compelling portrait for those desiring to know more about this quietly influential Reformation character. Mark DeGarmeaux brings the warmth of Kroker's writing to a new generation of those interested in the Reformation and especially in Katie, the woman behind the hammer Book jacket.