This two-volume set of essays and interviews from over 35 years of The Merton Annual is a sterling resource for Merton readers. Volume II brings together seminal oral-history interviews with people who knew Merton personally, along with little known or previously unpublished writings by Merton himself. This volume is a sumptuous banquet bringing together the highlights of this important scholarship and providing readers with firsthand accounts of Merton from among his fellow monks, close friends, and other key figures. The stories and reminiscences, the humorous anecdotes, the thoughtful reflections of Merton' s confreres, friends, and scholars invite us to sit in on conversations

that illuminate the person and spirit of Thomas Merton himself- the monk, the writer, the friend, the spiritual guide, the prophet. These volumes are a treasure trove! And must-reads for anyone interested in Thomas Merton, monasticism, Christianity, Catholicism, spirituality, contemplation, and religion in general.