The Seven Storey Mountain: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition [B0180]

1999 PB. One of the most famous books ever written about a man's search for faith and peace. The Seven Storey Mountain tells of the growing restlessness of a brilliant and passionate young man, who at the age of twenty-six, takes vows in one of the most demanding Catholic orders-the Trappist monks. At the Abbey of Gethsemani, "the four walls of my new freedom," Thomas Merton struggles to withdraw from the world, but only after he has fully immersed himself in it. At the abbey - at the age of 33- he wrote this extraordinary testament, a unique spiritual autobiography that has been recognized as one of the most influential religious works of our time. Translated into more than twenty languages, it has touched millions of lives.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "An eloquent spiritual and intellectual autobiography, beautifully written. You don't have to be Catholic to enjoy it."; "The early 20th century as a backdrop of this autobiography of an intelligent and diligent man from Protestant to Catholic to Trappist Monk is very interesting. He is a man of means enough to travel and live a lavish life (in a way). Following his goal to be more of a good person and his journey at the time between the great wars taught me much about spirituality."; "This book was very long and detailed, but a beautiful story leading to a vocation to the priesthood. Thomas Merton is poetic and rich in his writing."