Upon the recommendation of a Scottish publisher, we are reprinting as a single volume this most critically acclaimed and popular of modern Camaldolese books. It is a guide to the hermit way of life, based on the teaching of Blessed Paul Giustiniani and featuring a memorable preface by Thomas Merton. Jean Leclerq, O.S.B. (1911-1993) is widely regarded as the foremost twentieth century scholar of Western monasticism, and this is one of his most impressive achievements. If you are only going to read one work of monastic spirituality in your lifetime, this could be your best choice.

The Life, Doctrine, and Rule of Blessed Paul Giustiniani. On the Landscape of Christian hermit life, Paul Giustiniani (1496-1528), Blessed by fame, is a towering figure. To him that dazzling genius, Jean Leclercq, O.S.B., devoted two of his finest monastic studies. We are pleased to offer them here: the biography, never before published in English; and the doctrinal synthesis, Alone with God, much-loved when it first appeared and out-of-print for over a generation. And this is not all. Leclercq's masterpieces are flanked on the left by a variegated general introduction and on the right by selections from Blessed Paul's Rule, a translation of St. Romuald's Brief Rule with commentary, an epilouge sketching the history of Monte Corona, and ample indices. There are also more than a dozen carefully selected illustrations.