Honorable reader: Reflections on my work

Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, as well as a bestselling writer, poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion. This posthumously published book is a collection of prefaces that Merton wrote for international editions of his books, which often give insight as he looks back with the advantage of hindsight. Merton suggests that the major message in his books is that "the contemplative life applies wherever there is life."

Despite a title change, this new edition of Introductions East & West ( LJ 8/81) is not greatly revised over that original anthology of prefaces Merton wrote retrospectively for foreign translations of his works. Only a few prefaces here were not included in the first book, and except for some new letters on proposed translations, material in the appendixes is duplicated as well. Still, this may be appropriate for comprehensive Merton collections even if they include Introductions , and for libraries without the latter, it offers a fascinating glimpse at Merton's own evaluation of his work. (Readers may also be interested in a March 1989 title from New Directions, Thomas Merton in Alaska: Prelude to The Asian Journal .)-- EC
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