In every culture, in every epoch, human beings have yearned for heaven--the kingdom of God, abode of the elect, fount of enlightenment, mirror of hopes and desires. Now, in The Book of Heaven, Carol and Philip Zaleski provide the first wide-ranging anthology of writings about heaven, drawing from scriptures, myths, epics, poems, prayers, sermons, novels, hymns and spells, to illuminate a vast spectrum of beliefs about the world beyond.
The Zaleskis present a fascinating array of ancient and modern, solemn and comic meditations, as they explore such topics as the often treacherous journey...

"God gives without stint all that the creature needs, but it must do its part. He gives the wheat: we must reap and grind and bake it." Evelyn Underhill
In these two classics, British poet and mystic Evelyn Underhill shows herself to be one of the most authoritative modern voices on mysticism. Written on the eve of World War I, Practical Mysticism reviews the works of the greatest Western mystics, including Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Thomas a Kempis. Underhill s goal is to guide her readers on a journey toward mystical consciousness, to teach them to see the...

Focusing on extraordinary stories of lives changed by prayer and on great works of literature and art inspired by it, the authors map the vast world of prayer from the sacred pipe to the rosary, from Neanderthal funerals to Pentecostal revivals.