What we imagine can crush us or create us, destroy us or heal us; it can pitch us into battles with demons or set us among the songs of angels. It has roots beneath consciousness and is expressed in moods, rhythms, tones and textures of experience that are as much mental as physiological.

In his new book, a sequel to the earlier Unbelievable, one of Britain's most exciting writers on religion presents a nuanced and many-dimensional portrait of the mystery and creativity of the human imagination.

Discussing the likes of William Wordsworth, William Turner, Samuel...