The first biography of Edith Stein, written by her prioress in the Cologne Carmel, was out of print for half a century. The original text, "a wreath of recollections, lovingly woven together," is here re-edited and enhanced by scholarly perspectives, and also updated and corrected in the light of information that was not available to the author at the time. The book includes 9 photos. Enriched by a broader range of contemporary literature about Edith Stein as philosopher, educator, spiritual writer, and Jewish victim of the Holocaust, this new presentation of the classic biography cited by so many brings the reader closer to the real Edith Stein.
This revised work is eminently readable. The editors have avoided weighing down this engaging life story with scholarly notes and commentaries. Instead they have relegated such material to a separate section of "Gleanings." This gives the reader the option of enjoying the biography unencumbered by supplementary matter, or of delving into the Gleanings for more background and information when so desired.