is the culmination and completion of an extraordinary body of work. As a historian he has revolutionized our understanding of ancient philosophy and religion; as a mystic, he introduced us to what philosophy and religion are meant to be.

Hauntingly personal, almost autobiographical, this is not the story of one man's life. It's the secret story of us all. Beyond scepticism and cynicism, belief or imagination, A Book of Life offers a roadmap to reality by showing how it still is possible to experience the sacred truths our ancestors knew and lived -- that inside every human being lies the universe and that life itself, in all its splendour, is what lies behind our tiny lives.

This little book is a wide open door into the timeless magic and unfathomable mystery our modern world has managed to forget. Even so, to encourage anyone to read it now would be totally wrong -- because it was written to be read not by people today but in a distant future.