This book is the first of a 2-volume set. Neither book is like any other Merton book you may have read. Volume I, “ Intervals” , includes original works by Merton, only published in the Merton Annual. We are all familiar with his works written with a common theme such as Faith and Violence or New Seeds or Contemplations. We are also familiar with his volumes of journals, grouped by time period, or his letters, grouped by addressee. “ Intervals” is different. These works, which have only been published in the Merton Annual over a period of more than three decades, are a virtual “ sampler” of Merton works. The essays included in Volume One serve as a kind of roving overview of Merton’ s corpus filling in gaps and lacunae here and there, but also noting the periodic lapses or historical “ intervals” that appear in between each essay.” They show his progress as a writer from a teenager in England all the way to his writings on Eastern religions towards the end of his life. The gathering of these writings under one cover shows not only the progress and fluidity in his writing style, but also the diversity of works that he was capable of penning.