In this lucid and inspirational book, Peter France provides engaging accounts of the lives of famous hermits and hermitic movements - from the Greek Cynics to the Desert Fathers to more modern seekers such as Thoreau, Thomas Merton, and the American poet Robert Lax. Viewed as possessing remarkable moral strength and mystical powers gained through an ascetic existence, hermits have been revered and scorned for their often odd behavior.

Although the traditional life of a hermit has always been ascetic and antisocial, it has often been difficult for these truth-seekers to avoid people altogether. However, for the modern hermit, such as the expatriate writer Robert Lax, the pursuit of enlightenment involves finding a balance between interacting with society and finding solitude in which to work.

Filled with the wisdom born of solitude, Hermits provides a body of spiritual knowledge that will inspire readers to meditate on the need we all have for a time of solitude in our lives.