In this lucid and highly readable book, Peter France shows how hermits, from the Taoists and Ancient Greeks to the present day, have something vitally important to say to a society that fears solitude.

And, as Gordon Campbell shows, they live on in the art, literature, and drama of our own day - as well as in the figure of the modern-day garden gnome.

If you have ever wondered about how hermits live, or if you are an active participant in the eremitical life, then its time to make this ultimate resource guide part of your book collection.

A history of hermits and eremitism from antiquity to the present: Greco-Roman influences, early Christianity, hermits in medieval Europe and East Asia, decline in Western modernity, the rise of solitude, and rehabilitation of hermits.

Thought-provoking and entertaining, these stories move along quickly but continue to resonate long after the reader is done; several have been anthologized in award collections.” —Library Journal “Beautiful in their magical imagery, ...

How to Be a Hermit by American humorist Will Cuppy is a subjective and partly fictional account of Will's adventures as a hermit on Jones's Island in Wisconsin.