This book documents the spirited dialogue between men and women that made possible the richness of mysticism in the 13th and 14th centuries. Never before has the theological and spiritual significance of this unprecedented era been explored with such freshness and depth.

This third volume in "The Presence of God" series, actually the first of two parts, covers the rich terrain of Franciscan mysticism and the emergence of female mystics (the speculative mysticism associated with Meister Eckhart and later male mystics of 1300 50 will wait for a companion volume, to be subtitled "Love and Knowledge in Late Medieval Mysticism"). Suffice to say, however, the treatment here, as in McGinn's previous volumes, is bountiful, detailed, and exhaustive. Particularly as he surveys female mystical literature, the field becomes verdant and exceptional. Introducing and analyzing female mystics great and small, McGinn (Univ. of Chicago's Divinity Sch.) expands immensely an area previously including only the well-known, such as Hadewijch of Antwerp and Mechthild of Magdeburg. Literate, scholarly, and profound, this is highly recommended for all religion collections. Sandra Collins, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Lib. Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews