Robert Ellwood's text offers an engaging, comprehensive, and clearly written overview of the major issues and positions in the study of mysticism."I am very impressed with this second edition of Mysticism and Re- ligion. It is lucidly written, thorough, thoughtful, and filled with nu- merous vivid, first person accounts. Ellwood is well grounded in the current scholarly debates on mysticism, and his intellectual so- phistication and even-handed assessment of differing perspectives are readily apparent throughout the text."-G. William Barnard, Southern Methodist University"Ellwood's text is excellent and his methodology is sound; his illus- trations from both past and contemporary mysticism make his work simultaneously challenging and pleasant to read."-Edward Hughes, California State University at Long Beach