Friends, I am thrilled to announce that on August 29, 2023, the new edition of my book on Christian mysticism will be published!
The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism is a revised and expanded 2nd edition of the book first published in 2010. I know sometimes when publishers bring out “revised” editions of books, the changes are minimal. That’s not the case with this book — it is fully revised and significantly expanded!
The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism is over 40,000 words longer than the first edition — it’s as if I’ve added a book’s worth of new material! There’s five new chapters, covering topics like the Jewish contribution to mysticism, mysticism and sexuality/gender, and the social dimension of mysticism. Plus, all the rest of the book has been carefully revised and in many chapters chapters have been rewritten and/or expanded. Although the basic outline and structure of the book remains the same, overall anyone who read the original edition will find this new edition to be an enhanced, expanded exploration of its topic.
Other significant changes: the first book was geared toward Christian mysticism as a religious phenomenon, but in the revised/expanded edition I’ve shifted the focus away from church and toward the practice of contemplative/mystical spirituality — which for most people is a solitary, daily discipline. I’ve also worked hard to make the New Big Book more truly inclusive and egalitarian in scope, minimizing the use of gendered language for God and seeking to honor and represent the diversity among mystics, both past and present.
The bottom line: I wrote The Big Book of Christian Mysticism in 2007-2009, while the New Big Book of Christian Mysticism was revised/expanded in 2021-2022. Over the 12-14 years that separate the two editions, I’ve grown both spiritually and professionally, and I have worked hard to make the new edition a more informed, readable, and user-friendly guide to the beauty and mystery of contemplative spirituality.
I hope you’ll read (and enjoy) this new edition!
Patreon special: If you are (or become) a Patreon member, supporting my work at the $20/month or $204/year level or higher, with your membership current as of August 2023, then I will send you an autographed copy of The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism with my compliments (to receive this offer, join Patreon no later than July 31, 2023, and keep your membership active at least through the end of August). Click here to join Patreon.
Otherwise, I hope you will pre-order the book from one of the following sources:
- Amazon — paperback or Kindle ebook
- Barnes and Noble — paperback or Nook ebook
- Broadleaf Books (the publisher) — paperback
- Bookshop.org (representing independent bookstores) — paperback
- Books-a-Million — paperback
- Cathedral Bookstore — Atlanta independent bookstore — autographed paperback
- Christian Book Distributors — paperback
- Indiebound.com (representing independent bookstores) — paperback
- www.anamchara.com — autographed paperback
Pre-ordering new books is important! Online retailers like Amazon and B&N will determine how many copies of a book to stock — and how aggressively to promote it — based on their pre-order numbers. Likewise the publisher will be more committed to promoting a book if the pre-orders are robust. Every pre-order matters. So please, pre-order the book today from your preferred retailer. And thank you!
Remember: to get an autographed copy, join Patreon at the $20/month or higher level. Click here to join Patreon.
Advance Praise
The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism is already getting advance praise from early readers. Check it out:
“Mainstream religion, highjacked to a dualistic and zero-sum worldview pitting us against one another and against the planet, is poisoning the human soul. The antidote isn’t reason or secular humanism or even liberal religion, but mysticism: the direct seeing into the nondual Divine happening as all reality. Carl McColman’s The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism provides this antidote for anyone who dares to read it. If you identify as Christian, make this book a new Gospel. If you are not, read it as a catalyst to finding the mystic heart of your own spiritual identity.” — Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent
Here’s another one:
“Carl McColman’s The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism is accessible for those brand new to mysticism and a deep dive for those who have been studying it a lifetime. In this new edition, McColman explores mysticism’s direct connection to topics like embodiment, social justice, eroticism, and sexuality, inviting the reader into mysticism’s aliveness.” — Cassidy Hall, MDiv, MTS, MA, award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, and author
And one more (for now):
“A mystic is one whose eyes are open to seeing the Eternal in every fleeting moment of human life on this Earth, and whose heart is open to the Love that permeates through each and everything in this universe. This new volume lays out more of the rich treasures of the Christian tradition for those aspiring to awaken their mystic heart.” — Ruben L.F. Habito, Author of Be Still and Know: Zen and the Bible and Living Zen, Loving God
Remember: your pre-order counts, so please choose your favorite retailer/website and pre-order The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism today! Thank you!!!!
