A Facebook friend recently posted a request for suggestions on books by or about Meister Eckhart. There are so many, that I couldn’t figure out a succinct way to respond to the request, so I figured I’d just post a list of books here instead. So what follows is a list of books featuring English translations of the writings of the medieval German theologian/mystic Meister Eckart, along with some books of commentary, and even a few collections of poetry inspired by (and drawing from) Eckhart’s own words. Once I started drawing up the list, I kept thinking of more books to add, and before I knew it, it had become a very long list indeed. If you are new to Eckhart, I hope this list will be a fun jumping-off point, and even if you are a long-time student of the Meister, maybe you’ll find a gem or two in this list that’s new to you.
I should mention that this is a general list and I haven’t made any attempt to sort the books out in any way other than the three general categories of translations, poetry, and commentary. The commentaries especially cover a wide terrain: some are interspiritual in nature, others written from a decidedly Catholic viewpoint, and others look at Eckhart from a scholarly or philosophical perspective. I doubt if any one person is going to love all these books, so look them over, read reviews and excerpts and decided for yourself which ones sound interesting to you. Please also note that some of these books are considered controversial in the field of Eckhart scholarship, which might be something to consider and which also could be evidence of, for example, how academics don’t always appreciate books written for the general public (and/or contemplative practitioners). At first I thought I’d annotate this list, but my time is limited so I decided just to encourage you to do your own due diligence and decide which of these books meets your criteria for something worth reading.
Of course, I can’t help expressing my opinion some how (!), so I’m putting in bold type several of these books that I think are especially suitable for contemplative practitioners and/or persons new to Eckhart. But all the other books on the list are worth considering, too!
Books featuring the Writings of Meister Eckhart
- Meister Eckhart, Selected Writings (translated by Oliver Davies)
- Meister Eckhart, Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart (translated by Maurice O’C Walshe)
- Meister Eckhart, The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises and Defense (translated by Edmund Colledge & Bernard McGinn)
- Meister Eckhart, Teacher and Preacher (translated by Bernard McGinn, Frank Tobin & Elvira Borgstadt)
- Meister Eckhart, The Essential Writings (translated by Raymond B. Blakney)
- Meister Eckhart, Meister Eckhart, from Whom God Hid Nothing (edited by David O’Neal)
- Meister Eckhart, Selected Treatises and Sermons (translated by James M. Clark and John V. Skinner)
- Meister Eckhart, The Best of Meister Eckhart (edited by Halcyon Backhouse)
- Meister Eckhart, Meister Eckehart Speaks (translated by Elizabeth Strakosch)
Books for Learning More About Meister Eckhart
- Bernard McGinn, The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart
- Brian J. Pierce, We Walk the Path Together: Learning from Thich Nhat Hanh and Meister Eckhart
- C. F. Kelley, Meister Eckhart on Divine Knowledge
- Clint Johnson, Paradox at Play: Metaphor in Meister Eckhart’s Sermons (also includes new translations of 28 sermons)
- Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox: Spiritual Life as Taught by Meister Eckhart
- Frank Tobin, Meister Eckhart: Thought and Language
- James Finley, Meister Eckhart’s Living Wisdom: Indestructible Joy and the Path of Letting Go
- Joel F. Harrington, Dangerous Mystic
- Kurt Flasch, Meister Eckhart: Philosopher of Christianity
- L. J. Milone, Nothing But God: The Everyday Mysticism of Meister Eckhart
- Matthew Fox, Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart (also includes new translations of 37 sermons)
- Matthew Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times
- Michael Demkovich, Introducing Meister Eckhart
- Oliver Davies, Meister Eckhart: Mystical Theologian
- Reiner Schurmaan, Wandering Joy: Meister Eckhart’s Mystical Philosophy (also includes translations of 8 sermons)
- Reza Shah-Kazemi, Paths to Transcendence, According to Shankara, Ibn Arabi and Meister Eckhart
- Richard J. Woods, Eckhart’s Way
- Richard Woods, Meister Eckhart, Master of Mystics
- Robert J. Dobie, Logos and Revelation: Ibn’Arabi, Meister Eckhart, and Mystical Hermeneutics
- Robert K.C. Forman, Meister Eckhart: Mystic as Theologian
Poetry Inspired by Meister Eckhart
- Jon Sweeney & Mark Burrows, Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness and Light
- Jon Sweeney & Mark Burrows, Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart
- Jon Sweeney & Mark Burrows, Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets
- Matthew Fox, Meditations with Meister Eckhart
