Benedicta Ward and Paul Savage have done a great service in making this important text easily accessible to students, scholars, and all those interested in the Cistercians and their stories. They offer a lucid translation of Conrad of Eberbach's difficult prose and provide extensive commentary that places Conrad's work in its monastic context.

Sister Benedicta Ward and Paul Savage must be congratulated for their important and successful translation of one of the most significant works of the Cistercian Middle Ages, which is now finally made available to non-specialists. Reading the Great Beginning of Citeaux, in fact, will not only appeal to those interested in the history of the Cistercian Order. In this collection of stories readers will find a wealth of information on medieval spirituality, history and culture, and it is a work that could be of benefit in any course on the Middle Ages.

The Great Beginning of C�teaux is a rich treasure trove of stories, visions, and miracles that should be a mandatory reading for all those interested in twelfth- and thirteenth-century spirituality, history, and culture. The translation is superb, and the introduction very helpful for general readers and scholars alike.

Here we have an accessible English version which gives a well-defined picture of life in Cistercian monasteries, from the foundation of the Order until the early thirteenth century. . . . Although at first sight this book appears to be one for scholars or members of the Cistercian Order, I discovered that it has a wider appeal. In scholarly terms Conrad's is not a critical history, but stands nearer the tradition of the Desert monastics, relating stories that are designed to build up the reader in faith. However, the serious student will find the extensive footnotes and bibliography particularly useful.