This is an excellent reading experience. It makes you personally feel all that the writer wants you to know....so I ordered a replacement copy to re-read.This book shaped my life more than any other besides the Bible.I'm looking froward to re-reading it now, 33 years later.The author was clearly an interesting and intense man lead to follow his restless heart to a place of solitude for the love of God. He made his ascents through both internal and external upheavals until he reaches an amazing view: that of the Catholic faith. Later, still partly bewildered by this experience, he comes to the conclusion that he must join a community as a monk.It is easy to be taken in and also taken back by the author's rhetoric. But in general the prose are easy and sometimes magnificent. You end up wanting to thank this man for writing his autobiography. Thank you Thomas Merton!There have been innumerable people who have read this book who never went to church in their lives-people who overcame addiction, people who got their lives back on track-simply from the hope they gleaned from this honest autobiography of a normal, flawed individual. You will be heartbroken when you finish it and especially so when you realize that he is no longer with us-yet, these words and the story therein are eternal and have universal appeal. The writer had a gift for making the inaccessible accessible for so many. Read it and discover for yourself why so many people have read this-and read it more than once.Fascinating story of the spiritual journey of a very bring young man who observed his cultural context well.A friend of mine wrote a book, Behind the Veil: A Fifty-Year Search For Meaning and Perspective. In his seventies, he continues to search, as do most of us. The Seven Storey Mountain describes a great man's successful search in which he finds God. Whether you are a scholar, a materialist, a playboy, or a cynic, if you are searching for meaning and deep happiness, this is a book for you. Many short sentences that profoundly connect. Reminds me of the Confessions.of Saint Augustine.Very nice, VERY CLASSIC book, Good service!!!!!This is the first time I am forced to give a poor review. I have ordered used books before (college books for my grandchildren) and have always been extremely satisfied. This purchase was for me and I feel as if I just took $11 (which included shipping) and threw it away. The pages of the book are yellowed and difficult to read. As you try to turn a page, the page pulls away from the binding and this doesn't even address the musty odor of the book. I have purchased books at book sales for a quarter that were in 100% better condition.