Phyllis A. Tickle is a religion editor of Publishers Weekly, the international journal of the book trade. She is uniquely positioned to map one aspect of current interest in spirituality — what is being published in this field, what people are buying, and what this means. From her "catbird seat," Tickle categorizes and comments on what she regards as a major cultural trend: the recent deluge of books on religion, the sacred, and spirituality.
Tickle takes the pulse of institutional Christianity and of the still burgeoning New Age movement. Best of all, she offers a critique of the "Ozian" dimensions of religious sentiment informing post-Christian America. The author's personal accounts of several edifying and illuminating spiritual experiences serve as fine counterpoints to the overviews and assessments which are at the heart and soul of this fine book.