Few books have travelled as strangely through literary history as The Prophet.

First published in 1923, it has been embraced by mystics, artists, newlyweds, political leaders, sceptics and spiritual seekers alike. Structured as a series of poetic discourses delivered by the prophet Almustafa before his departure from the city of Orphalese, it moves through love, marriage, work, freedom, children, sorrow, joy and death with the cadence of scripture rather than argument.

Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer and artist who wrote in both Arabic and English, occupies an unusual place in twentieth-century literature. His work draws from Christian, Islamic and Sufi traditions, Romantic poetry and Symbolist aesthetics without belonging fully to any of them. The result is a prose that aims less to persuade than to resonate. Whether one finds it profound or sentimental, The Prophet remains one of the most widely read works of philosophical literature ever published, largely because it speaks in archetypes rather than doctrines.

This handsome edition includes twelve full-page reproductions of Gibran's own drawings, inseparable from his vision of the text. It is well suited to readers interested in comparative religion, spiritual writing, literary modernism, or simply one of the twentieth century's most enduring cultural phenomena.

Heinemann, reset 1964; this copy from the 1979 printing. Hardcover with dust jacket, including the author's original illustrations. Very good condition. Light rubbing and edge wear to the unclipped dust jacket, with a firm binding and clean, bright pages.