One of the best loved books of Christianity, this was written at the end of the Middle Ages, by a man named Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471). The author had a wide knowledge of the Scriptures and classical philosophy, and although he spent most of his life in a Dutch monastery (began by Gerhard Grootë), he also possessed a deep understanding of human nature. His acquired wisdom convinced him of man's complete dependence on God's love and the empty futility of life without it. The book has exercised a profound influence for over 500 years.