Historian Grace Karskens writes that Eugene Stockton: Blue Mountains Hermit is a ‘deeply considered and beautifully written’ book. The essays therein ‘explore and celebrate Eugene’s life and work, his many lives in one life. They are bound together by the same wholeness, the same shining weft of ideas and truths emblematic of his thinking. Together, the authors have created a loving gift, an important, absorbing, and inspiring record, and an invitation to continue and expand Eugene’s brilliant work.’

Eugene Stockton: Blue Mountains Hermit follows the various stages and interests of Stockton’s life. It is written by his friends and colleagues and edited by historian Associate Professor William Emilsen and former Dean of Medicine at the University of New South Wales, Professor Peter Smith. The book begins with a biographical portrait of Stockton, followed by chapters on his work as a theological teacher and educator, his involvement with Aboriginal Catholics in the inner city, his important contribution to Blue Mountains archaeology, his innovative ministry as a Parish Priest; his Biblical scholarship; his distinctive contribution to theology; and finally, his desire and experience of being consecrated a hermit within the Catholic Church. For those interested in exploring Eugene’s thought, the book concludes with a comprehensive biography of his writings.

It all begins with an idea.