We owe Joan Taylor a great debt of thanks for bringing to life, with such detail and care (and with her own evocative photographs), a community, its setting, and the parts that it played, which have been for so long misunderstood. (Rev. Robin Griffith-Jones, Church Times)This is an excellent book, beautifully and lightly written, and clearly organized. It is packed with a wealth of fresh perspectives on many issues and it is full of helpful information, not least concerning the history of scholarship on all aspects of Essenism. (George Brooke, Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis, University of Manchester)This is an erudite book, full of rare information and bold suggestions. (John J. Collins, Journal of Jewish Studies Vol. LXIV No. 1)