Thomas Merton is arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the 20th century. He has written more than 60 books and hundreds of poems and articles on topics ranging from monastic spirituality to civil rights, nonviolence, and the nuclear arms race. Some of his most popular titles include New Seeds of Contemplation, No Man Is an Island, The Seven Storey Mountain, Thoughts in Solitude, and Way of Chuang Tzu.