With An introduction to the desert Fathers a life-long engagement with the sayings of and anecdotes about the early monks has come to an end. John Wortley, who passed away in 2019, spent much of his life studying, cataloguing, translating and editing early monastic literature. His knowledge of the very rich Greek tradition of this literature was unparalleled. In his brief, but very rich introduction he presents a well-reflected analysis of the sayings tradition with generous examples on a variety of themes. It is not the historical or cultural roots, nor the emergence and development of the tradition, but the ideas and teachings that are at the centre. Based on his eminent knowledge of Greek monastic literature Wortley is able to present profound analyses of some of the most important Greek concepts, such as sôtería (salvation), akedía (sloth), diákrisis (discernment), metrôn (measure), katalalía (slandering), or hesychía (stillness), for any interested reader. In the fourteen brief chapters we are also introduced to issues such as forms of prayer and meditation, eating and drinking, work, women in the desert, literacy and literature and conflicts. On the two last issues Wortley is still under what has been termed ‘the spell of the desert’, i.e. a somewhat romantic idea of the simplicity of the untouched and pristine desert, and one looks in vain for references to recent scholarship on early monasticism. But in spite of the fact that the book does not take the radical revision of scholarship on early monasticism into account, it is still a very valuable introduction for anyone interested in what is one of the most influential literatures in the history of Christianity.