Julian Stern is Professor of Education and Religion at Bishop Grosseteste University, UK.Christopher A. Sink is Research Associate, Western Washington University Department of Psychology, USA.Malgorzata Walejko is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Pedagogy at the University of Szczecin, Poland.Wong Ping Ho is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of International Education at The Education University of Hong Kong (formerly the Hong Kong Institute of Education), China.

• List of IllustrationsList of Contributors AcknowledgementsForeword, Olivia Sagan (Queen Margaret University, UK)Introduction: Personhood, Alone and Together, Julian Stern (Bishop Grosseteste University, UK)Part I: SolitudePart I Introduction, Malgorzata Walejko (University of Szczecin, Poland) 1. The Philosophy of Solitude, Piotr Domeracki (University in Torun, Poland)2. Schooling and Solitude, Helen Lees (Editor-in-Chief, Other Education: A Journal of Alternative Education)3. Solitude Practices in the Context of Catholic Education, Michael Buchanan (Australian CatholicUniversity, Australia)4. Solitude in Nature, Amanda Fulford (Edge Hill University, UK)5. Working Solitude: The Value of Wilderness Time of Leaders and Would-Be Leaders, David Weir (York St John University, UK)6. The Politics of Solitude, Henrieta Serban (Romanian Academy, Romania) and Aleksander Cywinski (University of Szczecin, Poland)7. The Art, Music and Literature of Solitude, Julian Stern (Bishop Grosseteste University, UK)8. Solitude as a Spiritual Practice: Perspectives from the Chinese Tradition, Wong Ping Ho (The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)9. Solitude and Religion: The Space Between, Gillian Simpson (York St John University, UK)Part II: SilencePart II Introduction, Wong Ping Ho (The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China) 10. Children and Silence, Richard Cleveland (Georgia Southern University, USA)11. Multifaceted Silences in Adolescence: Implications for Social Cognition and Mental Health, Sandra Bosacki (Brock University, Canada)12. Creativity, Concentration and Silence, Teresa Olearczyk (Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Poland)13. Silence and Sexuality in School Settings: A Transnational Perspective, Helen Sauntson (York St John University, UK) and Rodrigo Borba (University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)14. Silence and Educational Places and Spaces, Eva Alerby (Luleå University of Technology, Sweden)15. The Quiet Professional: On Being Alone/Together in Higher Education, Anne Pirrie (University of the West of Scotland, UK) and Nini Fang (University of Edinburgh, UK)Part III: LonelinessPart III Introduction, Christopher A. Sink (Western Washington University, USA)16. Consciousness and Loneliness, Ben Lazare Mijusovic (California State University, Dominguez Hills, USA)17. The Psychological Implications of Loneliness, Christopher A. Sink (Old Dominion University, USA)18. Loneliness in Childhood, Sivan George-Levi (Bar-Ilan University, Israel), Tomer Schmidt-Barad (Bar-Ilan University, Israel) and Malka Margalit (Tel-Aviv University, Israel)19. Adult Loneliness, Elzbieta Dubas (University of Lodz, Poland)20. The Morality of Loneliness, Jaroslaw Horowski (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland)21. Loneliness and Dementia: The Role of Communication, Alison Wray (Cardiff University, UK)22. Loneliness and Care of the Elderly, Rafal Iwanski (University of Szczecin, Poland)23. Mortality and Loneliness: Towards Less-Lonely Grief, Sarah James (University of Hull,UK) and Piotr Krakowiak (University of Torun, Poland)Conclusion: Lifelong Learning of Aloneness, Julian Stern (Bishop Grosseteste University, UK)ReferencesIndex

The major strength of the handbook is an inclusive attempt to bring together so many fresh perspectives on these areas in nuances and with thought-provoking complexity ... The book is abounding in rewarding insights and fresh, stimulating contemplations. I highly recommend this work for both academic learning and pleasure reading.