In this book, Nies-Berger, a fellow Alsatian who had known Schweitzer since childhood, chronicles their collaboration during the final decade and a half of Schweitzer's life and presents his candid observations of this extraordinary man and the people around him.

Revere life, and give yours away for the sake of serving others. As a young man, Albert Schweitzer seemed destined for greatness. His immense talent and fortitude propelled him to a place as one of Europe’s most renowned philosophers, theologians, and musicians in the early twentieth century. Yet Schweitzer shocked his contemporaries by forsaking worldly success and embarking on an epic journey into the wilds of French Equatorial Africa, vowing to serve as a lifelong physician to “the least of these” in a mysterious land rife with famine, sickness, and superstition. Enduring hardship, conflict, and personal struggles, he and his beloved wife, Hélène, became French prisoners of war during WWI, and Hélène later battled persistent illnesses. Ken Gire’s page-turning, novelesque narrative sheds new light on Schweitzer’s faith-in-action ethic and his commitment to honor God by celebrating the sacredness of all life. The legacy of this 1952 Nobel Prize honoree endures in the thriving African hospital community that began in a humble chicken coop, in the millions who have drawn inspiration from his example, and in the challenge that emanates from his life story into our day. Albert Schweitzer seemed destined for greatness—and he achieved it by making his life his greatest sermon to a world in desperate need of hope and healing.

First published in 1910.

This “little gem of a book” shares the Nobel laureate’s profound insights on ethics, ecology, human rights, and more (Jane Goodall). The theologian and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer dedicated his life to the betterment of mankind. In 1952, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his philosophy of Reverence for Life—and for the many ways he put that philosophy into action. This volume gathers together his thoughts on this profound and deeply influential concept. Based on a fundamental respect and compassion for all living things, Schweitzer’s philosophy sought to reconcile the conflicting drives of egoism and altruism. He applied this ethical perspective to a host of topics, from war and peace to arts, animal rights, and forming a global community. Reverence for Life draws on Schweitzer’s diverse writings across decades, including excerpts from previously unpublished letters to John F. Kennedy, Norman Cousins, Bertrand Russell, and others. A foreword by former US Ambassador, Roger Gamble, an introduction by the editor, Harold E. Robles, and a brief biographical sketch of Schweitzer’s life round out this essential volume.