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Prayers and Meditations of St. Anselm with the Proslogion (Penguin Classics)

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If you want a chance to experience the devotion in Anselm's prayers and meditations (as it was meant to be experienced), then this is the one (English) translation that you must have (assuming you can't read the original Latin). This book allows one to feel the essence of worship that is necessary in understanding Anselm's thought. I've read some other translations (especially those of the Proslogion), and only this edition can claim to be the prayer that Anselm meant them to be. The brief introduction featured in the book is also worth reading, although it doesn't give all the details, it does allow one to understand why Anselm has been misunderstood by so many, and it gives one a chance to understand him better.

St. Anselm's prayers and meditations are a great departure point for lectio divina, which is why he wrote them. His prayer to St. Benedict is very moving, as is the prayer to St. Paul. St. Anselm sent these prayers to friends, in order to provide them with a foundation for their own prayer life--the idea is that these prayers will naturally lead the reader into deeper and more personalized prayer. If you are interested in lectio divina, and are looking for very spiritual reading from one of the great masters, this is your book!