From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, there developed in Europe an extensive Jewish literature consisting of storybooks, ethical treatises, songs, dictionaries, translations of the daily and holiday prayer book, and what came to be known as techinnot - manuals of private devotion. Little has been written on these techinnot, despite the fact that a century ago almost every Jewish home had collections of such Yiddish prayers. These techinnot reflected conditions of Jewish life in central and eastern Europe for centuries. In some prayers, we find the concern of a worried wife who expresses anxiety for her husband, who has to travel on business and is often on the road. She prays for his protection from violent men, from imprisonment, and from death. Many passages reflect social and economic problems, the tribulations of raising children, illnesses, and a hundred other details of daily life. In this extensive volume, Dr. Tarnor has compiled and translated selections of techinnot originally published in Vilna. Also included are the original introductory remarks to the selections to provide a fuller appreciation of the text. A notes section at the end of the book illuminates the meaning of the techinnot and occasionally reveals the nature or background of some aspect of a techinnah. The author also proffers a variety of explanations as to the reason these books have been neglected for so long despite their popularity a century ago. In recognizing the importance of these timeless prayers, Norman Tarnor has afforded the modern Jewish woman a glimpse into a lost tradition, thus providing her with valuable responses to important religious and daily experiences in her journey throughwomanhood.