This is the authentic source book by a contemporary on the apparitions at Lourdes, a book which can never be superseded. The author, an official of the French civil service, was stationed in Lourdes in 1858 at the time of the appearances of the Virgin at the Grotto. He knew Bernadette and had her intimate confidence. He followed the miraculous events at the very spot where they occurred and noted every detail in a diary he kept day to day. Many years were to pass, however, before he was persuaded to weave his notes into a narrative. J.B. Estrade's simple, direct story is set against the background of the life story of Bernadette and is stamped throughout with the unmistakable seal of truth and sincerity. And the fact that Estrade was at first skeptical — if not actually a scoffer — and persisted in his unbelief until he witnessed Bernadette in ecstasy on the occasion of the seventh appearance, makes his narrative all the more impressive. Here is the basic book of Lourdes and the life of Bernadette.