Dark Night of the Soul narrate the journey of the soul to mystical union with God. The soul experiences two necessary purgations on the path to Divine union: the first purgation is of the sensory or sensitive part of the soul, the second of the spiritual part. These purgations comprise the first of the three stages of the mystical journey, followed by those of illumination and then union.

St. John's poem is derived from the works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the sixth century. He did not give the poem a title, but later wrote two book-length commentaries on his poem, one of which was titled The Dark Night. The time and place of composition are not certain, though it is likely the poem was written between 1577 and 1579.

This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.