Columba is one of the best-known saints of the early Celtic church; through his foundation of the abbey of Iona he had a far-reaching influence on medieval Christianity. In about 700, a century after his death, the "Life of Columba" was written by Adomnan, ninth abbot of Iona. It has long been valued as the major primary source on the subject, for the light it throws on early medieval Scotland and Ireland, and as an important work of literature. The 1961 edition of the "Life", by Alan and Marjorie Anderson, has long been unavailable. Marjorie Anderson has now revised both the Latin text and the English translation, provided new historical notes, and rewritten the introduction to take account of recent work in the area.