In 1855, Walt Whitman published — at his own expense — the first edition of Leaves of Grass, a visionary volume of twelve poems. Showing the influence of a uniquely American form of mysticism known as Transcendentalism, which eschewed the general society and culture of the time, the writing is distinguished by an explosively innovative free verse style and previously unmentionable subject matter. Exalting nature, celebrating the human body, and...

Explores the social, cultural, and historical contexts of American literature in the first half of the 19th century, when social reform movements, international upheavals, and a rapidly expanding frontier combined to shape the literary identity of the new United States. Authors discussed include Emily Dickinson, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Washington Irving, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau,...

An instructional memoir, The Unbound Soul is the true story of a young boy's spiritual vision and his subsequent trek across the globe in search of truth. Tormented by visions of coming worldwide economic, social and ecological collapse, he presses ever onward in his search and eventually realizes the elusive truth of awakening. Through The Unbound Soul, Richard L. Haight reveals the understanding that transforms your life and provides a unique meditation...

"Life at Brook Farm resembled an Arcadian adventure, in which the days began with the choir singing Mozart and Haydn and ended with drama and dancing. But how accurate is this image? In the first comprehensive examination of the famous utopian community in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Sterling Delano reveals a surprisingly grim side to paradise as the Brook Farmers faced relentless financial pressures, a declining faith in their leaders, and smoldering...