A JOURNEY INTO THE TRANSCENDENTA

The New England towns and villages that inspired the major figures of the Transcendentalism movement are presented by region in this travel guide that devotes a chapter to each town or village famous for its relationship to one or more of the Transcendentalists. Cambridge, where Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered his powerful speeches is highlighted, as is Walden, where Henry David Thoreau spent two years attuning himself to the rhythms of nature. Other chapters retrace the paths of major writers and poets of the period as well as the utopian communities of the time. This invaluable traveling companion offers street maps, historical illustrations, and narratives that create a vivid sense of New England in the 19th century.

R. Todd Felton is a photographer and a writer who specializes in literary travel guides. A former founding director of a writing center and an English department chair, Felton is the author of A Journey into Ireland's Literary Revival. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.