"A stirring introduction . . .  [Geldard's] accessible approach makes Emerson palatable and relevant to a new generation of inquisitive readers across denominational lines." —Library Journal, May 1, 2010

Emerson and the Dream of America connects the awakening of hope that led to the election of Barack Obama with a rebirth of Emerson’s great Dream of “this new yet unapproachable America.”

This is the first book to combine Emerson’s energizing teachings for individuals with the theme of achieving America’s unique promise as a nation. It is a timely message about the ground of our being and the future of our country and offers strength and confidence to readers who dream (as Emerson did) of an America devoted to equality, social justice, and economic opportunity for all its citizens.

To that end, Geldard has selected and develops a series of stunningly eloquent passages from throughout Emerson’s works that serve both a nation in crisis and individuals seeking meaning and direction — urging us to listen to Emerson as a source of personal and national rediscovery and revitalization.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is the most quoted American of all time. He speaks to and for what makes Americans American, regardless of national/religious heritage. Copies of his Essays are as common as the Bible in American homes.

Voicing strong American values — self-reliance, the infinitude of the private individual, the integrity of one’s own mind as what is most sacred — Emerson helps us identify, and possibly meet one another anew in, a common ground. His Vision is of a possible future, not a past gone by, and still can inspire us like no other.

This “landmark interpretation” (see endorsements, Jacob Needleman) of Emerson’s work helps us to see how, in contrast to the so-called American Dream, the Dream of America evokes something deeper, more fundamental, and infinitely more adequate to the immediate challenges of our personal, national, and global crises.

“In these pages the mind and heart of Emerson show us why we are here — both as Americans, and as individual human beings in the vast, universal world. Geldard’s book offers a landmark interpretation of America’s greatest philosopher.” —Jacob Needleman, author of What Is God? and The American Soul

“Spend an hour with Richard Geldard and he will lead you to the inner sanctum and hand you over to the Master. Emersonianism is the American religion. It is not a church or a cult; it is a spiritual discipline, a Way. It teaches the infinitude of the private person, of each private person, of you yourself with your laptop and cell phone. Emerson was a great teacher in his day, but Richard Geldard can get him to you now.” —Robert Richardson, author of  Emerson: The Mind on Fire

"The stock of Ralph Waldo Emerson stands high, as it has for the last 50-plus years. Geldard's brief book champions Emerson not only as an exponent of the Perennial Philosophy but as a genuine voice for continuing reform, social justice, and economic equality in America. Both an exposition of Emerson's thought and a call to change and action, this is a stirring introduction to the thought of the great transcendentalist. VERDICT: Geldard here will not bring news to the student of Emerson, but his accessible approach makes Emerson palatable and relevant to a new generation of inquisitive readers across denominational lines."  —Library Journal, May 1, 2010

“As readers have discovered in the classic book, The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Richard Geldard is unmatched as a companion and guide to the works of America’s Founding Thinker. This book demonstrates convincingly that the poet/philosopher was as prescient as he was relevant in his own times, and that, as the "keeper of America’s best thoughts," we can gain from Emerson (with Geldard’s insight) a new perspective on our current struggles and profound guidance through our difficult future.” —Richard Grossman, author of A Year with Emerson and The Tao of Emerson.

Click here to see a PDF of the Table of Contents, Preface, and Introduction to Emerson and the Dream of America.

Click here to see a PDF of Chapter 1 of Emerson and the Dream of America.

At Faneuil Hall, Boston, June, 2003

"Geldard's knowledge and understanding of Emerson is second to none, including the inimitable Harold Bloom." —Robert Lamb, New York Journal of Books

Richard Geldard is a full-time writer and lecturer living in New York City and the Hudson Valley. He is married to the artist and writer Astrid Fitzgerald.

Before turning to writing he was an educator, teaching English and philosophy at both the secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels. His most recent appointment was at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpenteria, California, where he taught the Greek Mystery Religions. Prior to that he taught Greek Philosophy and The Science of Mind at Yeshiva College in New York, where he also supervised the General Studies program at the university’s boys' and girls' high schools.

He is a graduate of Bowdoin College, The Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College, and Stanford University, where he earned his doctorate in Dramatic Literature and Classics in 1972. He has also studied at St. John’s College, Oxford.

Geldard is the author of nine books, including studies of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Greek philosophy and culture. He is also a frequent lecturer. In June, 2003, and September, 2003, he was a featured speaker at Faneuil Hall in Boston as part of the Emerson Bicentennial Celebrations. In June, 2005, he was the Keynote speaker at the re-instatement of the Delphic Games in Delphi, Greece.

Dr. Geldard serves on three Boards of Directors: the Ralph Waldo Emerson Institute, the Friends of the Shawangunks and the World Sound Foundation.