Announcing the first and only video biography of the man who is still the most quoted author in America, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spanning most of the turbulent 19th century, Emerson's life took him from a financially poor but intellectually rich childhood through an education at Harvard to early success as pastor of a prominent Boston Unitarian Church. But personal tragedy and his own doubts about organized religion set him on a journey of discovery that took him to Europe and deep into the philosophical traditions of the East as well as the West. Through his writings and lectures, he became one of the most influential figures of his time, inspiring presidents, other philosophers, and writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Walt Whitman. His central message of "the infinitude of the private man" opened the eyes of the men and women who read and heard him to their own unlimited potential.

• Robert Richardson Jr, author of Emerson: The Mind on Fire
• Sarah Wider, Professor of English at Colgate University and President of the Emerson Society
• Richard Geldard, senior advisor to RWE.org and author of The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Barbara Solowey, teacher and lecturer
• Richard Grossman, author of A Year With Emerson
• hosted by Jim Manley (RWE.org), directed by David Beardsley and produced by RWE Institute.

Bay Emerson Bancroft, an Emerson descendant and President of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association, has called this film "...a well-told, imaginatively presented and uplifting account of Emerson's life and the development of his ideas..."

To purchase the DVD, or view a streaming video trailer, Click Here or the DVD box set to the left. Order Emerson: The Ideal in America  DVD $29.95

Discounts for bulk orders over 10 DVDs are offered, over 50--much higher discount.  Excellent for Emerson Reading Circles, book stores, museums, classes, groups, associations, churches and the like. Call (212) 354-2277, leave a detailed message or email jm@rwe.org