
About this episode
Bruce Nichols discusses his book 'The Emerson Circle' and the influential figures within it.
During his almost 40-year career in publishing, Bruce Nichols served as publisher of both Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Little Brown & Company. His book is titled "The Emerson Circle: The Concord Radicals Who Reinvented the World." The focus of the book is on famous names, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller, Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau. Author Nichols says "The Emerson Circle" is the story of this small group and the movements it inspired. He says it's not a comprehensive group biography. He suggests there are wonderful books about each member that go into far more detail. Bruce Nichols suggests their collective work represents a crucial cultural moment in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Guest: Bruce Nichols
Topics covered
- publishing
- American history
- literature
- cultural movements
- biography
Keywords
- Bruce Nichols
- The Emerson Circle
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- American history
- Concord Radicals
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Little Brown & Company
Books & works: The Emerson Circle
More episodes of Booknotes+
- Lerone Bennett Jr., "Forced Into Glory" · June 9, 2026 · 1h 2m
- Lois Romano, "An Inconvenient Widow" · June 2, 2026 · 1h 9m
- Danny Funt, "Everybody Loses" · May 26, 2026 · 1h 28m
- Theo Baker, "How to Rule the World" · May 19, 2026 · 1h 10m
- Harvey Mansfield, "Where Harvard Went Wrong" · May 12, 2026 · 1h 8m
- Craig Fehrman, "This Vast Enterprise" · April 28, 2026 · 1h 10m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Booknotes+ podcast page.