Bruce Nichols, "The Emerson Circle"

Bruce Nichols, "The Emerson Circle"

From C-SPAN Bookshelf by C-SPAN

May 5, 2026 · 1h 4m

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 literature
  • Concord Radicals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Little Brown & Company

Books & works: The Emerson Circle

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