THE OPTIMISTIC AMERICA SERIES
“Art is Thoughtful Workmanship”
—W.R. Lethaby, 1913
The Optimistic America Series is about reprinting books from the 19th century and giving proceeds to causes matching the intent or ambitions of the original writer. Our view is that books in the public domain that provide an important social message should continue to function in behalf of current issues. They should not be relegated as novelty items for boutique book sections of mass commercial bookstores. Books in the series include works from such writers as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Mary Shelley, Nathanial Hawthorne, Walt Whitman, among others.
Reading Emerson is a must for every person who believes that individuals can change the world. He is like the favored professor of the graduating student, the inspirational partner of the young entrepreneur, the unwavering friend who stays with us through moments that threaten our well-being. Emerson offers a message that can help ward off political and cultural apathy. His words have lasted through the generations as a call to intellectual and spiritual arms, form soldiers walking elbow to elbow through the literal battlefields in his own time, to citizens and students on streets and campuses marked by civil disobedience in our own era. Emerson continues to assist our nation in its ongoing democratic experiment. He should remain a permanent part of our collective soul.
PRICE: $12.95
20% of proceeds from the Emerson book go to support Doctors Without Borders
Beyond the innocent call for a simpler life, Thoreau captures one of the greatest truths of modern society, that we can easily lose sight of our own soul. We can become lost. We can find ourselves slaves to a lie. He witnesses the struggling farmer, for instance, and questions why a person would choose bondage to some inherited idea. Can it be that happiness is only sold to the highest bidder! Thoreau offers us more than a window into the natural world, he offers us freedom. He paves the way for the individual in American society and perhaps this is his greatest gift. From a small pond in the north woods, we see ourselves as we really are. Not just bankers and lawyers. Not just home owners with a two-car garage, but individual human beings in a vast natural cycle. As Thoreau saw it, we are human beings with a huge amount of potential, if only we are allowed to be who we really want to be.
PRICE: $14.95
20% of proceeds from the Thoreau book go to support the Walden Woods Project
The Optimistic America Series – Books from the Past, Forming our Future.
Ask us about producing books for your next course adoption. The mixture of Print-on-Demand technology and offshore scanning and keying have for the first time enabled books to be produced without huge capitol investments. We also plan to eventually offer these titles in eBook format. For more information about special discounts on bulk orders, please call John Probst at 443.996.5555 or email ejprobst@gwzouck.com