The title of this book by Perry Miller, a world-famous interpreter of the American past, nearly poses the question it has been his lifelong purpose to answer: What was the underlying aim of the first colonists in coming to America? Miller emphasizes the need for understanding the human sources from which the American mainstream has risen.
Perry Miller Book order (chronological)
February 25, 1905 – December 9, 1963
Perry Miller was a seminal figure in American intellectual history, renowned for his deep engagement with American Puritanism. As a founder of American Studies, he pioneered a cultural approach to understanding historical worldviews, shifting focus from previous psychological and economic analyses. His rigorous scholarship illuminated complex ideas and significantly shaped the study of American thought. Miller's influence extended beyond academia, mentoring future scholars and inspiring literary figures.
The Raven and the Whale
The War of Words and Wits in the Era of Poe and Melville
- 370 pages
- 13 hours of reading
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. 'There was a contagion in the very air that blew from that haunted region; it breathed forth an atmosphere of dreams and fancies infecting all the land.' Featuring 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and 'Rip Van Winkle', this collection of inspired essays, stories and sketches established Washington Irving's reputation as one of America's foremost authors. Irving's timeless characters, including Ichabod Crane, Rip Van Winkle and the headless Hessian trooper, jostle for space alongside 31 equally atmospheric and lyrical works in this haunting anthology from one of America's most distinctive literary voices.
The American Transcendentalists
Their Prose and Poetry