American Men of Mind

In this companion volume to his celebrated 'Men of Action,' Burton Egbert Stevenson turns from the presidents, soldiers, and pioneers who built America to the quieter architects of its soul: the writers, painters, scientists, and philosophers who shaped what America would think and feel. Written in the early twentieth century, this collection of biographical sketches traces the intellectual lineage of a nation still wrestling with its own identity. Stevenson argues that while the deeds of 'men of action' are easily recorded, the contributions of thinkers and creators resist such easy measurement, yet prove equally vital to understanding who Americans became. From the prose stylists who gave voice to the American experience to the artists who captured its visual spirit, from the stage that reflected its drama to the scientists who expanded its horizons, Stevenson weaves a portrait of a culture finding itself through its creative minds. The work stands as both historical document and testament to the proposition that ideas, no less than battles, build civilizations.