Parmenides was a philosopher, healer, and spiritual guide in fifth-century BC Elea, a Greek outpost on the western coast of Italy. Around 450 BC he and a young Socrates engaged in a debate on the nature of reality, later immortalized by Plato in "The Parmenides," the dialogue that re-created that meeting. Richard Geldard s inspiring account brings new life and contemporary understanding to Parmenides, allowing us to understand his thought and benefit from his wisdom. Richard Geldard earned his PhD in dramatic literature and classics at Stanford University. He is the author of "Remembering Heraclitus" and "The Traveler's Key to Ancient Greece.""

The Eleusian mysteries, the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Theatre of Dionysus, the labyrinths of Knossos, the Delphic oracle---the book leads us to such sacred sites in the ancient way of spiritual pilgrimage. "The gods have not totally vacated the holy places," says Richard Geldard. "Any 'vacating' has to do with our own lack of awareness." He brings to life the mythology that shaped the brilliance of Greek architecture and art, integrating rare historical material with the most recent archeological data. The result is a specialty guidebook comprehensive enough to be the only one you pack, with commentary on: Major and lesser sites of the palace and temple cultures; Greek drama, philosophy, art, and sculpture; Sacred geometry and architecture; Gallery collections in three major museums. Whether you're an armchair or actual traveler, Traveler's Key opens access to the fabled wisdom enjoyed by pilgrims of old and to the living mythology that still has power to transform lives.

Richard Geldard's volume on Anaxagoras is the third and final volume in his immensely successful account of Pre-Socratic thought. His first two volumes brought Heraclitus and Parmenides vividly alive for a twenty-first century audience. The final volume, every bit as brilliant as the first two, is on Anaxagoras, whose concept of Universal Mind is the fountainhead of western idealism as it ranges from Plato and the Neoplatonists to Kant, Hegel, Emerson and beyond. This is an important book, superbly written in accessible language. It makes philosophy as lively and timely as today's newspaper, and, unlike the newspaper, it will be relevant tomorrow. "The Presocratics looked at the cosmos as if it were, in itself, alive." So does Geldard. His trilogy is a triumph and a treasure. Robert D. Richardson, author of Emerson: The Mind on Fire

Interest abounds in the work of the Transcendentalists, such as Emerson, Thoreau, and Bronson Alcott. Each year, tens of thousands of readers rediscover Transcendental thought in books and articles, and in visits to historic sites, such as Walden Pond. But few appreciate the truly mystical and contemplative qualities of the Transcendentalists, and the spiritual movements and figures they have since inspired.

As Richard G. Geldard-one of today's leading scholars of Emerson-illustrates in TheEssential Transcendentalists, Transcendentalism adds up to a school of practical spiritual philosophy that aims to guide the individual toward inner development, much like that of Stoicism in Western antiquity. This current of New England mysticism has influenced modern-day luminaries as diverse as essayist Annie Dillard and Ernest Holmes, founder of the worldwide Religious Science movement.

Through revealing commentary, historical overview, and selections from classic works, The Essential Transcendentalists provides a distinctive and heretofore neglected examination of the spiritual breadth and depth of "Yankee mysticism."