Early Letters of George Wm. Curtis to John S. Dwight; Brook Farm and Concord

"Early Letters of George Wm. Curtis to John S. Dwight: Brook Farm and Concord" edited by George Willis Cooke is a compilation of letters that offers a look into the early lives of George William Curtis and his brother Burrill as they explore communal living at Brook Farm and associate with thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson. These letters show Curtis's background and his close relationship with his brother, as well as their respect for Emerson. They also highlight their experiences at Brook Farm, showing their interactions with other people, their education, and their involvement in the community’s combination of work, learning, and social events. Curtis's early excitement for transcendentalist ideas and the active social life at Brook Farm is clear, but he also shows a thoughtful distance from some of the community's beliefs, providing a balanced view of the experiment. The beginning of this book sets the stage for understanding Curtis’s personal development and the important cultural and intellectual movements of his time.