Book excerpt: This is the first comprehensive scholarly account of the journal that was the official organ of Associationism and Fourierism in America in the 1840s, as well as a major forum for Transcendentalist writers. The author traces the journal's history, examines its handling of important contemporary social, political, and economic questions, evaluates its literary and musical criticism, and considers The Harbinger's role in the reform-minded Associationist and Transcendentalist movements.