Bestselling author Joseph Epstein revisits de Tocqueville's legacy, providing a fresh account of his classic travels in America. Epstein explains how de Tocqueville, introverted and prone to self-doubt, arrived at such a profoundly influential interpretation of this new country and its government. Alexis de Tocqueville: Democracy's Guide is a compelling portrait of the Frenchman who would become an American icon.
Joseph Epstein is the author of, among other books, Snobbery: The American Version, Fabulous Small Jews (a collection of stories), Envy, and Friendship: An Exposé. He was the editor of The American Scholar between 1974 and 1997, and for many years taught in the English Department at Northwestern University. His essays and stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Commentary, the Atlantic Monthly, and other magazines.