This volume honors Don Gifford, master teacher, exacting researcher, and provocative writer. The essays reflect some but not all of the disciplines that Gifford taught - literature, art, ecology, invention, American culture, and the history of ideas. Heeding Emerson's call to "search for facts amid appearances" and to pursue "the ultimate reason of [all things and experience]" these essays illustrate how contemporary scholars in a variety of fields fulfill their role as society's delegated intellect.