Catherine L. Albanese is J. F. Rowny Distinguished Professor Emerita in Comparative Religions at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of numerous books, including A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion.

"Any subject in the hands of eminent historian of American religion Catherine Albanese will be treated with scholarly precision and respect. This is particularly true in this study of some personages she calls 'delight makers.' . . . Published at a time when Americans seem to be seeking all varieties of new forms of pleasure, Albanese’s treatment of delight makers from the 17th to the 21st century will be informative and appreciated by a wide audience, including those outside the academy."

Catherine L. Albanese is J. F. Rowny Distinguished Professor Emerita in Comparative Religions at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of numerous books, including A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion.

"Any subject in the hands of eminent historian of American religion Catherine Albanese will be treated with scholarly precision and respect. This is particularly true in this study of some personages she calls 'delight makers.' . . . Published at a time when Americans seem to be seeking all varieties of new forms of pleasure, Albanese’s treatment of delight makers from the 17th to the 21st century will be informative and appreciated by a wide audience, including those outside the academy."

Catherine L. Albanese is J. F. Rowny Distinguished Professor Emerita in Comparative Religions at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of numerous books, including A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion.

"Any subject in the hands of eminent historian of American religion Catherine Albanese will be treated with scholarly precision and respect. This is particularly true in this study of some personages she calls 'delight makers.' . . . Published at a time when Americans seem to be seeking all varieties of new forms of pleasure, Albanese’s treatment of delight makers from the 17th to the 21st century will be informative and appreciated by a wide audience, including those outside the academy."