This critical biography of Charles A. Dana, the 19th-century editor of the ""New York Sun"", blends the democratic ideal of the man with social and media history. Focusing on Dana's early years and political emergence, it analyses the ""Sun"" as the conscience and advocate for the working class.

Includes index and bibliographic references.

1. Zenith: The New York Sun and the Ideology of Producerism -- 2. "Heaven on Earth": Brook Farm and the Harmony of Interest Between Labor and Capital -- 3. Apprenticeship: The New York Tribune and the Tradition of Free Labor -- 4. Interlude: The Civil War -- 5. Experience: The Chicago Republican and Radical Republicanism -- 6. Turnabout: The Politics of "Independence" -- 7. Two Cents' Worth: The Politics of Humor -- 8. Mugwumps, Shams, and Reformers: The Politics of Conscience -- 9. Eclipsed: The Rise of a Culture of Consumption -- 10. The Independent Press.