author
Hartley Burr Alexander
1873–1939
A philosopher, poet, and educator from Nebraska, he brought Native American mythology and symbolism into mainstream scholarship and also helped shape the artistic program of the Nebraska State Capitol. His work moves between big ideas, public art, and a deep interest in religion and culture.
2 Audiobooks
The Mythology of All Races, Vol. 11: Latin-American
by Hartley Burr Alexander
God's drum, and other cycles from Indian lore
by Hartley Burr Alexander
About the author
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 9, 1873, he studied at the University of Nebraska and later at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and the University of Paris. After editorial work in the East, he returned to the University of Nebraska in 1908 to lead its philosophy department, and later joined the founding faculty of Scripps College in Claremont, California.
He wrote widely on philosophy, poetry, mythology, and religion, and became especially known for his studies of Native American belief and symbolism. Among his best-known scholarly contributions is his work on Native American mythology for the Mythology of All Races series, reflecting a career-long interest in how stories, rituals, and symbols express human thought.
He is also remembered in Nebraska for serving as the iconographic adviser for the Nebraska State Capitol, where he helped shape the building’s symbolic and artistic program. Alexander died in 1939, leaving behind a body of work that connects philosophy with art, public culture, and the study of myth.