This book is a look back at the beginnings of the Es­pe­ranto move­ment in the US and beyond, opening a window into contemporaneous accounts on the pages of a world-renowned news­paper. -- Some of the articles in this collection reflect aspects of the his­tory of the Esperanto movement quite vividly; in others, we find odd anecdotes about Esperanto and the Esperantists; and many passionately-written letters from readers illustrate the ups and downs, the successes and conflicts of the Esperanto community, as well as its disputes with the skeptics outside their ranks. -- These first 35 years of the history of Esperanto seen from the vantage point of the New York Times show how Esperanto gradually became established in the US and in the world, carried on the high hopes of its early, idealistic proponents. -- The book is supplemented by an appendix containing an index of the names of persons mentioned in the newspaper articles, a short bibliography, and a collection of links to reliable information on Esperanto on the Internet.