Charles Lane was an English Transcendentalist, educator, and editor; a writer, reformer, and businessman; and a partner with Amos Bronson Alcott in the Fruitlands communal experiment at Harvard, Massachusetts, in 1843. Lane stands out from the other English Transcendentalists because of the range and clarity of his writings. His ideas correspond closely to those of the American Transcendentalists, whose actions and writings he may have influenced.

Charles Lane was born 31 March 1800. Little is known about his ancestry, although his family may have had ties with the theater. Lane's granddaughter became a well-known actress. Lane worked in the City, the London business district, as a commercial journalist, successfully editing and managing the London Mercantile Price-Current for many years. In apparent contrast with his vigorous activism on behalf of idealism, Lane demonstrated a keen business sense and consciousness about money matters. He saved sufficient funds to support himself and his son...