Karl Postl was one of the most enigmatic writers of the nineteenth century. A Catholic cleric, he departed Austria in 1823 to become a restless traveler through the Americas, a much-read literary critic and social visionary who renamed himself Charles Sealsfield. His search for common human traits in the political and social system of Europe and America and his observation of non-European races and their customs and aspirations are expored here, with contributions in both German and English.