Rudolf Steiner recorded his views of the world in numerous books, as well as in more than five thousand lectures. Through his lectures in particular, he expanded his ideas on a wide range of subjects, including education, science, social issues, the arts, architecture, medicine and therapy, and agriculture.

Steiner generally spoke freely, using only minimal notes. But when explaining conceptually difficult topics, he frequently illustrated what he had to say in color, using chalk on a large blackboard. After his earlier lectures, the drawings were erased and irretrievably lost, but after autumn 1919, the blackboards were covered by heavy black paper so that the drawings could be rolled up afterward and preserved.

The trustees of Rudolf Steiner's estate in Dornach, Switzerland, are safekeepers of a thousand such drawings, which visually document Steiner's views of the world and his creative ways of thinking. A selection of the drawings was first shown to the public in 1992. Since then, numerous exhibitions in Europe, America, and Japan have generated significant interest in Rudolf Steiner's views and teachings.

Includes illuminating contributions by Martina Maria Sam, Wolfgang Zumdick, and Taja Gut.

This volume was originally published in German as Wie ein Atmen im Licht. Wandtafelzeichnungen von Rudolf Steiner 1919-1924 (Like breathing in the light. Blackboard drawings by Rudolf Steiner 1919-1924), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 2003.