This biographical study is a window into 19th-century British society & the life of Wm Morris--the great craftsman, architect, designer, poet & writer--who remains a monumental & influential figure to this day. This account chronicles how his concern with artistic & human values led him to cross what he called the 'river of fire' & become a committed socialist--committed not only to the theory of socialism but also to the practice of it in the day-to-day struggle of working people in Victorian England. While both the British Labor Movement & the Marxists have venerated Morris, this legacy of his life proves that many of his ideas didn't accord with the dominant reforming tendencies, providing a unique perspective on Morris scholarship.