Philosophers and poets through the ages have tried to examine the powerful concept of human love - from Aristotle to DuJardin. Love has often been described as life’s prime motivator, but so often it’s found to be one of our most puzzling experiences.

The late Dr. Leo Buscaglia was perhaps one of the greatest experts on love - as a person who studied love intensely for most of his professional life. While teaching at USC, Professor Buscaglia was moved by a student's suicide to contemplate human disconnectedness and the meaning of life, and began a non-credit class he called Love 1A. This course quickly became one of the most popular courses at USC and formed the basis for a best-selling book in the 1980’s titled Love.

For years, Leo was a regular on public television, in magazines, and on radio interviews. Back in the 1980’s, Leo’s message was so well received because people found his message to be unifying and inspiring. In our current culture that seems so deeply divided, his message is needed now more than ever.

I think you’ll agree with me that Leo Buscaglia had a rare talent for showing us how we can experience, understand, and share more love. Leo Buscaglia suggested ways that we can bring more meaning to our lives by actively participating in the process of love. Leo believed that love is something we can learn and share with parents, children, friends, and strangers. His messages in this library are an urgent plea to be all we can be, because, as he said, “I like to think that the day you were born you were given the world as your birthday present. It frightens me that so few people have ever bothered to open up the ribbon. Well rip it open, cut off the top! It’s so full of love and magic and life and joy and wonder and tears - all of the things that are your gifts for being human.”

We begin this first volume with a series of live and studio segments where Leo answers the question: What is love? After listening to this volume, you’ll have a very good understanding of Leo’s answer to that question. During the rest of this series, we will continue to fill in the gray areas of that question by going deeper into the specific qualities of love. You’ll hear Leo in a number of venues: in front of thousands of people in an amphitheater, in front of just a small and intimate gathering of people on a variety of television shows and at our Nightingale-Conant studios, in a dynamic interview with the late PBS personality John Callaway, and alone in studio with Leo discussing the topic of love directly with listeners. Finally, we share another of classic segments taken from Leo’s unique Nightingale-Conant audio program, The Way of the Bull, which detailed lessons on life, spirituality, and love that Leo learned on his travels around the world as a young man.

I’m sure you’ll truly enjoy Dr. Leo Buscaglia. His zest for living to the fullest is an inspiration to us all.