The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson
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- Author：Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Summary
Introduction by Mary Oliver
Commentary by Henry James， Robert Frost， Matthew Arnold， Oliver Wendell Holmes， and Henry David Thoreau
The definitive collection of Emerson’s major speeches， essays， and poetry， The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson chronicles the life’s work of a true “American Scholar。” As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement， Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual， emphasized independent thought， and prized “the splendid labyrinth of one’s own perceptions。” More than any writer of his time， he forged a style distinct from his European predecessors and embodied and defined what it meant to be an American。 Matthew Arnold called Emerson’s essays “the most important work done in prose。”
INCLUDES A MODERN LIBRARY READING GROUP GUIDE
Commentary by Henry James， Robert Frost， Matthew Arnold， Oliver Wendell Holmes， and Henry David Thoreau
The definitive collection of Emerson’s major speeches， essays， and poetry， The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson chronicles the life’s work of a true “American Scholar。” As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement， Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual， emphasized independent thought， and prized “the splendid labyrinth of one’s own perceptions。” More than any writer of his time， he forged a style distinct from his European predecessors and embodied and defined what it meant to be an American。 Matthew Arnold called Emerson’s essays “the most important work done in prose。”
INCLUDES A MODERN LIBRARY READING GROUP GUIDE
Reviews
Chris
，
The formal language and depth of the philosophy/theology are beyond me。
Ben
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Read "Nature"， "The American Scholar"， "The Emancipation Proclamation"， and "Self-Reliance"。 Read "Nature"， "The American Scholar"， "The Emancipation Proclamation"， and "Self-Reliance"。 。。。more
Joe Maslen
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Good book
Dylan Jones
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I initially planned to read this a bit a night over the year， but I incidentally found myself reading large chunks every night。 Everything about the transcendentalist movement resonates （it’s called that because transcendentalism is meant to explain the aspects of nature and humanity that transcend time or space， so that an Ancient Greek and Emerson himself could converse about the same experience）。 Emerson is a poet-philosopher or a philosopher poet， and I recommend his writings to anyone who w I initially planned to read this a bit a night over the year， but I incidentally found myself reading large chunks every night。 Everything about the transcendentalist movement resonates （it’s called that because transcendentalism is meant to explain the aspects of nature and humanity that transcend time or space， so that an Ancient Greek and Emerson himself could converse about the same experience）。 Emerson is a poet-philosopher or a philosopher poet， and I recommend his writings to anyone who wants to learn about the philosophy of New England， and more broadly America。 One of the last quotes from Thoreau about Emerson stuck with me: “in his world every man would be a poet， Love would reign， Beauty would take place， man and nature would harmonize。” 。。。more
Matthew Morgan
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Admittedly， I did not read all of his writings， nor did I intend to--just some of the well known essays and poems。 I enjoyed the essays/addresses more than the poetry。 My favorite was probably the Divinity School Address。 Also enjoyed Self-Reliance and The American Scholar。
Long Williams
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A little difficult to read for people not used to mid 19th century English。 But once you get past the first hundred pages you will find wonderful and insightful subjects。 Impressions of Thoreau， Lincoln， Coleridge and Carlyle et al are just exceptionally written into narrative and prose。 His views on the emancipation of the slaves is enlightening。 His pure admiration of England and the English is clearly and intelligently communicated。 Not a big fan of his poems but his essays and speeches are a A little difficult to read for people not used to mid 19th century English。 But once you get past the first hundred pages you will find wonderful and insightful subjects。 Impressions of Thoreau， Lincoln， Coleridge and Carlyle et al are just exceptionally written into narrative and prose。 His views on the emancipation of the slaves is enlightening。 His pure admiration of England and the English is clearly and intelligently communicated。 Not a big fan of his poems but his essays and speeches are as poignant today as ever。 Glad I have read it。 。。。more
Kyle Nelson
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How do you rate Emerson with some number of stars？ I think he’d have an essay to write about the whole concept。
Paschalis
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elibrary
Jessica Toro
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I now understand why Emerson's essays have stood the test of time， and why the writing is so well-loved。 Quote-able and able to put into practice。 His essays have changed my soul。 I now understand why Emerson's essays have stood the test of time， and why the writing is so well-loved。 Quote-able and able to put into practice。 His essays have changed my soul。 。。。more
Emmanuel Obison
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When ever the storm hits this very book is always one that I will refer to。 Ralf Waldo for ever my Guru which I will look up too。 Love it！！！！！
Veronica
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“Light is the first painter。 There is no object so foul that intense light will not make beautiful。”Nature 5⭐️Divinity School Address4。5⭐️The American Scholar 5⭐️
Waverly Brown
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Induces headaches， nihilism， desire， and warmth。
Rebecca
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I do not agree with everything Emerson says， but he is a joy to disagree with。 I particularly dislike his essay entitled "Wealth"。 I found his ban on legislation of the free market following decrying the power of the Rothschild's illogical。 His affection for friends I found stilted。 I found his poetry a touch narrative， but his prose elegant。And I rather believe he married his first wife because he believed he was the sort of man who would marry a dying woman， rather than from any genuine love。 I do not agree with everything Emerson says， but he is a joy to disagree with。 I particularly dislike his essay entitled "Wealth"。 I found his ban on legislation of the free market following decrying the power of the Rothschild's illogical。 His affection for friends I found stilted。 I found his poetry a touch narrative， but his prose elegant。And I rather believe he married his first wife because he believed he was the sort of man who would marry a dying woman， rather than from any genuine love。 。。。more
John
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I cannot say I have read this book in entirety。 Emerson is more of a writer to take with you on life’s journey; you don’t so much as complete Emerson; rather you check in with him periodically along the way。Mary Oliver wrote a superb introduction to him in this edition。 Take a look at it before you start the journey with Emerson。 If anyone ever found the essence of stopping and smelling the roses or coffee， it is Emerson。
Nikos Tsentemeidis
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Πολύ σπουδαίο μυαλό， παρότι άγνωστος στην Ευρώπη。 Ο πρώτος τόμος είναι αυτός που αξίζει περισσότερο。
Eric Miller
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A little unclear on what constitutes "essential。" All of "English Traits，" but none of "Representative Men，" and only two pieces from "Conduct of Life。" A little unclear on what constitutes "essential。" All of "English Traits，" but none of "Representative Men，" and only two pieces from "Conduct of Life。" 。。。more
Molly
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I only read the essays assigned for prelims， so there's plenty more of this collection to plumb。 Which is good because I love Emerson。 Even when he's a little crazy。 I only read the essays assigned for prelims， so there's plenty more of this collection to plumb。 Which is good because I love Emerson。 Even when he's a little crazy。 。。。more
Kevin Yee
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Great collection。 The essays are excellent。 There are only two parts from The Conduct of Life so the complete selection from that one。
Ogi Ogas
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My ratings of books on Goodreads are solely a crude ranking of their utility to me， and not an evaluation of literary merit， entertainment value， social importance， humor， insightfulness， scientific accuracy， creative vigor， suspensefulness of plot， depth of characters， vitality of theme， excitement of climax， satisfaction of ending， or any other combination of dimensions of value which we are expected to boil down through some fabulous alchemy into a single digit。
Whiskey
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“Self-Reliance” contains the most prominent of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophies: the need for each individual to avoid conformity and personal inconsistencies， and to follow their own instincts and ideas。 You’re to rely on your own self versus going with the ebbs and flows of culture at large。 Other essays in the collection focus on friendship， history， experience， and more。
William Schram
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The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson contains what it says。 It is an annotated collection of the writings of noted American Scholar Ralph Waldo Emerson。 It contains his essays， transcriptions of his speeches， poetry that he had written and so on。 All of his major works are included and I am hard pressed to think of anything that is not in the book。 This is mainly because I am not a scholar of Emerson’s works。 The book also contains a biography that glosses over Emerson’s life。 Since the The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson contains what it says。 It is an annotated collection of the writings of noted American Scholar Ralph Waldo Emerson。 It contains his essays， transcriptions of his speeches， poetry that he had written and so on。 All of his major works are included and I am hard pressed to think of anything that is not in the book。 This is mainly because I am not a scholar of Emerson’s works。 The book also contains a biography that glosses over Emerson’s life。 Since the man was in his late seventies when he died， I suppose that this is no small task。 They accomplish it well enough though。It is difficult to boil down the life and works of a person as prolific as Emerson， and the book is over 800 pages long。 As with many of the works and books featured in this series， there is an entire section that asks questions about Emerson in terms of a Book Club; questions that lead to a discussion I should say。 Finally， the book contains opinions on Emerson from notable people like Henry James， Henry David Thoreau， Oliver Wendell Holmes， and others。 。。。more
Jacob
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I found this astounding collection of essays rather hard to get through。 Not because they were bad， or poorly written， but because they were so wonderful。 While I thought some of his ideas were rather questionable - I'm not a big fan of natural theology （at least as I understand it） - his positions were still clearly made and forced me to seriously consider a number of my positions。 Some parts I struggled to understand， but after thinking about them for a bit I found the ideas so great that I co I found this astounding collection of essays rather hard to get through。 Not because they were bad， or poorly written， but because they were so wonderful。 While I thought some of his ideas were rather questionable - I'm not a big fan of natural theology （at least as I understand it） - his positions were still clearly made and forced me to seriously consider a number of my positions。 Some parts I struggled to understand， but after thinking about them for a bit I found the ideas so great that I couldn't help gasping out loud a number of times， startling my roommate so many times I almost got tossed out （I read late into the night）。 When grappling with a giant of his stature， almost every essay is torturous in a most wonderful manner。 I am not surprised other reviewers have compared him to Nietzsche， as they have many of the same writing qualities， despite some very large disagreements。 Here's an example of some of his writing from the essay on Intellect， talking about role-models and favorite authors that sums up a lot of my feelings: "Take thankfully and heartily all they can give。 Exhaust them， wrestle with them， let them not go until their blessing be won， and after a short season the dismay will be overpast， the excess of influence withdrawn， and they will be no longer an alarming meteor， but one more bright star shining serenely in your heaven and blending its light with all your day。"I definitely recommend this book， and I will return to it in the future。 。。。more
Clio
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5 stars for Nature but I haven't read past that。 Need to check this ebook back out from the library at some point。 5 stars for Nature but I haven't read past that。 Need to check this ebook back out from the library at some point。 。。。more
Vania Chaker
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I read this so long ago - in prep school。 Would love to take it w/ me on vaca and re-read 。。。 along with Whitman and Thoreau。 The classics should always be revisited and enjoyed 。。。 many times over！
Hotspur
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Love the philosophy， amazed at how commonplace his ideas are now， and really enjoyed his poetry。 However， I surprisingly did not care for his prose， which I found a bit obtuse and generally lacking in any flow。
Dan Gorman
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I read Emerson's short book "Nature，" collected within this collection。 Emerson's brand of non-Christian natural spirituality is fascinating， but his writing style doesn't do much for me。 I wouldn't be surprised if Emerson's recommendation to go into nature influenced Thoreau at Walden。 So: 3 stars for the purple prose， 5 stars for this anthology of a nineteenth-century superstar's most famous work， and an average of 4 stars overall for the volume。 I read Emerson's short book "Nature，" collected within this collection。 Emerson's brand of non-Christian natural spirituality is fascinating， but his writing style doesn't do much for me。 I wouldn't be surprised if Emerson's recommendation to go into nature influenced Thoreau at Walden。 So: 3 stars for the purple prose， 5 stars for this anthology of a nineteenth-century superstar's most famous work， and an average of 4 stars overall for the volume。 。。。more
Timothy Miles
，
Emerson has been a writer I return to again and again， with growing effect caused by his prose。 He strikes a cord with me， as I am sure he does with all of his readers， because he seems to be writing directly to me。 This goes to show， within ANY individual， we are met with an underlying and shared human experience-proof of the Emersonian notion of a mystical Over-Soul at work within all of us。Perhaps it might seem a bit adolescent- to be so interested in an idea like individualism still this lat Emerson has been a writer I return to again and again， with growing effect caused by his prose。 He strikes a cord with me， as I am sure he does with all of his readers， because he seems to be writing directly to me。 This goes to show， within ANY individual， we are met with an underlying and shared human experience-proof of the Emersonian notion of a mystical Over-Soul at work within all of us。Perhaps it might seem a bit adolescent- to be so interested in an idea like individualism still this late in life， but the sentiment in Emerson to giving your life over to the exploration of the infinitude within your own personhood， has been my life's work if ever I could articulate one。 It is arguably the most American of traits to take one's individuality as the driving force to life， but the extent to its severity begins and ends with Emerson。 We now have an entire category of self-help books at out disposal; podcasts and spiritual gurus; Oprah specials -all dedicated to the same topics brought up beforehand in Emerson's essays。 I give this advice to the Readers: to begin with Emerson， and then let your own self-reliance lead your own creative spirit the rest of the way。 You will find you will not suffer so many influences upon your work if you start from the fountainhead， first。 。。。more
Markus
，
Ralph Waldo Emerson （1803 – 1882）« Essential writings »Emerson’s essays’ are the mirror of his vast knowledge drawn from extensive readings in ancient historical philosophies and religions， as well as personal studies of theology and preaching in his younger years as a minister of the Protestant Church。Not unlike Montaigne， he quotes throughout his writings， words， beliefs， and thoughts of Plato， Heraclitus， Aristotle， Zenon， Epicurus， and other， more recent， philosophers。He will also quote anci Ralph Waldo Emerson （1803 – 1882）« Essential writings »Emerson’s essays’ are the mirror of his vast knowledge drawn from extensive readings in ancient historical philosophies and religions， as well as personal studies of theology and preaching in his younger years as a minister of the Protestant Church。Not unlike Montaigne， he quotes throughout his writings， words， beliefs， and thoughts of Plato， Heraclitus， Aristotle， Zenon， Epicurus， and other， more recent， philosophers。He will also quote ancient religious sources， Brahman， Egyptian， Hebraic， and Islamic。 In his essays， Emerson is taking on subject by subject， like History， Nature， The American Scholar， An Address， The Transcendentalist， The Lord’s Supper， Plato the Philosopher， Napoleon The man of the World， English traits， Farming， and many others。The style of his writings sounds to me like a spoken discourse， almost preaching。 Very dense in contents， his wisdom and knowledge all stacked up throughout， with little space for the reader to absorb the avalanche of input， so that for me at length it was really difficult。 Still， I did learn many a thing that I did not know before， and that is what I enjoy in reading classic literature。 。。。more
Sean Keenan
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