Self-Reliance and Other Essays (Dover Thrift Editions)

As soon as I realized this reading was available via my Kindle, I knew I had to have this Classic. It's always there to soothe, enlighten and give clarity. Thanks the store for making this wonderful book available.

This is such a beautiful release for a long-loved book!

My favorite parts of this book -- the cover, which is stunning and makes the book itself a covetable collectable, and the way the text is laid out inside. Emerson's essay is interspersed with experiential quotes from many familiar names (Steven Pressfield, Henry Ford, Chris Guillebeau, Pace and Kyeli Smith, Pam Slim, Mark Frauenfelder, dozens more names you'll know by heart). What a remarkable way to present this piece!

This is a book you'll want to keep by your bed -- or gift to someone important to you.

Once more Emerson's quotable and inspirational turns of phrase leave me looking for the thought beneath his claims, and once more I find it insufficient. He gives us beautiful writing, but philosophically it does not hold water.

This book had an impact on the way I viewed myself and the world around me. I can't say that of a lot of books. It's definitely heady (and pretty much unintelligible in places), but in other places it's brilliant simply.

Self-Reliance is the kind of book I avoid when I'm passive and timid. It's also transforms that passivity and timidity into something useful... something true. Even if you fundamentally disagree with Emerson, I dare you to not be galvanized to action in response. This one's worth your time.

With a Kindle, you can have the Essays by Emerson for free. Do I have to go any further?
Emerson is a must read for anyone interested in American intellectualism.
Nature is my favorite, but all a worthy read.

With a Kindle, you can have the Essays by Emerson for free. Do I have to go any further?
Emerson is a must read for anyone interested in American intellectualism.
Nature is my favorite, but all a worthy read.

Serious students of literature need to read at least the most famous of Emerson's essays. The challenge is, you need always to come up with your own interpretations of the texts, for he is very often incongruous and does not know what he is writing about!

A big fan of Emerson, I love the way he ties nature in to every important aspect of our lives. He paints a vivid and honest picture of life. Always thought provoking, his style may be a little bit wordy for some but the message is inspiring and timeless.

The book was on time and was a brand new book. The problem was the pages looked like someone was in a hurry to copy the original book and looked a little blurry, making it difficult to read. We were not happy with this purchase.

If you're at all familiar with Emerson you won't find anything new here. But it is a good reference when you find yourself doubting yourself or waiting for the approval of others in your creative pursuits. Emerson reminds us that all you really need is yourself, a space of your own, and time.

I bought this for myself, because I love Emerson's quotes and ideas. I wanted to understand them further, but I was unaware how much our language has changed in just over a hundred years. The answer is: A Lot! It was like reading and interpreting Shakespeare! I'm sure this book is wonderful...to those who can understand it. It would have been great if there had been something that would aid the reading. I believe they tried in small sections, but it just isn't enough to help through a whole book (even one as brief as this). I may try again at some point, but it was an effort in consternation. I think this is an important point that the potential reader should know before giving it a go. I don't want to toot my own horn about my reading comprehension & writing skills, but objective testing has shown that they are excellent (unlike math) and yet this was very difficult to interpret. Really, who knew you had to have taken a course in this? It is solely because of the difference in language I can't give it a better rating.

I just couldn't get into it. It ws putting me to sleep. There is no question, Ralph Waldo was a smart and talented person, but he lost me in this book. I figured if Woody Hayes read it, it had to be good.

I have never read Emerson so I thought that I would see what it was all about. I found that I am not into that kind of writing. Could not get behind it. Nothing wrong with it, but like the title, Not my cup of tea.

The Domino Project also seems to believe that Emerson's words are just as relevant today if they are constantly interrupted with moments of "self-reflection." I picked this edition up when it was being given away for free, and I'd hate to see someone spend money on it if they didn't know that the core text is incessantly halted by these snippets (it would also help if the authors of said snippets were identified and contextualized). I'd be more willing to give these self-reflective moments a fair shake if they were included in an appendix, but the current format makes the Emerson unreadable. If you can get through the interruptions, that's great, but for me this was an example of how not to "curate" the work of a favorite author. I'm not even anti "remix" or heavily-revised / annotated editions, but the few intrusions sounded like a mix between fortune cookie self-help and the left's answer to the rhetoric of Ayn Rand (I should also note that I despise Rand and have room in my heart for "self-help" / motivational narratives; the latter is what attracted me to Emerson in the first place).

The Domino Project also seems to believe that Emerson's words are just as relevant today if they are constantly interrupted with moments of "self-reflection." I picked this edition up when it was being given away for free, and I'd hate to see someone spend money on it if they didn't know that the core text is incessantly halted by these snippets (it would also help if the authors of said snippets were identified and contextualized). I'd be more willing to give these self-reflective moments a fair shake if they were included in an appendix, but the current format makes the Emerson unreadable. If you can get through the interruptions, that's great, but for me this was an example of how not to "curate" the work of a favorite author. I'm not even anti "remix" or heavily-revised / annotated editions, but the few intrusions sounded like a mix between fortune cookie self-help and the left's answer to the rhetoric of Ayn Rand (I should also note that I despise Rand and have room in my heart for "self-help" / motivational narratives; the latter is what attracted me to Emerson in the first place).

Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a collection of thoughts published by the author in the year 1841. It is indeed a very rare manuscript as it urges its readers to do the unthinkable – trust your gut feeling, your intuition, your common sense, your heart, your spirit and soul – rather than follow the will of the majority or the popular opinion of the masses. I believe every teenager in america should be asked to read this book. An essential read for anyone wishing to follow their own path in life.

The first time I read "Self-Reliance," I didn't. It was assigned summer reading before my senior year AP English class and I was too busy golfing and playing pick-up basketball to waste my summer on a book written by a dead guy with weird sideburns. At age 23, I read it the second time, printing out a public domain edition using a temp job's laser printer then plowing through it on my lunch break. This week was my third time to read it and by far the most valuable thanks to the Domino Project's beautiful new special edition.

Stunning design by my friend Alex Miles Younger places all of Emerson's original text on the right side of the page in this slim 73 page volume, with notable pull-quotes from the book as well as complementary and supplementary quotes from famous people on the left side. OK, fine, it's a bit ironic that a book that preaches you needing to think for yourself highlights the lines that you SHOULD think are the most important. Except for the fact, those ARE the most important lines. They were to me at least.

I somewhat always dismissed and ignored Emerson because I thought he was like his friend Thoreau, who I kind of hate. But, whether it was because of my age or this special edition, "Self-Reliance"--finally!--resonated with me on this third read like few books have ever before. (It could be a fitting companion to my beloved Meditations (Modern Library) even.)

"Self-Reliance" is truly a book about artistic confidence and belief in one's own genius: "To believe your own thoughts, to believe what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius." It's a book about not sitting around waiting for someone else, someone anointed, to say the things you want to say: "Else, tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly sense what we have thought and felt all time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another." Devastating, and often so sadly true.

"Self-Reliance" preaches that one force himself to reject the conformity around him if he truly wants to live: "...for he who does not postpone his life, but lives already." It wonders why we're scared to bring our deepest, most private thoughts out into the real world: "These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world."

You're betraying yourself when you're not letting your voice be heard and I'm reminded of both poet Alexander Pope and pimp Iceberg Slim.

Alexander Pope who said: "Whatever is, is right."

Iceberg Slim who said: "Chumps prefer a beautiful lie to an ugly truth."

Don't be a chump. Quit lying to yourself. We all lie to ourselves and to the public far too often. We need to stop doing that. We need to believe in ourselves, worship at our own altar, be our own philosopher. No one can do a better job of teaching you to be you...than YOU.

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles."

This book could have been written yesterday.

Get ready for a different reading experience. I mean, actually thinking while you're reading, because you'll see different kinds of words and they'll be in a strange order than what you're used to. This book wasn't written yesterday. You're in a different time and place when you read this one.

And that's what makes it so much more meaningful. You're reading poetry (what else would you expect from Emerson?) which means that every word was carefully chosen, and each sentence has a deep meaning. You'll feel different after reading this book, as if you've been traveling through time and finding treasures of wisdom that have been preserved for us today.

I appreciate the layout of this book where each left page (as the book is open faced) contains large red print of a key quote that is also highlighted in red on the right page where it is placed among the rest of the text. This actually helped me read it and glean the main points.

The other reading help from the publisher (The Domino Project) was a quote on every other page from a variety of notable individuals that correlated somewhat with the message Emerson was conveying, except it was in language easier to digest. This helped clarify the message and made it sink in better for me.

I shouldn't start quoting the book because I could go on and on, but here's one to give you a taste:
"Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another, you have only an extemporaneous, half possession."

By just typing that sentence, I understood it better. Every sentence is like that.

It's not a long book, 73 pages, and half of those contain the Emerson text. The other half are the highlights and quotes from others I mentioned. But it will take you a lot longer to read this book than others because you will need to read slowly and repeat many sentences as you go in order to discover the meaning. Well, that was my experience anyway. And even though it may have been difficult, it was one of those good kinds of pain where you get more out of it because of the effort involved. You can do it. It's good for you.

Good luck! And enjoy learning "Self-Reliance".

Horrible read, I read to my son, wife, and daughter all separately. Reads horribly, maybe I am missing something on the great works of art. Example of the writing style and excessive use of analogies. The stone was hard as a rock, or steal, or granite, or titanium, or diamond, or quartz, or stainless steel, or bone, or hard as a fireplace poker. It was almost funny, how many analogies could be appended to one statement.

I love reading the essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I keep this on my Kindle to go to for my feelings on any given day and I always find an essay that relates. I purchased this not to read at one time but through out the year.

Emerson is worth reading because of his influence on American thinkers, including Thoreau. He was influenced by Montaigne, and like him, Emerson writes his personal thoughts and feelings with giant dollops of verbosity. He is knowledgeable and muses grandly, imaginatively, enthusiastically and sincerely. His ideas can be subtle and visionary. More than Montaigne, Emerson often shows a fantastic, poetical side. This shows, for example, in his essay "Circles": "In common hours, society sits cold and statuesque. We all stand waiting, empty, - knowing possibly that we can be full, surrounded by mighty symbols which are not symbols to us, but prose and trivial toys. Then cometh the god, and converts the statues into fiery men, and by a flash of his eye burns up the veil which shrouded all things, and the meaning ... is manifest."

Emerson is often vague or unclear. Because of his verbosity, there is often is no apparent train of thought to be followed; the reader must battle forward to find a path again. Some ideas are naïve, such as when Emerson writes of our inner hero: "Self-trust ... speaks the truth and is just." Concerning what the reader may think he writes: "I am not careful to justify myself. ... But lest I should mislead any when I have my own head, and obey my whims, let me remind the reader that I am only an experimenter" (Circles). At the end one feels that one knows him, that one can respect his personal morality, and that one would like to meet him. I would have liked to have attended some of the 1'500 lectures he made across America and seen how people reacted to him.

Emerson was a transcendentalist, strongly influenced by Indian philosophy and the Vedas. He believed that our souls are all connected to one unifying soul which is God. Our openness to this connection determines our greatness or pettiness. A soul has no separate existence after death. Emerson believed that Christ himself never made an utterance about a separate existence after death, and that this concept was a post-humus addition from those who wrote the New Testament or otherwise propagated the words of Christ. Emerson extolled the importance of living in the present and being aware of the richness of the present. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Emerson's view on self-reliance is not limited to the essay he wrote with that title. In most of his essays he refers constantly to the self, to its great capacities, and to its relationship with the over-soul. Emerson was enthusiastic about America building its own literature. His speech "The American Scholar" was described as an intellectual declaration of independence. His essays were seminal for modern inspirational literature. He summarised the central doctrine of his work as "the infinitude of the private man".

The essays are filled with quotable ideas. Here are a couple:

No man had ever a defect that was not somewhere made useful to him.

The essence of greatness is the perception that virtue is enough.

For Emerson, the greatest good is to elevate and worship ones' self, and the greatest sin is to look outside ones' self. While who we are is a product of what has come before and will contribute to what will go on, Emerson sees a danger of looking to the past or considering the future in our actions. He preaches that we should have a focus entirely on the present. Being true to ourselves in the moment may cause inconsistencies and misunderstandings, but this is all part of his greater good. Emerson's self-centered virtues are not derived from anything outside himself, but from himself alone.

More than any other work, Emerson's "Self-Reliance" seems best to embody the spirit of our age. We focus on ourselves and our thoughts and our words. We are ardently individualistic. We have lost all respect for sages of old, parents and grandparents, politicians, and preachers. Our society does not look outside itself for light, but from within.

I like to dialogue with writers and philosophers as I read, so I kept coming back to a couple thoughts as I surveyed Emerson's influential work. The first thought I had was that if I am a product of evolutionary greatness from my past, as Emerson points out, then why should I not study how greatness was achieved in the past and rely on that past to promote greatness in the future? While Emerson decries any reliance on the past or the non-self and any "standing on tiptoes" to see the future, I think he misses the point. We are nothing apart from the history which has made us and the future which lies ahead. To lose sight of these poles is to lose ourselves. Even Emerson doesn't follow his advice here either. He continually refers to events and people of previous ages even at times in a positive light. And who would really enjoy living in a world filled by people who live by Emerson's virtues? People who have no thought for anyone besides themselves and never look to the past or to the future are often the cause of some of the greatest harms we have experienced. The father who walks out on his family in order to pursue his pleasures and the careless politician who engages in wars of aggression without considering the warnings of history are not characters we admire, but people whom we abhor. This world of self-love and self-pity is not a world we wish to live in. It is not the most selfish people who leave the world a better place, but the most sacrificial.

The second thought I had was: why? Why must I be true to myself? Why is this a virtue? Why should someone's look to the past or the future be such an unpardonable sin as Emerson portrays it? What makes the self the law of virtue and vice? Perhaps it is this underlying question, which Emerson refuses to answer directly, which is of the greatest importance. What Emerson seems to avoid is the implication that if every man must obey his inner man, his conscience, then how much greater the allegiance is due to whatever might be the source of this great, mysterious, metaphysical, and spiritual aspect of man. Indeed, the greatness of man and the law of his conscience points to the possibility of some Being who is greater than man and a Law which is imprinted on every heart of mankind.

Overall, I think this work has great value for those who wish to understand the narcissistic and individualistic culture in which we live. Further, if a reader is open to probing philosophical questions regarding the nature and value of man, the existence of the soul, the chief end of man, and so on, this work provides a voice which should be placed into the overall dialogue. Further, there are a number of witty sayings that provide much color for daily life. While I don't agree with Emerson's viewpoint, I do think that such a valuable work should not be ignored.

I was so disappointed in this audio book I had to write a review. I was really looking forward to listening to this. I love Ralph Waldo Emerson but I found these essays IMPOSSIBLE to listen to. Why? Because Reader Jeff Riggenbach has a tough and ANGRY voice. Is he trying to be firm and macho? This angry, dictatorial voice is everything Emerson is NOT. I am going to find another version that has anyone OTHER than Riggenback reading it.

In this information overload era with little wisdom, Emerson's essay on self-reliance is invaluable. To learn to trust one's self and truly live an authentic life sounds amazingly simple but is much harder in practice. We are constantly living in fear of shame, failure, and conformity. What Emerson brilliantly reveals in this essay is that all men who are deemed as great have done exactly that, they were 100% authentic and unique. To be a genius is to be unique, however it is easier to dream of being purely authentic than to actually live it. Another important message Emerson stresses is the need for a man to be self-sufficient, not seeking happiness from objects and fortunes outside of one's self. It is not to say a man should not desire to be rich, but he should very well know that these material riches will not bring him happiness if he does not already have it. Happiness from any material riches or good fortune never last. Do not be a slave to the wheel of fortune, as she continually continually turns which in turn makes good times and bad times inevitable. Instead, seek to center and ground yourself on true principles and measure your happiness in accordance to your obedience of them.

This particular kindle edition of Emerson's great essay is interrupted by the continuous intrusion of quotes from miscellaneous people that are intended to amplify highlights of the text. While in fairness some are apt and concise, most are not and interrupt the flow of the text. If you want your Emerson seasoned with gratuitous quotes from the likes of Saul Alinsky and Mark Zuckerberg this edition may be just your dish; if not seek out another version.

For starters, it took me more than two months to read this book for after every essay and journal I needed the ideas to sink in before I could move to the next topic which were alot to take in emotionally. Also it was easy for me to very much relate to his passion and deep profoundness to nature for I'm currently studying Landscape architecture.

This book will make you think. Alot. And what was really astonishing for me was how many of the topics in the book were still relevant to this day and age and could really give a boost to anyone who wants to learn more about them. whether it's in philosophy, education, politics, nature and man's place in the world.

Overall really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who feels the need to expand his perspectives in life.

There is a tendency for moderns to credit Ralph Waldo Emerson not only as the leading Transcendentalist of his day but also as its sole originator. Such an opinion is an oversimplification which even in Emerson's day was hotly debated. Emerson was certainly one of the movement's luminaries but he was ably assisted by a myriad of lesser known contemporaries, including William Ellery Channing, a leading Unitarian preacher; Amos Bronson Alcott, a controversial author whose books alienated the orthodox Trinitarian church; Margaret Fuller, who became editor of the Dial, the primary if short-lived official journal of the Transcendentalists; and later Henry David Thoreau, whose own contributions to Transcendentalism eventually surpassed those of Emerson.

Transcendentalism did not appear one day from nowhere fully formed. It was an offshoot of Unitarianism, which itself evolved rather unwillingly from Trinitarianism. When Jonathan Edwards preached his fire and brimstone sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God in 1741, he had been trying for years to revive the "man is depraved" basis of Calvinism. Trinitarians, like Edwards, believed that God was manifested in three parts: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Those in the pulpits who had been told endlessly that God was both nasty and unforgiving eventually tired of such hectoring and turned to a simpler creed, Unitarianism that holds that God is complete in only one incarnation, thus denying the need for the tri-part division of the Trinitarians. However, as soon as Unitarianism became established as the successor to the Trinitarian sect, it immediately ran afoul of a mixture of competing faiths and spiritual movements, most of which originated in England and Europe.

Though the Unitarians based their faith on the concept of the oneness of God, they still retained the Puritan tendency to grasp the Mysteries of the Universe through man's rational understanding and sensory impressions. Overseas in Europe, a growing tide of thought emerged which rejected man's rationalism as the only key to unveiling these arcane Mysteries. This tide was an amalgam of the various strands of the Enlightenment. From Germany came the philosophy of Kant, whose definitions of "understanding" and "reason" were instrumental in nudging the future Transcendentalists into accepting the notion that truth transcends the sphere of man's physical senses. From England, came the Romanticism of Wordsworth and Coleridge, both of whom acknowledged that man's intuition rather than his cold logic were quite sufficient to apprehend nature. And from Sweden came the theories of Swedenborg, who demonstrated that the universe was based on a spiritual foundation that permitted man to discern the mystical essences of nature as readily as his physical senses could register their material correspondences.

There were quite a few young pastors like Emerson who had been trained in the new Unitarian faith who now faced the unpleasant prospect of continuing to preach a religion whose central tenets were becoming increasingly difficult to justify or abandoning it for something else. Much of their collective discontent was based on the Unitarian insistence on the primacy of sensory impressions as the most efficient conduit between man and his apprehension of the external universe. This focus on the need of man to utilize his senses to apprehend a chaotic universe was the basis of the theories of John Locke, who suggested that there was no abstract or spiritual essence for man to contemplate since that essence was beyond the scope of his physical senses. According to Locke, the tabula rasa, the blank slate of the mind, could only be filled in by what was there right in front of man and if man could not physically connect himself to an essence, then that essence was held not to exist. Thus for Romanticism and later for Transcendentalism to work, man somehow had to acknowledge that there was indeed a way to bridge the Lockean chasm between that which was provably "real" and that which was arguably "unreal." The first generation of Unitarians solved this dilemma by drawing a clear distinction between the physical "real" and the assumed "unreal." This "real" they called the understanding. It was understood" that man's perception of the universe was based on his receiving sensory impressions directly from the world around him. If man could touch, hear, smell, taste, or see an object, then that object was proven to exist in reality. That which was "unreal" could be discerned only by what they called reason. It was reasonable to assume that somewhere beyond the level of man's physical senses lay a higher, more ethereal world of the unreal that could be apprehended only via man's intuition and observance of truth beyond sense.

By the time that Emerson had renounced his Unitarian beliefs, American style Transcendentalism had already begun to take recognizable shape. What we today call Transcendentalism is a cobbled fabric of like minded individuals, all of whom shared common beliefs. The ability of man to reason a higher form of existence had for too long been overshadowed by his understanding, however false, that reality was limited to the provable here and now. In order to reach this spiritual phase of existence, man had to trust that it was there to be found and that he could use his intuition to find it. As a corollary to trusting oneself in all things it followed that the accepted and revealed dogma of the church had to be rejected. All of the long-established rites of the church were to be discouraged and ultimately discarded. Further, the bible as the Revealed Word of God, had to be similarly discounted as a barrier between Man Thinking and the sought after higher realm of spiritual existence. There would be no need, then, for the church to explain miracles since the ordinary man could perceive them unaided. Indeed, a Transcendentalist would see nature in its entirety as replete with an infinity of miracles, any one of which could render insignificant church-sanctioned miracles. The major figures of orthodox theology--Christ and his apostles--were now to be reduced to human status, untouched by divinity. Ultimately, what began in Europe and culminated in New England as a generalized mixture of philosophy, religion, and the arts morphed into the transcendental literature that became known as the hallmark of Emerson and Thoreau.

An amalgamation of two books published in 1841 and 1844, the 21 pieces known as "Essays: First and Second Series" describe Emerson's concepts of self-reliance, the law of compensation (a sort of yin-yang polarity in morality), and the transcendental Over-Soul, an ideal Emerson first enunciated (without naming it as such) in his infamous Divinity School Address, for which he was accused of atheism. "The world is not the product of manifold power, but of one will, of one mind; and that one mind is everywhere active," he said to Harvard's startled divinity students and teachers. "All things proceed out of the same spirit." In these essays, he expands upon this notion of the individual Self as part of a universal All, of the human soul bound by a physical body yet tethered to an omniscient spirit.

Emerson's metaphysics alternates among a quasi-pantheistic belief in the unity of humanity, nature, and God; a monistic view that All is One; a mystical channeling of universal truths; and an anthropocentric faith in the primacy of human experience. Through reflection and meditation, humans can experience God. "Ineffable is the union of man and God in every act of the soul," he writes in the essay titled "The Over-Soul." "The simplest person who in his integrity worships God, becomes God."

The form of Emerson's "essays" displays his training as a preacher, and his lectures served as rough drafts; but, although they read like sermons, they are more like prose poems, heavily indebted to Plutarch, Plotinus, and Montaigne. In addition to "Self-Reliance" and "The Over-Soul," the most important of these essays are probably "History," "Compensation," and "The Poet." Anecdotes, evidence, and "scientific" observation play a minor role in his writing, and transitional devices are sparse; his essays are built instead of argument by aphorism, chains of clever and commonsensical quips, and contemplative reflection in a nearly conversational style. (A friend of mine once joked, perceptively, that the Quotable Emerson would be pretty much the same as the unabridged version of the book you have here.)

Emerson's idealism and romanticism can seem hopelessly abstract--a failing that carried over into his personal relations. (Responding to his discussion on "Friendship," Caroline Sturgis wrote to him, "With all your faith in Man, you have but little faith in men.") The ambiguities of his writing and their myriad interpretations have provided the foundations for disparate schools of thought. On the one hand, his philosophic arguments and literary characteristics anticipate Walt Whitman's ode to the self, Nietzsche's "ubermensch," Williams James's "stream-of-consciousness," Dewey's instrumentalism, and Jung's concept of the universal unconscious or racial memory. On the other hand, there is a direct descent from the sermonizing, inspirational quality of Emerson's works to various strands of New Thought spiritualism, the motivational guides of Norman Vincent Peale and Dale Carnegie, and the ongoing popularity of books by self-help gurus. (Indeed, one could argue that Emerson's books established the genre in America.)

It is impossible, then, to overstate Emerson's influence on subsequent literature and thought, both highbrow and mass-market. Many (perhaps most) of today's readers might be turned off by the abstract Neo-Platonism of Emerson's work, and his seemingly endless stream of metaphors and maxims can be, at times, somnambulistic. (I personally find his philosophy completely alien to my own worldview.) But even so, Emerson should be read in order to understand both the phenomenon of New England transcendentalism, which may well be the only uniquely American philosophy of the nineteenth century, and the rise of individualism, which donned a uniquely American character during the twentieth.

This Library of America edition of Emerson's most productive period is beautifully printed and bound, and a joy to read.

Others have better expressed how much of an education one can obtain by reading and glorying in Emerson's words. I can only concur, and re-read favorite passages time after time.

Robert C. Ross
July, 2018

Ralph Waldo Emerson is America's greatest essayist and one of its greatest orators. To call him an essayist indeed sells him rather short and is very misleading. Most think of essays as interminable, dry, and academic, full of jargon, polysyllables, and other esoterica making them near-inaccessible to general readers. Emerson is very different. His writing is vibrant and vital, making subjects come alive in a way that is as accessible as it is thought-provoking. He writes about general topics - self-reliance, history, love, friendship - of fundamental importance to humanity but is never pretentious, portentous, or arcane; his writing is indeed so strong and lively that it can be read as literature - or even entertainment. Emerson was most famous in life for oratory and is now best-known for essays but had a poet's soul in the truest sense; he wrote many poems, but a poetic sensibility underlies all his writings. His essays are sculpted with poetic precision; he is admirably concise and knows just what words to use to get attention and desired effect, not needing more. Perhaps more importantly, his style is as close to poetry as prose can be, full of beautiful descriptions, exciting metaphors, and general lushness. Yet he was also a philosopher, conveying classic philosophy in easily relatable form with new relevance and contributing much of his own. Only Plato himself rivals Emerson for combining poetry and philosophy's unique strengths; his essays are strong on all fronts.

Emerson now unfortunately and unfairly has a reputation as a difficult, somewhat antiquated read in many minds. This is a travesty, as very few classic writers are as relevant and accessible. Hard as it may be to conceive, Emerson was seen in life as a popularizer; he wrote for regular people, conveying intellectual material in terms they could easily understand, relate to, appreciate - and, above all, act on. Though one of the most well-educated, well-read, and well-traveled people of his day, he had the rare gift of translating weighty issues to the masses without losing intellectual vigor. Thus, though widely and greatly admired by artists and intellectuals, he was often looked down on by the high-brow. Time has erased this injustice, meaning Emerson can now be enjoyed by all.

It is hard to classify Emerson's essays; he wrote on nearly every conceivable subject: philosophy, psychology, history, literary criticism, ethics, politics, and many, many others. However, his overriding concern at all times was to make his subjects not only accessible but in the most fundamental way relatable. His work was essentially a call to action meant to wake people up from intellectual stupor, apathy, narrow-mindedness, and pre-conceptions. He wanted to take people's intellectual virginity, forcing them to see the truth of Socrates' belief that an unexamined belief is not worth living. No cow was too sacred for him to kick, which led to considerable controversy; he was famously banned from Harvard Divinity School, his alma mater, for decades only to be welcomed back enthusiastically late in life when the school had adopted nearly all the stances it originally condemned as blasphemous. Emerson knew people were held back by inherited inhibitions of all sorts - often without even realizing it - and wanted them swept away so all could reach full potential. On top of everything else, his work is thus the best kind of self-help manual; few writers are as inspirational and fundamentally moving. He had a very real impact on millions of regular people across decades and profoundly influenced artists as diverse as Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Poe, Longfellow, and Whitman. His impact is indeed so titanic that most of these and many others might not have written at all without him; at the very least, their work would have been very different - probably unrecognizable and possibly far less great, if great at all - without him. He continued to have a great effect on later writers, including Robert Frost and his namesake Ralph Waldo Ellison; his reach indeed stretches to the present and shows no sign of disappearing. A true testament to his influence is the fact that several of these writers profoundly disagreed with him, much of their work essentially being a rebuttal; agree with him or not, his stature is such that one must deal with him. The aspect opponents have most often objected to is his relentless optimism, which is really the main obstacle to reading him. His philosophy survived the Civil War - was indeed a far from negligible force in creating and sustaining union spirit -, but the twentieth century's numerous atrocities can easily make him seem so naïve as to be hopelessly outdated. The truth is very much otherwise. Emerson is never more needed than in trying times; it is not hyperbolic to say the world would be a far more peaceful and better place if the hard common sense at his writings' core were taken to heart. Everyone should read him because he helps us find the best in ourselves, appealing to humanity's best instincts to make a better future for both individuals and society.

There are many Emerson collections, ranging from pocket best ofs to collected editions that fill a library shelf. This excellent volume is one of the most widely available and least expensive, making a great primer. With six essays ("History," "Self-Reliance," "Friendship," "The Over-soul," "The Poet," and "Experience") and a speech (the famous Divinity School Address) spread out over 117 pages, it is a representative sampling of his best work. We get a clear picture of what made Emerson great, and several pieces - particularly the incredible trio of "Self-Reliance," "The Poet," and "Experience" - are not only among the best essays ever but are some of the greatest literature period. Any one of them would be worth more than the book's price in themselves, and they have excellent companions.

It is important to realize that this is a basic edition. Many great works are missing, meaning the dedicated will need a more comprehensive version. This is after all a sampler, though, and has the far from inconsiderable virtue of leading one to other Emerson. This should not be anyone's only Emerson purchase but will serve most readers well as their first. Comprehensiveness aside, anyone wanting notes or other supplemental material will need to skip it. The idea of an Emerson book needing such things in his life would have been unthinkable, but changes in language - and, one might argue, a substantial dumbing-down of the reading public - now make them necessary for some. His gist is clear enough, but his vocabulary and, more importantly, his wealth of historical, literary, and contemporary references may be lost on casuals. However, anyone wanting only than a generous introductory sampler could do no better than this, especially considering the near-unbelievable price. One would be extremely hard-pressed to find more practical wisdom in a book of this size or price. Emerson speaks to all, and this book is extremely valuable in letting him speak in an easily accessible and affordable form. This or a more deluxe collection belongs on everyone's bookshelf.

I cannot think of another writer whose prose reads with as much poetic power as Emerson. The poetic aspect comes from the richness of meaning that continue to manifest as one lingers and thinks about the words Emerson writes rather than anything contrived or artsy. He created many powerful sentences and phrases that still live in the American spirit, and yet, for all the ringing words we love and hold close there are many thoughts and arguments that many people, including myself, find difficult to accept on any level other than being by Emerson.

For all that we love in Self-Reliance and The American Scholar, we still have to deal with his mystic essay on the Over-soul. Many conservative Christians have problems with his Transcendentalist views of religion and Christ. Reading his thoughts on "The Lord's Supper" might be interesting simply because it is Emerson. However, most orthodox believers will not come close to being convinced and today's non-believers will find it difficult to work up the energy to try and figure out what the fuss is about.

His famous essays collected under the title of Nature are fascinating and poetic views of the natural world. At least they seem that way to our more technical age. We see his Enlightenment confidence in reason and man's ability to discover the mechanisms of the Universe. While our science is remains rational, it is not quite so confident that everything can be easily discovered. We have found that for every depth we sound we discover that the bottom is only apparent. Things are deeper and stranger than the thinkers of Emerson's time ever dreamed.

This volume collects his essays and lectures into more than 1,100 pages of fascinating and wonderful reading. His poems and translations are collected into a separate volume also offered through the wonderful Library of America (don't hesitate to support them). The volume opens with a collection called "Nature; Addresses, and Lectures" and contains the eight chapters of Nature plus the four addresses The American Scholar, An Address to the Senior Class of Divinity College from 1838, Literary Ethics, and The Method of Nature. It also has five lectures: Man the Reformer, Introductory Lecture on the Times, The Conservative, The Transcendentalist, and The Young American.

There are then two collections of essays that contain famous titles such as History, Self-Reliance, The Over-Soul, The Poet, Manners, and Nature [yeah, I know it can get confusing]. This is followed by a collection called Representative Men. The seven chapters here are wonderful, but I cannot imagine anything like them being written today. The first chapter is titled "Uses of Great Men". I think I can here the deconstructionists swallowing their tongues. Then follows a chapter each for Plato the Philosopher, Swedenborg the Mystic [millions ask, WHO?], Montaigne the Skeptic, Shakespeare the poet, Napoleon the Man of the World, and Goethe the Writer.

The last two collections contain a number of short papers on English Traits and The Conduct of life. All interesting and full of Emersonian insight and beauty of language. The volume concludes with a Chronology of Emerson's life, notes on the texts, other notes, and an alphabetical index of titles (which is particularly useful given the re-use and similarity of some of these titles).

"Nature, Addresses, and Lectures" is a very complete and original version, which was published in 1854. I bought a copy of this book, only after buying his Essays First Series, and Second Series. These books have been formatted impressively with a clean readable font. I love these copies just because they are filled with wisdom, and knowledge from early 19 century of Ralph Waldo Emerson's amazing works. I highly recommend you buy a copy of these books which are published by "DIMAOND BOOKS / DIAMOND PUBLISHERS". Trust me, you all love the quality of their work.

There are many Emerson collections, but this may be the best. The definitive one volume edition, it has all the Emerson almost anyone will ever need - dozens of pieces over nearly 950 pages. It includes his best-known work and even contains three full books - Essays: First Series, Essays: Second Series, and English Traits - plus nineteen other essays. There is also a generous poetry selection - twenty-three poems over more than sixty pages. Furthermore, the volume is nicely edited with a short but interesting Foreword and an excellent Preface containing substantial background on Emerson and his era. In addition, each publication is preceded by a short description putting it in context. This will satisfy everyone but completists. Unfortunately, it is now long out of print, and current compilations are distinctly inferior. Anyone at all interested in Emerson would thus do well to seek this out; it may be better to start with a more modest primer - e.g., Dover's Self-Reliance and Other Essays -, but budding Emersonians should not wait long to get this.

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I know that many people don't like to read essays of any kind, but all I can say is that Ralph Waldo Emerson is simply different! Nobody has the gift to write essays and analyze life like him.
His words and ideas are so powerful and deep that we soon realize that they didn't come only from a brilliant mind, but also from a warm-hearted soul!
That's exactly what this book is about: Its sentences break through your brain and penetrate right into your soul! Emerson's optimistic view on human beings and life can only reinforce our courage in mankind and, especially, in ourselves!
What else can I say? His speech is direct, he defends all the good values, tell us to have confidence in ourselves and show us that passing through life with dignity is a matter of choice and courage, and that it simply doesn't change with time. It was like this a thousand years ago, it will probably follow the same rules a thousand years f! ! rom now.
This is the book I grab to comfort my spirit when I'm having difficult times... :) It is a guide that make us believe that anything is possible when we really want it! " Self-Reliance ", one of the essays inside this book, is a masterpiece in its own and I believe it should be studied in every high school, instead some of the crap we are usually obliged to read!
This book can shape your spirit and your mind. It is also possibly THE BEST self-help book you could ever own and, yet, a great literary work.
I would rate this book as ageless and I'm sure the future generations will be still interested in it, in the same way we are in those ancient Greek and Roman texts.
This is precious culture and food for your soul as a bargain! Do not waste more time. READ IT!!!

Although he was considered during his lifetime to be a profoundly radical thinker, Emerson, the Transcendentalist chief, after his death, was soon reinterpreted as a bland Bostonian Brahmin, a mystic anarchist who was only brave on paper. It cannot be denied that his philosophy of a joyful and affirmationist acceptance of life, and of nature, his anti-slavery activities, his attacks on the state and on the sensualism of bourgeois society, could have easily provided the formula for a complete overthrow of the moral order of his time. His libertarian thrust, his serene integrity, his indefatiguable optimism and common sense, however, will continue to find admirers, notwithstanding the fact that political identifications have changed and emphases have shifted, or otherwise one can simply enjoy the polished beauty of his prose style. Though by no means a deep thinker, Emerson's brilliantly epigrammatic, allusive, declamatory, pithy style provides instances where the reader may extrapolate a number of meanings from even the shortest utterances, and it is due to this quality, perhaps, that the Emerson enigma came into being, enabling him to appeal to such numerous and diverse temperaments. His best essays include "The Over-Soul", "Compensation", "Self-Reliance" and "Manners", in which he preaches, in the rhetorical manner reminiscent of his background as a Unitarian minister, his ideals of contenment, joy, independence and self-confidence -- tonics of the soul.

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I know that many people don't like to read essays of any kind, but all I can say is that Ralph Waldo Emerson is simply different! Nobody has the gift to write essays and analyze life like him.
His words and ideas are so powerful and deep that we soon realize that they didn't come only from a brilliant mind, but also from a warm-hearted soul!
That's exactly what this book is about: Its sentences break through your brain and penetrate right into your soul! Emerson's optimistic view on human beings and life can only reinforce our courage in mankind and, especially, in ourselves!
What else can I say? His speech is direct, he defends all the good values, tell us to have confidence in ourselves and show us that passing through life with dignity is a matter of choice and courage, and that it simply doesn't change with time. It was like this a thousand years ago, it will probably follow the same rules a thousand years f! ! rom now.
This is the book I grab to comfort my spirit when I'm having difficult times... :) It is a guide that make us believe that anything is possible when we really want it! " Self-Reliance ", one of the essays inside this book, is a masterpiece in its own and I believe it should be studied in every high school, instead some of the crap we are usually obliged to read!
This book can shape your spirit and your mind. It is also possibly THE BEST self-help book you could ever own and, yet, a great literary work.
I would rate this book as ageless and I'm sure the future generations will be still interested in it, in the same way we are in those ancient Greek and Roman texts.
This is precious culture and food for your soul as a bargain! Do not waste more time. READ IT!!!

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist (someone who espouses a philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical), and a Christian minister, who was also steeped in the rich philosophical tradition of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita. His essays are classic literature at its finest, with a rhythm and cadence that are, even in prose, poetic and musical. The beauty of this prose, in my opinion, is unparalleled.

What Emerson has to say is every bit as important as how he says it. He was a genius with "rough edges" who challenged society to question many of its unexamined assumptions. He did get into trouble for this, and was forced to resign as minister of his church, but Emerson refused to compromise on truth. A rugged individualism and stalwart non-conformity were the cornerstones of his personal philosophy. Emerson was well ahead of his time (1803-1882) and remains so to this day.

Emerson was a far more prominent voice in America than many people today might realize. If you decide to read Emerson, you may very well find yourself repeatedly saying, "so that's who said that." Many profound and moving quotes are attributed to him. His essays, "The Over-Soul" and "Self-Reliance" are justifiably considered among some of the best writing by an American author.

Emerson's voice will certainly not be to everyone's liking, and that is as true today as it was in his time. Because of the style of his prose and the nature of what he wrote about, there will be many who read him and who simply put him aside. On the other hand, don't be surprised if reading Emerson sends shock waves through your central nervous system. For those who really get hooked on Emerson, as I did 32 years ago, he will remain a lifetime companion offering a wealth of insight into the eternal verities of the soul and man's quest for the divine. For my money, there is no finer essayist or "philosopher" than Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Ralph Waldo Emerson's most anthologized essay, "Self-Reliance," is today understood as he probably intended it to be--a call for man to look within himself to find the moral strength to stand alone against the soul-crunching power of society and eventually to meld into a mystical union with God. But even in his day, he was attacked by those who read in his essays a license to indulge in extreme selfishness in a manner calculated to discard the perceived and collective wisdom of long-dead ancestors. It was no surprise that he was on the receiving end of such criticisms since colonial New England had long been living under the heavy hand of Calvinism, which decreed that man was an irrevocably fallen creature whose only concern was to avoid the hellfire retribution typified by Jonathan Edwards' Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. The ideas of "Self-Reliance" represent an amalgam of a larger belief in Transcendentalism. Once Emerson had thrown off the shackles of his Puritan past, he briefly flirted with Unitarianism, which allowed him to view God as a single being. From this, he gradually developed a core of beliefs which moved control of a man's soul and his destiny from an external series of sources (the state, organized religion, the Bible, and the past) to an internal one--himself. In "Self-Reliance," Emerson elaborated on ideas from earlier essays and speeches to show that all men have within themselves the ability to establish a divinity that directly connects them with God.

It is this overarching theme of transforming dependent man into self-reliant man that connects "Self-Reliance" to the remainder of Emerson's oeuvre. Emerson visualized each man as having the potential to fulfill his destiny by linking it with a union to God, but man had unwittingly shackled himself with a lamentably long catalog of devices which continually acted in concert to prevent this union from ever happening. Part of the problem that Emerson had with Calvinism was its insistence that man's fate and control over himself were not in his hands. Emerson directed all men to disregard any external source of control and in its place to look inwardly within himself for the means to link his destiny to God. To sever these links with external sources, Emerson first had to name them.

The first item to delink was a reliance on the past. Simply because one man at one time said or did something of historical note did not mean that the next generation had to slavishly follow that lead. Each new generation had to learn Emerson's primary axiom: "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." From this, it followed that non-conformity becomes a virtue: "Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist." Emerson had no problem with anyone studying the works of Previous Grand Masters, but for Man Thinking to adopt those Masters' theories and policies, he had to reconstruct the logic by which that Grand Master first devised his stratagems, and once having honestly concluded that in this case the old ways work best, then it was logical to use them or alter them as he sees fit. But for those who lacked the honesty or the ability to maintain the difference between cold calculation and mindless imitation, Emerson writes: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Thus, Emerson does not require one to bash the efforts of forebears blindly as his later critics have charged but he does insist that one must look within one's own self to see whether it is necessary to reinvent the theological wheel each time a crisis point emerges.

Second, Emerson saw an over-reliance on religion and dogma as an obstacle toward being self-reliant. Too many men pray hoping that God will provide some material response to prayer. Such misuse of prayer he finds egregious. Then there are those who are seduced by the false cries of sorrow from mendicants asking passersby for alms. Emerson had little use for what today we term an entitlement philosophy. Simply to be needy did not justify, in his eyes, the right to expect others to place unearned coins in outstretched palms and cups.

Third, Emerson found fault with travel merely to amuse oneself. If a man were to be miserable at home, then misery would surely accompany him on his travels.

Fourth, Emerson felt that much of America's educational system was based too firmly on European models. An educational system that works in one country need not work similarly in another.

It was not merely the aforementioned grievances that Emerson had with a too close dalliance with slavish imitation that imbued his essays with timeless significance. His prose style contributed greatly to his popularity. Emerson was fond of figurative language expressed in parallel structure that made his sentences sparkle with quotability. Many of these rang with Biblical resonance: "Let a man then know his worth, and keep things under his feet." Similarly, his use of metaphor transformed dry content into vivid imagery: "Society is a wave. The wave moves onward, but the water of which it is composed does not."

Emerson did not guarantee that all those who followed his advice would find a direct path to God, but he did assert that failure to try would result in a continuation of the same sad long standing pattern of man being tied down with property, money, old ideology, and creaking borrowed memories, all of which added to the state of affairs that caused Emerson to write "Self-Reliance" in the first place.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was and, still is, is my mind, a visionary and knows what it truly means to be an individual. This book was put onto our "reading list" in one of my humanities class as important literature to read outside of the classroom atmosphere. In our society with growing trends to go along with the social norms (things like Twitter and Facebook encourage this even more so), it's important to step outside of the social conformity and truly think for yourself, disregarding religion and mainstream politics.

I found this book to be a challenging read, I'll admit. It's not something you zip through, but rather, take a breath and think about the words that he writes. For this, truly a great book and an author that I admire.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is America's greatest essayist and one of its greatest orators. To call him an essayist indeed sells him rather short and is very misleading. Most think of essays as interminable, dry, and academic, full of jargon, polysyllables, and other esoterica making them near-inaccessible to general readers. Emerson is very different. His writing is vibrant and vital, making subjects come alive in a way that is as accessible as it is thought-provoking. He writes about general topics - self-reliance, history, love, friendship - of fundamental importance to humanity but is never pretentious, portentous, or arcane; his writing is indeed so strong and lively that it can be read as literature - or even entertainment. Emerson was most famous in life for oratory and is now best-known for essays but had a poet's soul in the truest sense; he wrote many poems, but a poetic sensibility underlies all his writings. His essays are sculpted with poetic precision; he is admirably concise and knows just what words to use to get attention and desired effect, not needing more. Perhaps more importantly, his style is as close to poetry as prose can be, full of beautiful descriptions, exciting metaphors, and general lushness. Yet he was also a philosopher, conveying classic philosophy in easily relatable form with new relevance and contributing much of his own. Only Plato himself rivals Emerson for combining poetry and philosophy's unique strengths; his essays are strong on all fronts.

Emerson now unfortunately and unfairly has a reputation as a difficult, somewhat antiquated read in many minds. This is a travesty, as very few classic writers are as relevant and accessible. Hard as it may be to conceive, Emerson was seen in life as a popularizer; he wrote for regular people, conveying intellectual material in terms they could easily understand, relate to, appreciate - and, above all, act on. Though one of the most well-educated, well-read, and well-traveled people of his day, he had the rare gift of translating weighty issues to the masses without losing intellectual vigor. Thus, though widely and greatly admired by artists and intellectuals, he was often looked down on by the high-brow. Time has erased this injustice, meaning Emerson can now be enjoyed by all.

It is hard to classify Emerson's essays; he wrote on nearly every conceivable subject: philosophy, psychology, history, literary criticism, ethics, politics, and many, many others. However, his overriding concern at all times was to make his subjects not only accessible but in the most fundamental way relatable. His work was essentially a call to action meant to wake people up from intellectual stupor, apathy, narrow-mindedness, and pre-conceptions. He wanted to take people's intellectual virginity, forcing them to see the truth of Socrates' belief that an unexamined belief is not worth living. No cow was too sacred for him to kick, which led to considerable controversy; he was famously banned from Harvard Divinity School, his alma mater, for decades only to be welcomed back enthusiastically late in life when the school had adopted nearly all the stances it originally condemned as blasphemous. Emerson knew people were held back by inherited inhibitions of all sorts - often without even realizing it - and wanted them swept away so all could reach full potential. On top of everything else, his work is thus the best kind of self-help manual; few writers are as inspirational and fundamentally moving. He had a very real impact on millions of regular people across decades and profoundly influenced artists as diverse as Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Poe, Longfellow, and Whitman. His impact is indeed so titanic that most of these and many others might not have written at all without him; at the very least, their work would have been very different - probably unrecognizable and possibly far less great, if great at all - without him. He continued to have a great effect on later writers, including Robert Frost and his namesake Ralph Waldo Ellison; his reach indeed stretches to the present and shows no sign of disappearing. A true testament to his influence is the fact that several of these writers profoundly disagreed with him, much of their work essentially being a rebuttal; agree with him or not, his stature is such that one must deal with him. The aspect opponents have most often objected to is his relentless optimism, which is really the main obstacle to reading him. His philosophy survived the Civil War - was indeed a far from negligible force in creating and sustaining union spirit -, but the twentieth century's numerous atrocities can easily make him seem so naïve as to be hopelessly outdated. The truth is very much otherwise. Emerson is never more needed than in trying times; it is not hyperbolic to say the world would be a far more peaceful and better place if the hard common sense at his writings' core were taken to heart. Everyone should read him because he helps us find the best in ourselves, appealing to humanity's best instincts to make a better future for both individuals and society.

There are many Emerson collections, ranging from pocket best ofs to collected editions that fill a library shelf. This excellent volume is one of the most widely available and least expensive, making a great primer. With six essays ("History," "Self-Reliance," "Friendship," "The Over-soul," "The Poet," and "Experience") and a speech (the famous Divinity School Address) spread out over 117 pages, it is a representative sampling of his best work. We get a clear picture of what made Emerson great, and several pieces - particularly the incredible trio of "Self-Reliance," "The Poet," and "Experience" - are not only among the best essays ever but are some of the greatest literature period. Any one of them would be worth more than the book's price in themselves, and they have excellent companions.

It is important to realize that this is a basic edition. Many great works are missing, meaning the dedicated will need a more comprehensive version. This is after all a sampler, though, and has the far from inconsiderable virtue of leading one to other Emerson. This should not be anyone's only Emerson purchase but will serve most readers well as their first. Comprehensiveness aside, anyone wanting notes or other supplemental material will need to skip it. The idea of an Emerson book needing such things in his life would have been unthinkable, but changes in language - and, one might argue, a substantial dumbing-down of the reading public - now make them necessary for some. His gist is clear enough, but his vocabulary and, more importantly, his wealth of historical, literary, and contemporary references may be lost on casuals. However, anyone wanting only than a generous introductory sampler could do no better than this, especially considering the near-unbelievable price. One would be extremely hard-pressed to find more practical wisdom in a book of this size or price. Emerson speaks to all, and this book is extremely valuable in letting him speak in an easily accessible and affordable form. This or a more deluxe collection belongs on everyone's bookshelf.

"Self-Reliance" is Ralph Waldo Emerson's most famous essay and is rivaled only by "Concord Hymn" as his most famous work. It is also his masterpiece; one often hears - sometimes disparagingly - that Emerson tried to fit his whole philosophy into each essay, and this comes remarkably close. There is far more depth and subtlety here than the length suggests; one would be very hard-pressed to find another work so densely packed. The words are few, but the implications are enough for a lifetime. "Self" is a seminal masterwork; a founding Transcendentalist text and American Romantic cornerstone, it is central to American thought, culture, and literature. Anyone even remotely interested in any Americana aspect must be intimately familiar with it; aside from the Declaration of Independence and Constitution themselves, perhaps no other document is so vital to the American spirit.

Reading "Self" is perhaps more necessary than ever - not only because it is eternally relevant but also because it is often misrepresented. The term "self-reliance" is now almost entirely political, almost synonymous with libertarianism, and the essay is frequently touted along such lines. However, these things are hardly more than implied here, and though the definition of "liberal" has greatly changed, it is important to remember that Emerson was one of his era's leading liberals. His prime meaning in any case is self-reliance intellectually and in everyday life. He urges us to trust ourselves, to recognize human divinity and avoid imitation. It is a simple message but all-important - and far easier said than done. Emerson explores all its ramifications - philosophical, practical, social, political, economic, etc. - and outlines all its benefits. The case is beyond convincing, but he can do no more than show us; the rest is up to us.

This profoundly individualist message is another reason that reading "Self" is so necessary. Emerson now unfortunately has a reputation for being somewhat impenetrable and/or hopelessly impractical; this is a true shame, because he wrote for the masses. Unlike nearly all philosophers, he does not rely on jargon or polysyllables; he truly wanted to be understood, and all it takes is will. We must open our minds to him, and once we have, they will never be closed again.

Though greatly revered with many and diverse followers, Emerson's intention was not to be loved but to inspire; he wanted all to find individual genius. His work is thus the truest and best kind of self-help manual, and "Self" is its apotheosis. It has inspired millions in the more than century and a half of its existence, including me. I have read thousands and thousands of works, but this is one of the handful that truly changed my life. Emerson's greatness always shines through, but reading him at the right time can make an astonishing difference. He was more popular in life with the young than the old, and I can easily see why. I was lucky to read him at just the right time, and "Self" spoke to me more powerfully than almost anything else ever has. Without hyperbole, I can say that I would not be doing what I am today and would have abandoned my goals and visions without reading "Self" and Thoreau's "Life without Principle" - a somewhat similar essay highly influenced by Emerson - when I did. I was wracked with self-doubt and getting nothing but indifference, bafflement, or hostility from others; these works gave just the kick I needed, and I will never look back. "Self" has the potential to be life-changing as almost nothing else does, and I highly recommend it to all; you can hardly be unaffected and may never be the same. However, I especially recommend it to the young; its importance to them - and Emerson's generally - simply cannot be overemphasized.

Emerson is a signature American stylist, and "Self" is near his height. His writing is always memorable and often highly lyrical - about as close to poetry as prose can be. However, his essays were almost always painstakingly composed from lectures and journals, and the effect was sometimes choppy. An Emerson-loving professor of mine once joked that no one can find the topic sentence in an Emerson paragraph, and his transitions also frequently leave much to be desired. However, "Self" is near-seamless, a true masterpiece of style that flows smoothly and often waxes beautiful. This is all the more remarkable in that it was assembled even more than usual from disparate sources; entries that ended up here came as far as eight years apart, but the whole is admirably harmonious.

"Self" is a preeminent example of how Emerson delights in paradox. Anyone who reads him closely sees that he is as complex as he is simple. Thus, despite - or perhaps even because of - apparent straight-forwardness, few texts are more ripe for deconstruction. "Self" fans after all love a text that tells us not to love texts, are inspired by a man who tells us not to be inspired by men, and are convinced by a text and man both of which tell us not to be convinced by either. But this is only the beginning. "Self" works because it tells us exactly what we want to hear and, in striking contrast to innumerable self-help books, does so in an intellectually and even aesthetically respectable way. This is fine for me and (hopefully) you but could of course be taken to heart by Hitler as easily as Gandhi. The thoroughly optimistic, mild-mannered, and physically frail Emerson may not have foreseen his revolutionary text being put to nefarious use and probably would have been unable to believe in even the possibility. However, the danger, if we choose to call it so, is very real. "Self" could easily have had the same effect that Nietzsche had on Nazis, and that it has not been taken up by anarchists, radical terrorists, and the like is perhaps mere luck. One at least wonders how it avoided preceding The Catcher in the Rye as the work synonymous with unsavory people. That said, it is likely unfair to Emerson to say he did not anticipate this; he after all takes his views to the logical conclusion. He surely saw it, and it may have given pause, but he persevered because he was faithful to his intuition just as he urges us to be to ours. He truly believed in self-reliance and was ready to stand by it no matter what befell - nay, thought it his only choice. His optimism must have told him that the doctrine would not be abused, and he has been right - so far. Only time will tell if this continues to hold, but "Self" remains essential for all.

The work is well worth buying alone, but virtually every Emerson anthology includes it. This is his best work, but he has many great ones, including several nearly as good, and a standalone is hard to justify. All must decide how to get it, but the important - nay, essential - thing is to have it in some form.

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I know that many people don't like to read essays of any kind, but all I can say is that Ralph Waldo Emerson is simply different! Nobody has the gift to write essays and analyze life like him.
His words and ideas are so powerful and deep that we soon realize that they didn't come only from a brilliant mind, but also from a warm-hearted soul!
That's exactly what this book is about: Its sentences break through your brain and penetrate right into your soul! Emerson's optimistic view on human beings and life can only reinforce our courage in mankind and, especially, in ourselves!
What else can I say? His speech is direct, he defends all the good values, tell us to have confidence in ourselves and show us that passing through life with dignity is a matter of choice and courage, and that it simply doesn't change with time. It was like this a thousand years ago, it will probably follow the same rules a thousand years f! ! rom now.
This is the book I grab to comfort my spirit when I'm having difficult times... :) It is a guide that make us believe that anything is possible when we really want it! " Self-Reliance ", one of the essays inside this book, is a masterpiece in its own and I believe it should be studied in every high school, instead some of the crap we are usually obliged to read!
This book can shape your spirit and your mind. It is also possibly THE BEST self-help book you could ever own and, yet, a great literary work.
I would rate this book as ageless and I'm sure the future generations will be still interested in it, in the same way we are in those ancient Greek and Roman texts.
This is precious culture and food for your soul as a bargain! Do not waste more time. READ IT!!!

An edition with an excellent pedigree.

The Heritage Press edition of the Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson: The First Series and The Second Series bears the spine title "Heritage Anniversary Edition."

One of the largest volumes ever produced by Heritage. Based on the original designs of master printer John Henry Nash, it derived its style from a Nicolas Jensen 1478 edition of Plutarch! Thus we have a 20th century book composed like a piece from the Renaissance with two color printing and a large 18 point Cloister Lightface, an elegant and "mellow" typeface derived from a Jensen design. Really, quite an impressive and distinctive interior.

In a red slipcase. Bound in tan buckram at the spine with red and gold details, three-quarters green and tan marbled French paper. Red page edges, 262 pp in a sewn binding.

Introduction by Edward F. O'Day.

An edition with an excellent pedigree.

The Heritage Press edition of the Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson: The First Series and The Second Series bears the spine title "Heritage Anniversary Edition."

One of the largest volumes ever produced by Heritage. Based on the original designs of master printer John Henry Nash, it derived its style from a Nicolas Jensen 1478 edition of Plutarch! Thus we have a 20th century book composed like a piece from the Renaissance with two color printing and a large 18 point Cloister Lightface, an elegant and "mellow" typeface derived from a Jensen design. Really, quite an impressive and distinctive interior.

In a red slipcase. Bound in tan buckram at the spine with red and gold details, three-quarters green and tan marbled French paper. Red page edges, 262 pp in a sewn binding.

Introduction by Edward F. O'Day.

An edition with an excellent pedigree.

The Heritage Press edition of the Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson: The First Series and The Second Series bears the spine title "Heritage Anniversary Edition."

One of the largest volumes ever produced by Heritage. Based on the original designs of master printer John Henry Nash, it derived its style from a Nicolas Jensen 1478 edition of Plutarch! Thus we have a 20th century book composed like a piece from the Renaissance with two color printing and a large 18 point Cloister Lightface, an elegant and "mellow" typeface derived from a Jensen design. Really, quite an impressive and distinctive interior.

In a red slipcase. Bound in tan buckram at the spine with red and gold details, three-quarters green and tan marbled French paper. Red page edges, 262 pp in a sewn binding.

Introduction by Edward F. O'Day.

An edition with an excellent pedigree.

The Heritage Press edition of the Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson: The First Series and The Second Series bears the spine title "Heritage Anniversary Edition."

One of the largest volumes ever produced by Heritage. Based on the original designs of master printer John Henry Nash, it derived its style from a Nicolas Jensen 1478 edition of Plutarch! Thus we have a 20th century book composed like a piece from the Renaissance with two color printing and a large 18 point Cloister Lightface, an elegant and "mellow" typeface derived from a Jensen design. Really, quite an impressive and distinctive interior.

In a red slipcase. Bound in tan buckram at the spine with red and gold details, three-quarters green and tan marbled French paper. Red page edges, 262 pp in a sewn binding.

Introduction by Edward F. O'Day.

It is wonderful to have all of Emerson's essays in one volume. Like his great pupil and friend Thoreau , Emerson is a poetic thinker of the highest order. His essays are filled with aphoristic gems . They contain not simply thoughts on different subjects but an organic and coherent way of seeing and understanding the world. They are the work of a genuine American philosophical voice.

There is so much to read here that it is difficult to know where to begin, though I have an especial feeling for 'Representative Men' with its exaltation of great individual human beings .Because he is so poetic and because his writing is so dense with meaning it does not always make for easy reading. But it is firm in principle and great in suggestiveness.

The way to understand where Whitman and in a sense even William James are coming from is to read this work.

If you can get past his thick language, Emerson is a gem. He mind is both quick and deep, and therefore is enduring. You start seeing common things in an uncommon way. He is a poet-philosopher par excellence.
This selection provides sampling of Emerson's over-all thought. Keep in mind that he is part of the Transcendentalist movement, which was part of the broader religious revival in the mid 1800's. This is the era of Emerson, Thoreau, Dwight L. Moody, Robert Owen and Joseph Smith. You can feel the energy crackling off pages of this book. There is something about this time period that rushed upward.
His essays on "Self-Reliance" and "Experience" are must for all adolescents. We need to cut the teeth of our mind on other people. We need to learn form Emerson, and be better for it.
The genius of the format is that provide the print without any frills, unctuous commentary, or boring exposition. This book is all meat, which is really what we want.

I think it is probably safe to assert that to read Emerson is to be forever indebted to him. His wording, his clearness of thought, his determination, his warmth... He has all the qualities one could ask for in a writer, and all one could ask for in a mentor. Nietzsche held Emerson's books the closest, and said they were above his praise; Borges added: "Whitman and Poe have overshadowed Emerson's glory, as inventors, as founders of cults; line by line, they are inferior to him." James, the very Whitman, Proust, Frost, have all also praised him sincerely. Judging from other reviews, the love for Emerson hasn't diminished, more than a century after his passing.

For those who are not familiar with his works, it should be noted that Emerson is, without a doubt, a very unique writer. I was surprised when I realized that there is more poetry in his philosophy than in most verse books, yet he is always lucid; and that his poems, although hued by an impressive depth of thought, remain always passionate. He was renown as a brilliant lecturer, and his essays have all the force and immediacy of the oral form. Few people are so rich in memorable aphorisms - one finds a treasure of a quote in every sentence: "A drop is a small ocean"; "We are not built like a ship to be tossed, but like a house to stand"; "Whoso be a man, must be a non conformist"; "Punishment is a fruit that unsuspected ripens within the pleasure which concealed it"...

This was one of the first books the Library of America ever published, and with good reason: Emerson's writings are a Library of America on their own. This volume contains most of his major works, with the usual LOA excellency: beautiful green-cloth binding, a silk-ribbon marker, clear, acid-free, bible-thin paper, a short chronology, and a few useful notes. (No introduction of any kind, also as usual.) In short: a must buy, whether you are new to Emerson or not. My only complain is that this represents only about a half of his actual output, leaving out such important pieces as "The Lord's Supper", "The Fugitive Slave Law", the books Society and Solitude and Letters and Social Aims, his writings on Thoreau, Carlyle, Lincoln, and John Brown, and many other pieces just as revealing as the ones included here - not even counting the 15 volumes worth of journals he wrote throughout his life.

The fact that it's been more than a decade since the publication of the slight Complete Poems and Translations makes me fear LOA has neglected one of America's most beloved authors by giving priority to comparatively minor releases -like those on journalism and film criticism. Why can't Emerson get the same deserved treatment as Henry James, who by the way has now over 12 well-earned LOA volumes published? Just one more book would make this the definite edition of RWE's works; as it is, the huge and expensive Centenary Edition remains untouched as the most comprehensive one available. Furthermore, the "Uncollected Prose" section is no longer included; I can only hope it means they are saving it for a future volume. (It's been 15 years since they took it out, so I'm not holding my breath.)

Those looking for a cheaper introduction should probably check out the excellent Modern Library's The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, which besides a very generous collection of essays has a nice introduction, a selection of poems, and a few important pieces not included here.

To put it simply, if you have any interest in philosophy, literature, poetry, religion, or life, read Emerson. You may not be convinced by his arguments, but there's no point in nodding your way through a book. What remains after you finish reading it is what counts, and few writers can be found whose works are as pervasive and fondly remembered as Emerson's are.

Read one of the greatest minds of his time. It is said that a few from every generation discovers Emerson.

I have been reading and teaching his philosophy for over 20 years. Read it aloud to yourself and allow your self to walk along with one of the greatest spirits we've ever known. I remember reading him in college and not getting it entirely but now I take the time to savor the wisdom on each page. No matter if you are reading in his Essay on Compensation or spiritual laws you will be impressed that he was speaking with equisite intelligence about laws and ideas that the world is only now coming to embrace. ( I hear his words spoken through Louise Hay "You can heal your life" E Tolle, The Secret, Ernest Holmes's Science of Mind and the Filmores of Unity. If you take the time to savor the essay on "History" you will hear a man describe the evolution of conciousness, the awakening of mankind. Sure he wrote during another time and its a little work. Theres so much good here, It is worth ALL the effort. Join a study group and read it aloud.. It is a gift to yourself! Namaste! Rev Greg Hollywood Florida Center for Positive and Spiritual Living

Emerson's works require repetitous reading and re-reading. Anyone that says you can "get it" from a single read doesn't understand the man or the truths he reveals about life and the universe. To call Emerson a transcendentalist is a cliche and the one calling him this doesn't understand that Emerson was about the here and now.

His best works for a truth seeker are Self-Reliance, Compensation and the Over-Soul. I suggest reading Compensation at least every night for three weeks. The world changes once you do.

To put Emerson in the same category as literary writers like those other reviewers have done is an injustice. He definitely deserves reading and he is an American writer, but he's more akin to Lao Tse than any American poet or novelist. They have a moment or two, Emerson is constant.

Opening the book and forcing myself to read its content didn't bring me very far. It seemed to me like a mere preparation for writing a book. Like its title, it promises progress and it even gives some general stimulating insights, but does not provide ways to accompany in the every day conduct of life. (Edited in view of Bodhi's "comment".)

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) is one of America's pre-eminent philosophers. Born into a long line of ministers and preachers, Emerson went to Harvard at the tender age of 14, where he studied to fulfill his destiny and become a minister. Emerson eventually dropped out of this line of work, embarking on a career as a public speaker and serving as the intellectual center of a group called the Transcendentalist Club. This Dover edition contains some of Emerson's best-known essays, specifically "Self-Reliance," as well as his address to the Harvard Divinity School.
Emerson's philosophy, although sometimes painfully explicated upon in his own writings, is best summed up by the word "individualism." To Emerson, it is the individual that should be the fulcrum point in all aspects of life. Emerson then took this philosophy and applied it to a myriad of subjects.
In "History," the first essay in this collection, Emerson attempts to weave his belief in individual expression into the study of historical events. Emerson argues that a reliance on dates, places, and figures is not nearly as important as reaching within oneself to discover the whole of history. This is important because every man contributes to history, and every man can see himself in any history from any part of the world. Emerson also argues that history, as we presently know it and study it, ignores important fundamentals such as metaphysics and nature. What Emerson seems to attempt with this essay is to create a sort of "unified field theory" of history, a history that encompasses every aspect of the human experience, and one in which everyone takes part.
"Self-Reliance," Emerson's masterwork, attempts to explain how man should retain his individualism in the face of society. It is society that stifles the individual, and the trick is to be true to yourself and your conscience. Law should not be, and is not, above the individual. Again, conscience should rule the day. Every man must follow his conscience even if doing so endangers his role in society. This tension between the individual and society Emerson enumerates continues to reverberate to this day.
In his address to the Harvard Divinity School, a real charmer that got Emerson banned from the school for years, he addresses individualism in the context of religion. Emerson, himself a trained minister who eventually resigned his pulpit, urges those about to embark on a career in the clergy to reach inside themselves when preaching. Don't rely on the same old tired formulas everyone else relies on, Emerson says, but see what the holy word means to you and then express what you find to your flock in your own way. It's easy to imagine what people who believe that religion is about rote memorization and rituals eons old thought about this speech. They hated it, and hated Emerson for delivering it to the young people in the audience.
Several other essays round out the collection, all of them utilizing Emerson's keen sense of the power of the individual. That Emerson is still in print today while some of his contemporaries are not is proof enough of the power and influence of his thought. Whether you agree with his arguments or not (and there is much here to disagree with), there is no denying that he has been enormously influential to American thinkers of his time and those who have come after him.

This book has a collection of some of Emerson's best essays including "Self-Reliance" which is probably his most popular work. The underlying theme of all of them is essentially the same: "individuality." He advocated trusting and following one's own instincts and thoughts instead of blindly copying the customs and traditions of society. He encouraged people to search for the truth themselves rather than trying to find it in the works of other philosophers and poets. For example, in "Self-Reliance" he wrote, "In every work of genius, we recognize our own rejected thoughts. They come back to us with a certain alienated majesty."

His style can appear a little lofty at times, but he was gifted with the ability to articulate his thoughts extremely well and without equivocation. The fact that he is still widely read and quoted is a testament to the originality of his ideas and expression. I give this book five stars.

Table of Contents: 1836 essay on Nature. The American Scholar (1837) An Address (Harvard Divinity School) 1838. The Transcendentalist 1843. The Lord's Supper. ESSAYS; FIRST SERIES - HISTORY. SELF-RELIANCE. COMPSENSATION. SPIRITUAL LAWS. LOVE. FRIENDSHIP. PRUDENCE. HEROISM. THE OVER-SOUL. CIRCLES. INTELLECT. ART. *** SECOND SERIES: The Poet. Experience. Character. Manners. Gifts. Nature. Politics. Nominalist and Realist. New England Reformers. Plato; or, The Philosopher. Napoleon; or, the Man of the World. ENGLISH TRAITS . CONDUCT OF LIFE. SOCIETY AND SOLITURE. FARMING. POEMS. EXRA RIPLEY, DD . Emanicipation in the Britich West Indies. The Fugtive Slave Law. John Brown. The Emanicipation Proclamation. Thoreau. Abraham Lincoln. Carlyle. Quite a remarkable collection in this older 1950 edition by Modern Library. (930 pages, blue cover).

You don't have to be a 19th Century New England transcendentalist to appreciate Ralph Waldo Emerson. He didn't prefer that designation either, though credited as the movement's founder. This book was instrumental in steering one 15-year-old to a lifelong appreciation and constant pusuit of classic literature and whatever we can call a distinctively American philosophy. Ummm... that was me, 1978.

Open up Emerson's Essays to any page, and put your finger on any single sentence. You'll have an entire sermon at your fingertip which you can apply--or merely ponder.

--Tom Field

This classic by Lewis Mumford is a poignant, perceptive and polemical critique of modern society in the age of "democratic-capitalism". Mumford's premise is that modern civilization based on democratic-capitalism creates only a "mass man": incapable of choice, incapable of spontaneous, self-directed activities; at best impatient, docile, disciplined to monotonous work to an almost pathetic degree, but increasingly irresponsible as his choices become fewer and fewer; finally modern man is a creature governed mainly by... modern business, the propaganda office and the planing bureaus of totalitarian and quasi-totalitarian governments (which, by definition, include both Marxist-Leninist governments and democratic-capitalist governments). Written years ago, "The Conduct of Life" remains a rational, conclusive and veracious analysis of humanity's place in a capitalist society.

For a buck you can certainly toss this in with whatever else you're ordering this trip. RWE is one of the great articulators of the American mind. For better or worse, here's a distilled vision of what we think. RWE's positive and powerful view of human thought can be uplifting, though some may occasionally experience a desire to snort "Oh, puh-lease!" A great source of pithy quotes and sharp insights, RWE also provides considerable depth if you wade all the way into his works. Everyone should have some collection of Emerson on the shelf, and this collection hits all the high points (though it is not, it should be said, a good choice for those suffering from chronic eyestrain).

Walden: And Other Writings With Walking
When I read Emerson he puts me in the mind of another great writer Henry David Thoreau. Like Thoreau, Emerson caught the beautiful spirit of American and philosphy of freedom to think and create the life of our dreams

Emerson is a great poet- thinker, the singer of the individual soul in its quest for integrity and autonomy. He is in some sense the protypical American thinker, the one who launches Transcendentalism, and with it Thoreau, Whitman, and in the darker side, Melville, and Hawthorne. He also is the extension of a long development in American religious thought from the intensity of Jonathan Edwards to the water- downed Unitarianism of Emerson himself. Away from the personal God , who enters and controls History to the Impersonal force which runs through the Cosmos.Away from the West, and embracing the East while most highly exemplifying the extension of individual power and right.

Emerson is a difficult, paradoxical and yet often inspirational writer. Reading him or hearing one - hundred and fifty years ago must have been liberating for many. However we live in an age where Individualism and doing one's own thing is the cliche of modern American culture, a culture which at its worst is the culture of Narcissim. There are that is some cultural commentators who see Emerson as the root of all our evils, from family breakdown to moral chaos and religious decline.

Emerson if not in the early essays is however a much more complex and contradictory figure than is readily made out. He had his own great human life- tragedies, losses of those close to him and certainly knew the ' dark night of the soul'. But he does stand at a great American moment, the moment of the American Renaissance, of America about to proclaim itself as the great force of progress and motion in the world. Emerson is singing the soul electric, and the one alone who escaped to tell thee, he is too paradoxically the father of William James Pragmatism, and Henry James' most refined explorations of consciousness.

I do not myself take particular courage or comfort from his ideas ( which again I think are now part of the commonplace mainstream of American mind) but I do value the voice and the thought of the man who walked across the Boston Commons ' glad to the brink of fear.'

Very disappointed. Emerson's timeless essay is given a bizarre and poor treatment by the "Domino Project". Within the book, Emerson's words appear only the right hand pages. On the left hand is a selected quotation, blown up into bold, red ink. Emerson's point is that we should, above all, trust our own judgement, and it is surprising that someone else so prominently displays favorite quotations.

Irrelevant and trite commentary is also interspersed on every page. The contrast between Emerson's words and the additions of the "Domino Project" is stark and detracts from the beauty of Emerson's thoughts. If you enjoy quiet, deep reading you should avoid this edition.

I've loved Emerson since my high school English teacher introduced us and this is one of my favorite essays. That said, I bought the Audible version to listen to on my drive to work. I'm disappointed that the person reading it doesn't have a clue about how to render the elegance of 19th century English prose. This kind of work requires a masculine presence and this reader's voice is wrong, as is his timing and inflection. Disappointed.

It's a pretty sad commentary when only four people have reviewed this particular collection of some of the most important reading that you will ever do. Either that, or it's the most marvelous thing ever, because truly, how can one really review a Holy Book?

Oh, did I touch a nerve with some of you when I mentioned that this is a Holy Book? Did you really think that the only book that was ever supposed to be considered Holy was the Bible? If that's what you thought, you need to really open your eyes and see the beauty and the splendor that comes from living your life "close to the stream" as Emerson would say.

One of my favorite quotes from RWE is, "To the dull mind, all nature is leaden; to the illumined mind, the whole world burns and sparkles with Light." A dull mind is a mind ignorant of its true nature...a dull mind is someone "looking" for God...it's almost akin to the fish looking for water...the person doesn't realize that he's submerged in the Holiness/the Wholeness of the Living Spirit. He doesn't know every time he breathes that God is breathing him into being and because his mind is dull and ignorant, his world seems heavy and thick and devoid of meaning.

Emerson can spark a roaring fire within you but if you read the words as just words you are making a big mistake. You must read in between the words in order to experience the sacred...just like you must do that with all the Holy Books including the Bible because you can know the "letter" but totally miss the "spirit" in which it was written.

Emerson was not much of a writer as much as someone who took straight dictation from the Original Author of Creation. His writings will stir your soul into a frenzy that will make you want to discover the vast realms that lie within at all times.

If you are content with the world, don't read this book. Why rattle the cage? But if there is something within you that feels kind of uneasy and knows there has to be something more, get this book, quiet your mind, open your heart, and let the jewels of wisdom pour forth.

May your whole world begin to burn and sparkle with Light...

Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered by many to be one of America's greatest essayists. He also wrote poetry and the words in these essays read like poetry. It is hard to believe that that these essays were compiled and written down in the mid 1840's. The message that each one delivers is as fresh and real today as it was when Emerson said the words initially. We must remember that Emerson was very much a man of his time. His America was ready for an emphasis on individualism, and that is what he promotes in this essays. That may be why these messages have endured for so long. I found some very profound thoughts written in these essays, and the one that I think that I identified with the most were his essays on Art and on Character. I found myself nodding my head numerous times as I read these beautiful words. I certainly recommend that thee essays be read; if for no other reason than for the very beautiful usage of words.

Emerson is definitely one of my favorite thinkers and writers. This book is a perfect, succinct example why. He has the ability to communicate wisdom poetically, and with biting wit and seriousness. This book is reference material, to be enjoyed and reminded of early and often.

I got a copy of those two series, Essays First Series, and Second Series. These books have been formatted impressively with a clean readable font. I love these two copies just because they are filled with wisdom, and knowledge from early 19 century of Ralph Waldo Emerson's amazing works. I highly recommend you buy a copy of these two books which are published by "DIAMOND BOOKS / DIAMOND PUBLISHERS". Trust me, you all love the quality of their work.

On the store, search using keywords: " Ralph Waldo Emerson Essays Diamond Publishers "

Emerson may well be the greatest man of letters America has yet produced. His vision of human nature and man's place in the universe contains as much truth today as when it was written. This selection is a solid representation of his thought and writings and can be read again and again for pleasure and for profit. Emerson is one of those rare lights that every thinking person should be exposed to. Read this or buy it for a student that you really care about.

If a book is ever going to whack you upside the head, this will be the one. I used to think of Emerson and Thoreau interchangeably, as if they were merely conduits of the same fluid. I had already read and enjoyed Thoreau, but Thoreau hadn't changed my life the way I hoped he might. He pointed me into the woods, which I really appreciate, but he didn't pick me up by the lapels and communicate with me. So it took me a while for me to get to Emerson. After all, I had already read Thoreau.
Man, what a shame.
Reading Emerson is like meditating on the wind that whistles through the reeds of a universal lake. He creates an existential sanctuary for the seekers among us, a place where we can strip down to our barest questions and be at peace with not knowing their answers. Emerson strokes our "need to become" like a kind father who understands the hurt but cannot make it disappear. His universal truths of the heart do as much to soothe as to educate. Emerson thought for himself at a time when it was literally dangerous to do so. He excavated his heart, mind, soul, and body for nuggets of wisdom and offered them freely to anyone brave enough to partake.
The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson is a book of vision. We could do well to wallpaper our home with Emerson's quotes and use them as stepping stones in our own life's journey. Emerson has instituted a category of human aspiration that I will call existential, transcendental individualism. His is a rebellious spirit. Not rebellious in the sense that a teenager is rebellious, being unconsciously contrary to any matter of public opinion, but rebellious in a more directed fashion. Emerson looked out and saw a societal charade that seemed to hinder our human potential. Emerson rebelled against the fear and dogma that have always run the masses in favor of a more honest religion, one that allows the spirit of God to "enter by a private door into every individual" (p. 194). Emerson awoke in me a latent skill for independent thinking, a method of dialog that encourages me to question and think even as I find God in every moment. I received from this book everything I had hoped to receive from Thoreau... the Bible... and my endless quest for direction through literature. I discovered that if ever I was going to be an "-ist," I would be an existentialist.
Quotes.Yes, we need quotes. Here is a handful of the countless passages that I underlined in my own copy of the book. I will not introduce these quotes because Emerson can write for himself. Man, can he write for himself...
A mind might ponder its thought for ages, and not gain so much self-knowledge as the passion of love shall teach it in a day.
No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. To be great is to be misunderstood.
It is only as a man puts off all foreign support, and stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail.
No man had ever a defect that was not somewhere made useful to him.
The fact that I am here certainly shows me that the soul had need of an organ here. Shall I not assume the post?
To stand in true relations with men in a false age is worth a fit of insanity, is it not?
We must be our own, before we can be another's.
The essence of greatness is the perception that virtue is enough.
That which we are, we shall teach, not voluntarily, but involuntarily.
God enters by a private door into every individual.
The angels are so enamored of the language that is spoken in heaven that they will not distort their lips with the hissing and unmusical dialects of men, but speak their own, whether there any who understand it or not.
Emerson was rebuked by clergymen who felt threatened by his air of self-reliance. A once-ordained Unitarian minister, Emerson left his pastorate due to doctrinal disputes. This Emerson fellow was actually applying himself to the principles on which the Church convened, not merely going through the motions with the rest of them. Such a man was dangerous. Just as Jesus was dangerous. A man like Emerson might upset the political order,perhaps even ruin the whole tithe racquet. Today Emerson is sometimes rebuked by those who are offended by his "sexist language." Emerson wrote at a time when it was common to use the universal masculine "he," "his," and "him." And again his wisdom is lost on those who cannot see past their political hang-ups. If we can get beyond our egos, however, we'll see that Emerson has as much to offer the literate community as any scholar, pastor,or messiah in history. And he doesn't hide his message in the space between the lines of a story; he shares his message with the same open, honest spirit that bleeds from every page of this book.

I go about the process of reading with a pencil or a pen, underlining now and then when I'm struck by something. Opening this very generous volume of Emerson's writings, I found myself underlining every sentence, every word, so that by the second or third page, I just gave up and made a mental note from then on to consider everything in the book as being underlined. Whoever you are and wherever you are (yes, even if you're from the South, as Emerson could display a decidedly anti-Southern slant), you're sure to find something in his work--many things probably--that will stay with you indefinitely. The Emerson of "Self-Reliance"--genius as he is--is trying to alert each of us to our own genius. It is the ultimate "self-help" book. "A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages." If this seems somewhat contradictory coming from Emerson, you need only read a few pages further and Emerson will set you straight on contrariety.
Along with all these wonderful essays and lectures, this 1,300-page Library of America hardbound edition also has his astonishing book "The Conduct of Life" and assorted uncollected prose. Emerson also left behind a lifetime's worth of journals, which I've heard are equally great, and I very much look forward to poring over them in the future.

If ever there was a man fit to work a suicide hotline, it is Ralph Waldo Emerson. If ever an author is to have a positive effect on one's life, this man is certainly the foremost candidate. Emerson's essays radiate optimism and preach self-confidence; his works contain some of the best lessons one could ever hope to learn and, at the same time, are some of the greatest pieces of literature ever written. Like Tombstone's Doc Holiday, every sentence Emerson offers is quotable. Make no mistake, though, Emerson's words are of a completely different brand than those echoing quotes that decorate hollow speeches; an Emerson quote has meat. In every sentence one can find his complete philosophy, much like, as he writes in The Over-Soul, "One blood rolls uninterruptedly, an endless circulation through all." One's memory of Emerson's entire teachings can be refreshed in a single phrase, but one can never see the genius in his writing without having grasped it in the first place. That is precisely why I would consider offering a Cliff's Notes-type summary of any of Emerson's works one of the gravest literary crimes. Apart from the impossibility of the task, any so-called shortcut would rob the reader of those self-revelations - which are the essence of the Emerson experience - that can only be reached by trudging alone through the depths of the material. The reading is challenging. Each sentence takes on a different meaning upon re-examinations, be they consecutive or periodic. In the first reading, one may be struck by a certain passage's theme or imagery. Upon reading over it seconds later, one may discover a subtle metaphor, and a third reading my suggest another, even-deeper meaning, all of which may be replaced by the impressions of a fourth glance some two or three weeks later. The material is timeless, accommodating the evolving individual as well as the ever-changing human race. We must be careful, though, not to be lulled into the cult-mentality of using Emerson's writings as an instruction manual for our own lives. To do so would be to undermine his entire message. The fruit of the Emerson experience is gaining the self-trust, or Self-Reliance, necessary to follow our own hearts, make our own decisions, and say, with confidence, "Hey, I know what I'm doing."

I love the first two Domino Project books; I mean LOVE. This one is a waste of time and money. Emerson is an artifact from a prior time. Some of his thoughts are timeless but their presentation is not. Domino has made a valiant effort but it is insufficient to make it useful for modern appetities.

Read this book.

Then, read it again.

I've met a lot of people who have given Self-Reliance a chance, only to set it aside because of the older style of writing. Don't be one of these people.

"If our young men miscarry in their first enterprises, they lose all heart. If the young merchant fails, men say he is ruined. If the finest genius studies at one of our colleges, and is not installed in an office within one year afterwards in the cities or suburbs of Boston or New York, it seems to his friends and to himself that he is right in being disheartened, and in complaining the rest of his life. A sturdy lad from New Hampshire or Vermont, who in turn tries all the professions, who teams it, farms it, peddles, keeps a school, preaches, edits a newspaper, goes to Congress, buys a township, and so forth, in successive years, and always, like a cat, falls on his feet, is worth a hundred of these city dolls. He walks abreast with his days, and feels no shame in not `studying a profession,' for he does not postpone his life, but lives already. He has not one chance, but a hundred chances."

How great is this, right? Well, it gets better, but you need to read the book.

I have been a devotee of Ralph Waldo Emerson's writing all of my adult life. I've read "Self Reliance" countless times over the past three decades and it never fails to inspire.

But why would I or anyone else want to buy a new version of this classic work that was originally written in the 1800's? Because Seth Godin and his Domino Project visionaries have elevated Emerson's original words by including the perspectives of 21st Century achievers/thinkers and highlighted the turn of each page with a key passage from the text.

The layout of this new book is elegant, engaging and user-friendly. This format breathes new life into Emerson's manifesto, which I never imagined could be improved upon. Much to my surprise and delight, the publishers have managed to present "Self Reliance" in a way that illuminates Emerson's profound thoughts in an ultra-modern style.

This version of "Self Reliance" takes Emerson's timeless wisdom and amplifies it for our time.

I highly recommend it.

Emerson and Thoreau are THE two greatest writers regarding transcendentalism in American Literature. Emerson is a genius according to his own definition and the ideas he presents are truly part of what it means to be an American. He preaches to us about self-reliance, basically saying that if we want to make it, if we want to be geniuses in our own niche, if we want to succeed, it needs to come from inside of us. It cannot be from anyone else. These traits define the American. The American is self-reliant. He succeeds on his own. He builds his own dream, and despite impossible odds, succeeds. It is no coincidence that the most stories of rags to riches, 1 week millionaires, and overnight successes are of Americans. The language he uses is beautiful, and simply stated (yet complex in the number of ideas expressed in each word). For these reasons, some people may find it a hard read. I had to read it two or three times myself. But I assure you, the knowledge gained from this book is worth it, and truly gives one deep insight into the power of the self. Therefore, I give this book 5 stars. Emerson paints such a vivid picture of an American trait, that this book has already become an American classic, and thus I believe it should be made an essential component of every American Library.

please split reviews into content and format. horrible. fluff at front. plus can get self reliance in 1141 page compilation with good toc. for same price. wonder how the store selects specials....

Wow. Even worse when it's not a daily special. $5.99 for 80-something padded pages? No.

For the soul searching for fresh air, the ideas and information presented to the reader in this book are truly refreshing, as the essays and other writings offered in this book are truly extraordinary and have been abandoned in today's educational system. Emerson emphasizes the individual's place in the universe rather than the servile role offered by contemporary society's pump em out produce isle. Also, If the reader of this reveiw is interested in finding transcendental answers about the universe through direct experience seek out titles by an author of the name Samael Aun Weor. In his titles, he instruction for the development of one's soul is limitless and will afford the opportunity to explore the dimensions of the universe ignored by many.

I can hundred percent sure Emerson's essays will be venerable as Shakespare's works someday,he changed my predujice of English,which I thought English has no quality as French or Russian,those had depth of thinking that English cannot instead of.Now I recently contacted Emerson's poetics ,also fall in love with those lyric prose,they really touched my heart,those are not kind of verbose,oppositely with philosophy of his unique stance.Nothing can prove its well inspirations,except read it.So,just start your reading right now.

This book is the complete essays and lectures of ralph waldo emerson. It contains everything you could want from emerson, save his journals. His writing is beauty in it's truest form. What he speaks is what you have forever felt to be true. When he warns against self-distrust in self-reliance you feel that he is not only speaking to you, but speaking for you. Reading this book is not only seeing what he has written, but is a demonstration of what he has written. When he writes in "self-reliance" of the reoccuring situation where people have to take their truth from another, the medium becomes the message. Emerson's work as presented in this volume has been under rated by philisophical circles for years. Here you will see that not only is he a great essayist, but that (while unconventional)he is a great philosopher.

It would be against the very spirit of Ralph Waldo himself to pay money for a text in the public domain.
Just do a search on Project Gutenberg or Google Books for "Ralph Waldo Emerson -Essays" or "Self-Reliance".

Ralph Waldo Emerson was and is by far one of the most brilliant writers of American Literature. His writings are his collection of thoughts...both wise, and complicated. As if he is writing his deep most private thoughts into a diary meant to be read. You read his essays and lectures, and just feel as if you have just been exposed to something different in your life.

However, don't just take my word for it. After all, I am only sixteen years old. But this book is brilliant.

If I could create my ideal afterlife or heaven, I would wish to be forever cradled in the gentle arms and soothing prose of Emerson. Who needs prozac or any psychiatry for that matter when we have access to such beautiful writing?

a copy of this book has traveled with me in my car for the past few years. gave it to everyone for christmas this year- and at less than 4 bucks a book, its the best deal around
full of pure inspiration. enjoy!

Somehow I missed reading Emerson in my education and thankfully it was required reading in a class at my church. What a brilliant thinker! A true champion of personal sovereignty, Emerson is now my favourite author, ever.

These days, celebrity authors earn thousands of dollars for a speech, but back in the 1880s, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the first American author known to receive payment for delivering a talk, was paid $5 and oats for his horse.

I hate most books written more than 50 years ago. Not that their content isn't worthy of my time, but the writing style is so ridiculously different that my brain has serious difficulties in translating such prose.

And then I saw that axe. What can't you do with an axe? You can defend yourself, chop wood for shelter or fire, kill an animal (okay, I can't, but I bet real hunters could), skin that animal and use it as a cane. You can rely on that axe.

And we can all rely on ourselves. Not just for our daily fortunes, but our motivation, inspiration, hopes and dreams. We need to be selfish in these endeavors, as we can only help others whence (not sure if that's a word) we ourselves are whole.

I liked the book, but it's not an easy read. The layout, while visually stunning, was tough to handle at first, but I'm glad it was laid out this way. The text needed breaking up and nothing besides his words would do it justice.

When Ralph Waldo Emerson pulled together his notes for Self-Reliance from meetups where he'd social networked with other thought leaders his time, the only things digital were at the ends of people's arms. Instead, he was trying to fill a gap in the public discourse, get a message out in the preferred media of the time that people then and now need to hear: conformity for the sake of conformity is quicksand for the soul. Being a nonconformist is more than an attitude, it's a perspective.

Hats off to Seth Godin and company for bringing this classic back to life, and adding insights from thinkers and doers today.

Somehow I missed reading Emerson in my education and thankfully it was required reading in a class at my church. What a brilliant thinker! A true champion of personal sovereignty, Emerson is now my favourite author, ever.

These days, celebrity authors earn thousands of dollars for a speech, but back in the 1880s, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the first American author known to receive payment for delivering a talk, was paid $5 and oats for his horse.

I hate most books written more than 50 years ago. Not that their content isn't worthy of my time, but the writing style is so ridiculously different that my brain has serious difficulties in translating such prose.

And then I saw that axe. What can't you do with an axe? You can defend yourself, chop wood for shelter or fire, kill an animal (okay, I can't, but I bet real hunters could), skin that animal and use it as a cane. You can rely on that axe.

And we can all rely on ourselves. Not just for our daily fortunes, but our motivation, inspiration, hopes and dreams. We need to be selfish in these endeavors, as we can only help others whence (not sure if that's a word) we ourselves are whole.

I liked the book, but it's not an easy read. The layout, while visually stunning, was tough to handle at first, but I'm glad it was laid out this way. The text needed breaking up and nothing besides his words would do it justice.

These days, celebrity authors earn thousands of dollars for a speech, but back in the 1880s, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the first American author known to receive payment for delivering a talk, was paid $5 and oats for his horse.

So now it's open season on public domain classics? The Domino Project feels it can take anything it doesn't own, slap something on it and rebrand it? And we're supposed to sit back and call it some kind of publishing revolution? Or is it simply a literary hijacking, all wrapped up in shiny, contemporary emptiness? Something simple, somthing good has been tarnished by Mr Godin's appropriation of words far wiser than anything he has yet penned. I hope this "Project" ends here, but I fear the worst.

Not his best book,I Thought Waldo Lost in New York is more authoritive. I mean who honestly belives that someone who is always lost can be trusted to help other people become self reliant, when he can't even rely on himself.

This book was a waste of my time. Not anywhere in his bumbling incoherence did Waldo come up with a single cognitive thought! The shame he has brought upon American society is very disturbing. I mean, his name is WALDO. You know? As in, where's Waldo? Obviously he's very lost. Stay away!

also because it does not fit correctly its a bitch to get off. my friends and i almost snapped my laptop screen trying to get it off. i wanted a case to protect my computer and all ive gotten is more damage to it.