The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Modern Library) (Hardcover)

by Ralph Waldo Emerson (Author), Brooks Atkinson (Editor) "January 25, 1820. Mixing with the thousand pursuits & passions & objects of the world as personified by Imagination is profitable & entertaining..." (more)
Key Phrases: journals and letters, New York, New England, Holy Ghost (more...)

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Product Description
"Standing on the bare ground--my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space--all mean egotism vanishes," Emerson wrote in Nature, his statement of the principles of transcendentalism. "I become a transparent eyeball." Nature, published in 1836 when Emerson was thirty-three, is collected here with his book of observations on the English people; a famous sermon against administering communion in church; a sketch of his step-grandfather; the eulogy he delivered at the funeral of his Concord friend and neighbor Henry David Thoreau; twenty-three poems; and addresses, lectures, and essays on such subjects as slavery, self-reliance, and organized Christianity's obsession with the person of Jesus. Emerson called transcendentalism another word for idealism--"a hypothesis to account for nature by other principles than those of carpentry and chemistry." Considered intensely radical at a time when materialism and a rigid form of Christianity were ascendant, he urged Americans to "enjoy an original relation to the universe." These selections span Emerson's career as author and traveling lecturer, and chart his evolving thought: the concepts of the "oversoul", individualism without egotism, and antimaterialism; a belief in intuition, independence, and "the splendid labyrinth of one's own perceptions."

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"Standing on the bare ground--my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space--all mean egotism vanishes," Emerson wrote in Nature, his statement of the principles of transcendentalism.  "I become a transparent eyeball."  Nature, published in 1836 when Emerson was thirty-three, is collected here with his book of observations on the English people; a famous sermon against administering communion in church; a sketch of his step-grandfather; the eulogy he delivered at the funeral of his Concord friend and neighbor Henry David Thoreau; twenty-three poems; and addresses, lectures, and essays on such subjects as slavery, self-reliance, and organized Christianity's obsession with the person of Jesus.  Emerson called transcendentalism another word for idealism--"a hypothesis to account for nature by other principles than those of carpentry and chemistry."  Considered intensely radical at a time when materialism and a rigid form of Christianity were ascendant, he urged Americans to "enjoy an original relation to the universe."  These selections span Emerson's career as author and traveling lecturer, and chart his evolving thought:  the concepts of the "oversoul", individualism without egotism, and antimaterialism; a belief in intuition, independence, and "the splendid labyrinth of one's own perceptions."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 864 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (September 5, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679600183
• ISBN-13: 978-0679600183
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,028,758 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discusses principles of life, living and our nature., January 31, 1999

By A Customer

Emerson is quoted as often as any other writer or speaker. Not becausea few lines here and there are profound. Rather because he understands more about human beings and life. He is thought provoking and so deep its a joy to read the same essay several times. If people take the time to read it they will understand many things about life they can't get other places.I find it interesting we live in a period of time where civilization is far more advanced yet it appears Emerson knew many things society still doesn't get. There have probably only been a handfull of what people call Masters of life. Those people who had few equals. Without question Emerson is one of these people.If you haven't read the essay Compensation you are missing a very important classic which will speak to you like it was written today.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Wisdom, November 29, 2003

By	R. J. Marsella (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Emerson: Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Signet classics) (Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discover the Mysteries of the Universe., January 16, 2006

By	Adam C. Whitehurst "Seeker of Truth." (FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

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.