Essays: First and Second Series (Library of America) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Douglas Crase (Introduction)

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Product Description

Our most eloquent champion of individualism, Emerson acknowledges at the same time the countervailing pressures of society in American life. Even as he extols what he called "the great and crescive self," he dramatizes and records its vicissitudes. Here is a collection of his classic essays, including the exhortation to "Self-Reliance" and the embattled realizations of "Circles" and "Experience." Here, too, are his wide-ranging discourses on history, art, politics, nature, friendship, love, and much more.

For the first time, the authoritative editions of works by major American novelists, poets, scholars, and essayists collected in the hardcover volumes of The Library of America are being published singly in a series of handsome and durable paperback books. A distinguished author has contributed an introduction for each volume, which also includes a detailed chronology of the author's life and career, an essay on the choice of the text, and notes.

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Our most eloquent champion of individualism, Emerson acknowledges at the same time the countervailing pressures of society in American life. Even as he extols what he called "the great and crescive self," he dramatizes and records its vicissitudes. Here is a collection of his classic essays, including the exhortation to "Self-Reliance" and the embattled realizations of "Circles" and "Experience." Here, too, are his wide-ranging discourses on history, art, politics, nature, friendship, love, and much more.

For the first time, the authoritative editions of works by major American novelists, poets, scholars, and essayists collected in the hardcover volumes of The Library of America are being published singly in a series of handsome and durable paperback books. A distinguished author has contributed an introduction for each volume, which also includes a detailed chronology of the author's life and career, an essay on the choice of the text, and notes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 19, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679726128
• ISBN-13: 978-0679726128
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,570,666 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mighty thoughts that can shake your life!, July 16, 1998

By	Rolando Beirão (Santos, SP - BRAZIL) - See all my reviews

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!!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure BUTTER..., November 27, 2001

By	"_bits_" (Australia) - See all my reviews

I accidentally found this book in my university library in Australia while I was looking for Thoreau's "Walden". One glance at the Contents page had me hooked, and I can tell you that this has to be one of the most insightful and powerful books ever written. Whether you believe in Christianity, Buddhism, or the Force, this is a must for anyone's personal spiritual canon. The man was a Jedi, and the book is total butter.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophetic!, December 5, 2001

By	Patrick Dougherty (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Emerson's Essays:First and Second Series (Hardcover)

Emerson's essays are prophetic. Like peeling an onion; every time you read them, you understand life, the human race, and yourself, at a deeper level.