The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson

<b>Introduction by Mary Oliver</b><br> <b>Commentary by Henry James Robert Frost Matthew Arnold Oliver Wendell Holmes and Henry David Thoreau</b><br> &#160;<br> The definitive collection of Emerson&#146;s major speeches essays and poetry <i>The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson</i> chronicles the life&#146;s work of a true &#147;American Scholar.&#148; As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual emphasized independent thought and prized &#147;the splendid labyrinth of one&#146;s own perceptions.&#148; More than any writer of his time he forged a style distinct from his European predecessors and embodied and defined what it meant to be an American. Matthew Arnold called Emerson&#146;s essays &#147;the most important work done in prose.&#148;<br> &#160;<br> INCLUDES A MODERN LIBRARY READING GROUP GUIDE