Book 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 are all the indispensable and most renowned works, including “The American…
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Why read it?
1 author picked Emerson as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Ralph Waldo Emerson is recalled as one of the great essayists and speakers of the nineteenth century.
In a time of extraordinary change, Emerson helped forge a universal voice through the prism of the emerging American experience. Emerson ultimately conjured a unique, unmistakable American narrative.
This renders his work timeless. His essays—such as “Self-Reliance”—have been rediscovered by new audiences in the early 21st century.
In another moment of tumult and evolution, Emerson continues to offer actionable inspiration, encouraging everyone to cultivate the courage to experience life and work as a great adventure.
From James' list on approaching life and work as an artist.
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My grandfather, Earl Clement Davis (1876-1953) was a Unitarian minister from 1905-1953. Born a year after he died, I never knew him. But I inherited a trunk of his manuscripts. Growing up without any religion, I was surprised to discover in these century-old writings a compelling approach to religion, one…
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