This edition gathers all the major works of Emerson, whose inspiring, exuberant philosophical voice defined the American grain. nIntroduction by Mary Oliver n Commentary by Henry James, Robert Frost, Matthew Arnold, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Henry David Thoreau n The definitive collection of Emersons major speeches, essays, and poetry, The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson chronicles the lifes work of a true American Scholar. As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement, Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual, emphasized independent thought, and prized the splendid labyrinth of ones own perceptions. 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 Emersons essays the most important work done in prose. n n INCLUDES A MODERN LIBRARY READING GROUP GUIDEn