In his 1837 speech The American Scholar, Ralph Waldo Emerson noted life is our dictionary, encapsulating a life and body of work that reached well beyond the American nineteenth century. This comprehensive study explores Emerson as a preacher, poet, philosopher, lecturer, essayist and editor. It contains nearly 100 entries on individual texts and their personal, historical and literary contexts. Emerson’s work is placed within his relationships with family members, fellow Transcendentalists and transatlantic friends, and his commitment to ethics, self-culture and social change.

Sourcing extensively from Emerson’s oeuvre, this work provides the fullest possible exploration of his voice and its representation of his personal philosophy. Far ahead of his own time, Emerson enthusiastically challenged institutions, communities, friendships, history, individuality and contemporaneous approaches to environmental stewardship.