COLLECTED WORKS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Cover: Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume IV: Representative Men in HARDCOVER

Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume IV: Representative Men

Product Details

HARDCOVER

$130.00 • £113.95 • €118.95

ISBN 9780674139916

Publication Date: 09/11/1987

Short

501 pages

6-1/8 x 9-1/4 inches

4 halftones, 1 line illustration, 3 tables

Belknap Press

Ralph Waldo Emerson > Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson

World

Add to Cart

Media Requests:

Related Subjects

In 1845, Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a series of lectures entitled “Uses of Great Men”; “Plato, or the Philosopher”; “Swedenborg, or the Mystic”; “Montaigne, or the Skeptic”; “Shakespeare, or the Poet”; “Napoleon, or the Man of the World”; and “Goethe, or the Writer.” Emerson’s approach to his great men stands in interesting contrast to that of his friend Carlyle in his Heroes and Hero Worship of 1841.

Although by 1845 Emerson had been lecturing for over ten years, Representative Men, published in 1850, was the first of his works to consist of his lectures as delivered, with only minimal revision and expansion. The book retains the immediacy of the spoken word, and the freedom and daring inspired by a live audience.

This critical edition is based on Emerson’s holograph manuscript, which served as printer’s copy for the first American edition, collated with subsequent editions and with Emerson’s own corrections. The historical introduction relates the book to Emerson’s life and times and discusses its literary origins, composition, and contemporary reception. A textual introduction and apparatus have been provided by the textual editor, and there are full informational notes. The volume has been awarded the seal of the Center for Scholarly Editions.

Joseph Slater, General Editor
Douglas Emory Wilson, Textual Editor

Recent News

Black lives matter. Black voices matter. A statement from HUP »

From Our Blog

Photograph of the book Fearless Women against red/white striped background

A Conversation with Elizabeth Cobbs about Fearless Women

For Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the work of Elizabeth Cobbs, whose new book Fearless Women shows how the movement for women’s rights has been deeply entwined with the history of the United States since its founding. Cobbs traces the lives of pathbreaking women who, inspired by American ideals, fought for the cause in their own ways