Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the preeminent figures of American literature. The leading expositor of the transcendentalist movement, he helped shape modern American philosophy and religion, and his legacy continued through Thoreau, Melville, Whitman, and Dickinson. Here is a broad view of Emerson's greatest work, featuring a considerable amount of material from his journals, including an entry discovered in 1964 in the Library of Congress. The writings range from realistic descriptions of daily life to superbly polished meditations on human purpose and destiny, from sharply etched biographical studies to soaring, lyrical philosophic flights. Shaped by a passionate belief in individual freedom and a deep humility before the immensity of nature, they reflect a life and a spirit whose independence and integrity speak out with resounding significance to the contemporary world.