Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays and Lectures, LOA 1983

📖 Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays and Lectures by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983, Library of America) — the definitive one-volume collection of the most influential works of the American Transcendentalist movement, from the landmark essay Nature to the enduring call for intellectual independence in Self-Reliance. This second printing is in Near Fine condition with a Very Good slipcase.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
• Publisher: Literary Classics of the United States / Library of America, New York
• Year: 1983 (Second Printing)
• Format: Hardcover in slipcase (no dust jacket, as issued)
• Pages: 1,150 | ISBN: 0-940450-15-1
• Editors: Robert E. Spiller and Alfred R. Ferguson
• Notes and Text Selection: Joel Porte
• Condition: Book Near Fine/Fine, Slipcase Very Good — full report below

THE COLLECTION

This Library of America volume (LOA #15) gathers Emerson’s essential writings in a single authoritative edition. The texts have been edited to the highest scholarly standards by Robert E. Spiller and Alfred R. Ferguson, with notes and text selection by noted Emerson scholar Joel Porte. Published in 1983, this second printing features the classic Library of America binding: dark green cloth with gold-stamped spine lettering, Smyth-sewn binding on acid-free paper, and a cream paper-covered slipcase. At 1,150 pages, it is among the most comprehensive single-volume Emerson collections ever published.

CONTENTS

Nature; Addresses, and Lectures
Nature (Introduction, Nature, Commodity, Beauty, Language, Discipline, Idealism, Spirit, Prospects) — The American Scholar — Divinity College Address — Literary Ethics — The Method of Nature — Man the Reformer — Introductory Lecture on the Times — The Conservative — The Transcendentalist — The Young American

Essays: First Series
History, Self-Reliance, Compensation, Spiritual Laws, Love, Friendship, Prudence, Heroism, The Over-Soul, Circles, Intellect, Art

Essays: Second Series
The Poet, Experience, Character, Manners, Gifts, Nature, Politics, Nominalist and Realist, New England Reformers

Representative Men
Uses of Great Men, Plato, Swedenborg, Montaigne, Shakespeare, Napoleon, Goethe

English Traits
First Visit to England, Voyage to England, Land, Race, Ability, Manners, Truth, Character, Cockayne, Wealth, Aristocracy, Universities, Religion, Literature, The Times, Stonehenge, Personal, Result, Speech at Manchester

The Conduct of Life
Fate, Power, Wealth, Culture, Behavior, Worship, Considerations by the Way, Beauty, Illusions

THIS EDITION

The Library of America was founded in 1979 to publish authoritative editions of America’s best and most significant writing. The Emerson volume (LOA #15) was one of the earliest releases in the series and set the standard for the distinctive dark green cloth bindings and cream slipcases that define the collection. This second printing is from 1983, the same year as the first — suggesting strong initial demand for the volume. The text block is bright white with no foxing or toning, and the gold spine lettering remains sharp and unfaded.

DESIGN AND BINDING

Bound in dark green cloth with bright gold-stamped lettering on the spine — the author name EMERSON in large caps above the title in italic — and the Library of America open-book colophon at the tail. The endpapers feature a repeating open-book pattern in white on the dark green cloth. The cream paper-covered slipcase bears the Library of America colophon in dark ink with gold border lines on the front panel. The binding is Smyth-sewn (opens flat), and the acid-free paper stock is crisp and bright throughout. This volume has the clean, unread look of a book that was shelved and rarely handled.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Definitive edition: The Library of America’s Emerson volume is the standard scholarly text, containing the complete essays and lectures in their authorized versions with extensive notes by Joel Porte
• Foundational American thought: Emerson’s Self-Reliance, The American Scholar, and Nature are cornerstone texts of American intellectual history, influencing Thoreau, Whitman, and generations of writers and thinkers
• Collector appeal: Early Library of America volumes (especially second printings in the 1980s) are increasingly sought by collectors of American literary editions for their quality construction and enduring design
• Comprehensive scope: At 1,150 pages, this single volume contains everything the general reader and scholar needs — from Emerson’s first publication Nature (1836) through The Conduct of Life (1860)

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? This is the Library of America edition (LOA #15), second printing, published in 1983. The texts were edited by Robert E. Spiller and Alfred R. Ferguson, with notes by Joel Porte.

What condition is it in? The book is Near Fine to Fine — appears unread, with clean pages, tight binding, and bright gold spine lettering. The slipcase is Very Good with minor shelving wear and some light discoloration typical of the cream paper covering. See full condition report below.

Does it have a dust jacket? No — Library of America volumes of this era were issued in slipcases without dust jackets. The slipcase is included.

What’s included in this volume? Nature; Addresses, and Lectures — Essays: First and Second Series — Representative Men — English Traits — The Conduct of Life, with full scholarly apparatus.

FOR COLLECTORS

This is a particularly well-preserved example of an early Library of America release. The second printing from the inaugural 1983 press run is identical in content to the first — same year, same binding, same slipcase design — and the Near Fine/Fine condition of the book itself, with no foxing, no toning, and a binding that appears never to have been fully opened, makes this an excellent candidate for anyone building a Library of America collection or seeking a durable reading copy of Emerson’s essential works.

#### **Book Details**
* Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson
* Illustrator: None
* Publisher: The Library of America (Literary Classics of the United States, Inc.)
* Binding: Hardcover
* Edition Points: Second printing, copyright 1983. Issued in a slipcase without a dust jacket. ISBN: 0-940450-15-1.

#### **Condition Report**
* Overall Grade: Book: Near Fine/Fine (appears to be "as new"/unread) / Slipcase: Very Good (VG)
* Cover & Spine: The dark green cloth boards are clean with sharp corners. The spine features bright gold lettering with no fading or wear.
* Dust Jacket: None (as issued in slipcase).
* Text Block & Pages: The pages are clean, uniform, bright white.
* Binding: The binding is tight, square, and appears unread.
* Slipcase: The cream paper-covered slipcase shows minor shelving wear.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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