BeautyBooksElectronicsHome & KitchenSports & OutdoorsIndustrial & ScientificToys & Games
Deliver toUnited Arab Emirates
Nature and Selected Essays: Ralph Waldo Emerson (Penguin Classics)

Description:

Through his writing and his own personal philosophy, Ralph Waldo Emerson unburdened his young country of Europe's traditional sense of history and showed Americans how to be creators of their own circumstances. His mandate, which called for harmony with, rather than domestication of, nature, and for a reliance on individual integrity, rather than on materialistic institutions, is echoed in many of the great American philosophical and literary works of his time and ours, and has given an impetus to modern political and social activism.
Larzer Ziff's introduction to this collection of fifteen of Emerson's most significant writings provides the important backdrop to the society in which Emerson lived during his formative years.

Read more

About the Author

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the son of a Unitarian minister and a chaplain during the American Revolution, was born in 1803 in Boston. He attended the Boston Latin School, and in 1817 entered Harvard, graduating in 1820. Emerson supported himself as a schoolteacher from 1821-26. In 1826 he was "approbated to preach," and in 1829 became pastor of the Scond Church (Unitarian) in Boston. That same year he married Ellen Louise Tucker, who was to die of tuberculosis only seventeen months later. In 1832 Emerson resigned his pastorate and traveled to Eurpe, where he met Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Carlyle. He settled in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1834, where he began a new career as a public lecturer, and married Lydia Jackson a year later. A group that gathered around Emerson in Concord came to be known as "the Concord school," and included Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller. Every year Emerson made a lecture tour; and these lectures were the source of most of his essays. Nature (1836), his first published work, contained the essence of his transcendental philosophy, which views the world of phenomena as a sort of symbol of the inner life and emphasizes individual freedom and self-reliance. Emerson's address to the Phi Beta Kappa society of Harvard (1837) and another address to the graduating class of the Harvard Divinity School (1838) applied his doctrine to the scholar and the clergyman, provoking sharp controversy. An ardent abolitionist, Emerson lectured and wrote widely against slavery from the 1840's through the Civil War. His principal publications include two volumes ofEssays (1841, 1844), Poems (1847), Representative Men (1850), The Conduct of Life (1860), and Society and Solitude (1870). He died of pneumonia in 1882 and was buried in Concord.

Larzer Ziff is a research professor of English at Johns Hopkins University who has written extensively on American literary culture.

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice

K.C. · 1 March 2025

I have 5 stars what's not tonlike

5.0 out of 5 stars A good grounding in this important writer

C.A. · 14 April 2021

This is at the end of a reading spiral which has its routes in Fight Club, Atomic Habits, Thoreau and then here. There is a very relevant message to today's World, with one foot in the authors perceived need for spirituality and meaning. I good, if challenging, read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars

A.C. · 28 December 2016

Gave me much food for thought!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent

J.R. · 6 June 2023

Real good

5.0 out of 5 stars ... as a gift for Secret Santa and the person loved it!

A.C. · 23 April 2017

I bought it as a gift for Secret Santa and the person loved it!

3.0 out of 5 stars Good to combine with On Waldon Pond

C. · 30 December 2017

It's philosophy really of a time and still relevant today. Good to combine with On Waldon Pond.

2.0 out of 5 stars Complex

Q.Y. · 17 August 2011

I have read a few of his books but this was was too difficult to understand, hard work wading through it.

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but hard to understand.

T.Y. · 3 September 2008

This book took me bloody loooonnnnggg time to get through as it was so tough trying to understand the 19th C US English and Emerson's poetic style. But once you get to understand his work, you do appreciate his insights. There are some things I don't totally agree with (his worship of nature is unreal. I love nature and all but can't see where all the love up comes from being a city lad). I think I am going to see if I can get some commentary book on it as I don't think I fully understand it still. Oh, the penguin version is a really really physically lush book.

A good intro to Emerson

C. · 29 January 2021

This book required patience and a dictionary on hand while reading. Which is not a bad thing if you can stick with it. Emerson has some amazing truths to share, he uses a poetic and eloquent style of writing hence the need for patience. Take time to chew on what he’s saying and meditate on it to get the most out of it. He had some revolutionary ideas that are timeless even though they were written over 100 years ago.If you’d like an intro to Transcendentalism and are curious about the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson then I definitely suggest checking this out! It includes the famous “Nature” essay as well as “The American Scholar”, “Man the Reformer”, “History”, “Self Reliance”, “The Oversoul”, “Circles”, “The Transcendentalist”, “The Poet”, “Experience”, “Montaigne”, “Napoleon”, “Fate”, and “Thoreau”.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐A portable manifesto of wonder and will—uneven in places, inexhaustible in rewards.

Y. · 28 August 2025

1) Short Verdict 🌲💡A compact gateway to American Transcendentalism: lyrical, aphoristic, and quietly radical in its defense of self-reliance, intuition, and the divine in nature. Slim pages, big afterglow.2) Literary Analysis (Themes, Form, Style) 🔎Themes: 🌿 Nature as living symbol of spirit · 🧭 Individual conscience vs. conformity · 🌀 Perception, flux, and the “Over-Soul” · 🏛️ Scholar’s duty to originality.Form: A suite anchored by “Nature” (1836) and key essays like “Self-Reliance,” “The American Scholar,” “The Over-Soul,” “Circles,” “Experience,” “The Poet.” They converse with—sometimes correct—one another (the later “Experience” darkens the early optimism).Style: Sermonic yet spry; crystalline aphorisms, metaphor chains, and sudden maxims you’ll want to underline. Expect brilliance and inconsistency—by design.Reading note: Best taken in unhurried sips; keep a pencil handy ✍️.3) Placement in Literature & Culture 📚A cornerstone of the American Renaissance, shaping Thoreau and Whitman, echoing in Nietzsche and early pragmatism, and feeding modern environmental thought. Emerson reframed intellectual independence as a civic and spiritual task—still bracingly current.4) Trivia & Background 🗂️📜 Nature first appeared 1836; “Self-Reliance” 1841; “The American Scholar” was a 1837 address at Harvard.📘 Penguin Classics paperback (edited with introduction/notes for classroom and general readers): April 24, 2003 (per your note).5) Final Take & Rating 🏁⭐A portable manifesto of wonder and will—uneven in places, inexhaustible in rewards.Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s a Penguin Classic

K. · 26 June 2024

American publication, so the cover is a little shinier and the black is more of a blue-black than the UK Penguin Classics (in case your collection skews one way or another). Great quality paper.

Obra de Arte

C. · 7 July 2023

Es una obra de arte de principio a fin. La parte de Thoreau - a quien admiro y mucho - es excelente

RWEmerson--WOW! What else is there to say?

S.M.M. · 1 May 2002

For anyone who enjoys beautiful prose with intellectually stimulating ideas and thoughts--this book is a "MUST-HAVE" for your library collection! These classic and quotable essays are enlighting and refreshing! If you (like I do) reject the Transcendentalist doctrine and theology, you may find yourself dismissing a couple of the essays as too tasking ideologically as they are at times on the fringe of transcendental ideology. Emerson's use of the English language, however, is a breath of fresh air in this era where the common vernacular is characterized by the grotesque abuses of ebonics, profanity, and laziness. It would be incredibly wonderful if all Americans would return to the most eloquent and beautiful use of our language as Emerson does.

Visit the Penguin Classics Store

Nature and Selected Essays: Ralph Waldo Emerson (Penguin Classics)

Product ID: K014243762K
Condition: New

4.6

AED11297

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Type: Paperback
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United Kingdom

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

Similar suggestions by Bolo

More from this brand

Similar items from “Philosophy”

Share with

Or share with link

https://www.bolo.ae/products/K014243762K

Visit the Penguin Classics Store

Nature and Selected Essays: Ralph Waldo Emerson (Penguin Classics)

Product ID: K014243762K
Condition: New

4.6

Nature and Selected Essays: Ralph Waldo Emerson (Penguin Classics)-0
Type: Paperback

AED11297

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United Kingdom

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

Description:

Through his writing and his own personal philosophy, Ralph Waldo Emerson unburdened his young country of Europe's traditional sense of history and showed Americans how to be creators of their own circumstances. His mandate, which called for harmony with, rather than domestication of, nature, and for a reliance on individual integrity, rather than on materialistic institutions, is echoed in many of the great American philosophical and literary works of his time and ours, and has given an impetus to modern political and social activism.
Larzer Ziff's introduction to this collection of fifteen of Emerson's most significant writings provides the important backdrop to the society in which Emerson lived during his formative years.

Read more

About the Author

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the son of a Unitarian minister and a chaplain during the American Revolution, was born in 1803 in Boston. He attended the Boston Latin School, and in 1817 entered Harvard, graduating in 1820. Emerson supported himself as a schoolteacher from 1821-26. In 1826 he was "approbated to preach," and in 1829 became pastor of the Scond Church (Unitarian) in Boston. That same year he married Ellen Louise Tucker, who was to die of tuberculosis only seventeen months later. In 1832 Emerson resigned his pastorate and traveled to Eurpe, where he met Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Carlyle. He settled in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1834, where he began a new career as a public lecturer, and married Lydia Jackson a year later. A group that gathered around Emerson in Concord came to be known as "the Concord school," and included Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller. Every year Emerson made a lecture tour; and these lectures were the source of most of his essays. Nature (1836), his first published work, contained the essence of his transcendental philosophy, which views the world of phenomena as a sort of symbol of the inner life and emphasizes individual freedom and self-reliance. Emerson's address to the Phi Beta Kappa society of Harvard (1837) and another address to the graduating class of the Harvard Divinity School (1838) applied his doctrine to the scholar and the clergyman, provoking sharp controversy. An ardent abolitionist, Emerson lectured and wrote widely against slavery from the 1840's through the Civil War. His principal publications include two volumes ofEssays (1841, 1844), Poems (1847), Representative Men (1850), The Conduct of Life (1860), and Society and Solitude (1870). He died of pneumonia in 1882 and was buried in Concord.

Larzer Ziff is a research professor of English at Johns Hopkins University who has written extensively on American literary culture.

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice

K.C. · 1 March 2025

I have 5 stars what's not tonlike

5.0 out of 5 stars A good grounding in this important writer

C.A. · 14 April 2021

This is at the end of a reading spiral which has its routes in Fight Club, Atomic Habits, Thoreau and then here. There is a very relevant message to today's World, with one foot in the authors perceived need for spirituality and meaning. I good, if challenging, read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars

A.C. · 28 December 2016

Gave me much food for thought!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent

J.R. · 6 June 2023

Real good

5.0 out of 5 stars ... as a gift for Secret Santa and the person loved it!

A.C. · 23 April 2017

I bought it as a gift for Secret Santa and the person loved it!

3.0 out of 5 stars Good to combine with On Waldon Pond

C. · 30 December 2017

It's philosophy really of a time and still relevant today. Good to combine with On Waldon Pond.

2.0 out of 5 stars Complex

Q.Y. · 17 August 2011

I have read a few of his books but this was was too difficult to understand, hard work wading through it.

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but hard to understand.

T.Y. · 3 September 2008

This book took me bloody loooonnnnggg time to get through as it was so tough trying to understand the 19th C US English and Emerson's poetic style. But once you get to understand his work, you do appreciate his insights. There are some things I don't totally agree with (his worship of nature is unreal. I love nature and all but can't see where all the love up comes from being a city lad). I think I am going to see if I can get some commentary book on it as I don't think I fully understand it still. Oh, the penguin version is a really really physically lush book.

A good intro to Emerson

C. · 29 January 2021

This book required patience and a dictionary on hand while reading. Which is not a bad thing if you can stick with it. Emerson has some amazing truths to share, he uses a poetic and eloquent style of writing hence the need for patience. Take time to chew on what he’s saying and meditate on it to get the most out of it. He had some revolutionary ideas that are timeless even though they were written over 100 years ago.If you’d like an intro to Transcendentalism and are curious about the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson then I definitely suggest checking this out! It includes the famous “Nature” essay as well as “The American Scholar”, “Man the Reformer”, “History”, “Self Reliance”, “The Oversoul”, “Circles”, “The Transcendentalist”, “The Poet”, “Experience”, “Montaigne”, “Napoleon”, “Fate”, and “Thoreau”.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐A portable manifesto of wonder and will—uneven in places, inexhaustible in rewards.

Y. · 28 August 2025

1) Short Verdict 🌲💡A compact gateway to American Transcendentalism: lyrical, aphoristic, and quietly radical in its defense of self-reliance, intuition, and the divine in nature. Slim pages, big afterglow.2) Literary Analysis (Themes, Form, Style) 🔎Themes: 🌿 Nature as living symbol of spirit · 🧭 Individual conscience vs. conformity · 🌀 Perception, flux, and the “Over-Soul” · 🏛️ Scholar’s duty to originality.Form: A suite anchored by “Nature” (1836) and key essays like “Self-Reliance,” “The American Scholar,” “The Over-Soul,” “Circles,” “Experience,” “The Poet.” They converse with—sometimes correct—one another (the later “Experience” darkens the early optimism).Style: Sermonic yet spry; crystalline aphorisms, metaphor chains, and sudden maxims you’ll want to underline. Expect brilliance and inconsistency—by design.Reading note: Best taken in unhurried sips; keep a pencil handy ✍️.3) Placement in Literature & Culture 📚A cornerstone of the American Renaissance, shaping Thoreau and Whitman, echoing in Nietzsche and early pragmatism, and feeding modern environmental thought. Emerson reframed intellectual independence as a civic and spiritual task—still bracingly current.4) Trivia & Background 🗂️📜 Nature first appeared 1836; “Self-Reliance” 1841; “The American Scholar” was a 1837 address at Harvard.📘 Penguin Classics paperback (edited with introduction/notes for classroom and general readers): April 24, 2003 (per your note).5) Final Take & Rating 🏁⭐A portable manifesto of wonder and will—uneven in places, inexhaustible in rewards.Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s a Penguin Classic

K. · 26 June 2024

American publication, so the cover is a little shinier and the black is more of a blue-black than the UK Penguin Classics (in case your collection skews one way or another). Great quality paper.

Obra de Arte

C. · 7 July 2023

Es una obra de arte de principio a fin. La parte de Thoreau - a quien admiro y mucho - es excelente

RWEmerson--WOW! What else is there to say?

S.M.M. · 1 May 2002

For anyone who enjoys beautiful prose with intellectually stimulating ideas and thoughts--this book is a "MUST-HAVE" for your library collection! These classic and quotable essays are enlighting and refreshing! If you (like I do) reject the Transcendentalist doctrine and theology, you may find yourself dismissing a couple of the essays as too tasking ideologically as they are at times on the fringe of transcendental ideology. Emerson's use of the English language, however, is a breath of fresh air in this era where the common vernacular is characterized by the grotesque abuses of ebonics, profanity, and laziness. It would be incredibly wonderful if all Americans would return to the most eloquent and beautiful use of our language as Emerson does.

Similar suggestions by Bolo

More from this brand

Similar items from “Philosophy”

Share with

Or share with link

https://www.bolo.ae/products/K014243762K