EMERSON, Ralph Waldo.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Complete Works. First edition, large paper issue, of the Journals, handsomely bound with the Autograph Centenary edition of the Works, each copy number 524 of 600 sets signed by the publisher and issued with a double-sided autograph leaf. This set features manuscript notes for a lecture, which were not retained in the published article, "Aristocracy", and are unrecorded save for a brief mention in this edition's footnotes.Both the Journals and the Works were produced by Emerson's son, Edward (1844-1930). His edition of the collected works remained the standard text until 1971. While lengthy extracts from Emerson's journals had previously been published, this edition of the Journals was the first comprehensive edition. It "was recognized at once as a prodigious undertaking rarely matched previously in providing insights into the intellectual growth of an author of Emerson's stature. It served to stimulate a wide range of critical commentary" (ODNB). This set also features a volume of bibliography, number 499 from a limited edition of 530 copies.

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