The 1903 Edition of "The Complete Works of Emerson"
I suspect just about anyone that knows me knows that I peruse the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson nearly daily. His ideas and observations travel with me in the recesses of my mind and surface at all moments as I bumble through my days. I see the world in a much more unique and realistic way since I have been reading Emerson – one may say his writing at once grounds me and allows me to keep an even keel. Most of his writings were compiled in the 1840s and are as relevant today as they were then…probably more so considering the times in which we now live.
Known as the “Sage of Concord,” Emerson was a prolific writer and lecturer. Through his lifetime, he gave approximately 1500 known lectures and is known as the father of the Transcendentalist Movement. In 1838, Emerson, at age 35, was invited to give a lecture commonly known as The Divinity School Address to the graduating class at Harvard. Attendees included the students and their families, instructors and administration officials, and local ministers. One must note that Harvard, at the time, was the primary centers of Unitarian thought (Emerson’s father was a Unitarian minister through1832). During his lecture, Emerson spoke against religious rites and supported individual moral intuition (self-reliance). The ideas contained within this lecture were so controversial at the time that Emerson was banned from Harvard until 1869 – 31 years! I guess you can’t really blame Harvard for being cranky, but to put forth your own ideas and hold to your own beliefs in that setting was quite remarkable – especially at that time.
In 1903 (21 years after Emerson died), Houghton, Mifflin and Company published through the Riverside Press in Cambridge, a 12-volume set of “The Complete Works of Emerson.” I have been looking for this particular set for some time – that is, nearly 15 years. In 2018, that search finally came to fruition.
During my search, I have found sets, but they were normally water damaged, heavily foxed, missing volumes, or too expensive. The set that I finally acquired reportedly came from the estate in upstate NY from the personal library of a retired Literature professor in that area. This particular 12-volume set is known as the “Concord Edition”; it is constructed with the deluxe binding that includes ¾ Moroccan Leather covers and spines with raised ribs and gilt accents. It was obviously kept out of heat, humidity, sunlight, and dust; the complete set is in near-mint condition. The pages themselves are top-gild, trailing edge uncut. This set is also significant due to the fact Edward Waldo Emerson wrote the biographical introduction and compiled meticulous notes throughout the volumes drawing on his personal experience with his father as well as his journals, letters, and notebooks.
In the grand scheme of our daily wanderings, the set is just a material thing; but to me, it represents the anchor to my thoughts. Once in a while I will gently open one of the volumes, read several pages and allow my senses to be overwhelmed by the beautifully old fragrance of the pages as they intermingle with the insightful and precise words that come to life in my mind. Emerson was a genius and his words will always resonate through the actions and experiences in my life.
Although it is a pleasure to finally have this set, it is even more enjoyable to read Emerson’s words. In case anyone is interested in reading some Emerson, please click on the links below; the University of Michigan has done an excellent job of transcribing all 12 volumes including hyperlinked notes.
Complete 12-Volume Set of “The Complete Works of Emerson” (Index of the entire 12 volume set)
For anyone wanting to get started with Emerson, I would recommend reading the following selected chapters:
Volume 1: Nature
Volume 1: The American Scholar
Volume 1: An Address Delivered Before the Senior Class in Divinity College, Cambridge, 1838.
(The Divinity School Address)
Note: This is the transcription of the address that got Emerson banned from Harvard for 31 years.
Volume 2: Self-Reliance
Volume 2: Circles
Volume 6: Illusions
Volume 7: Society and Solitude
Volume 7: Success
Volume 10: Demonology
Note: One of Emerson's lesser known and unique works; it was the last of ten lectures on Human Life given in 1838-39 - published in 1877. This essay delves into dreams and the subconscious. It is very interesting.
