Audiobook · read by volunteers
Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
Read by Linda Leu, David Barnes, Geoff Dugwyler, Christabel, Cori Samuel, J. M. Smallheer, Claire Goget · 12 chapters · 8 h 28
About the book
“We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole.” With sentences like these, Ralph Waldo Emerson invited a young America to think for itself. His first series of Essays brings together twelve pieces on history, self-reliance, compensation, friendship, art and the over-soul, among other subjects. They are not systematic arguments but bursts of insight, polished into short, memorable statements. Emerson urges his readers to trust their own minds and to distrust borrowed opinions, and he does it with energy, warmth and a poet’s sense of image. Over eight and a half hours, seven volunteers share the reading. Take them in small portions and each essay can sit with you for days. This is a book that has inspired writers, thinkers and rebels for generations.
Introduction
Ralph Waldo Emerson, who lived from 1803 to 1882, was an American essayist, lecturer and poet, and the leading voice of New England Transcendentalism. Having left the pulpit, he became one of the most sought-after public speakers of his time, and many of his essays began as lectures. Essays, First Series was published in 1841 and includes some of his most famous pieces; History, Self-Reliance, Compensation and Spiritual Laws open the collection.
The central ideas of Emerson’s thought are visible here. He believed that each person has direct access to truth and should not rely on tradition or institutions, that nature and spirit are linked, and that a single divine presence runs through everything. These beliefs are expressed less in logical chains than in aphorisms and bold images. Self-Reliance, in particular, has been quoted for generations, and its call for independence of mind still makes a strong impression. Another essay in the volume, The Over-Soul, is a meditation on the unity beneath the appearances of the world.
The style can be dense, and Emerson often rewards a second hearing. Because each essay is self-contained, listeners can approach them in any order and take as long as they wish.
This LibriVox edition has twelve chapters and lasts about eight and a half hours. It is read by several volunteers, including Linda Leu, David Barnes and Geoff Dugwyler. It is a fine companion for walks and long evenings. The essays are a good starting point for readers curious about the roots of American thought, and they also read well as a series of short meditations on how to live.
Public domain
Ralph Waldo Emerson died in 1882: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text