Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an essayist, poet, and philosopher, advanced a transcendental idealism that placed a strong emphasis on independence, self-culture, and individual expression. The six essays and one address from Essays, First Series (1841) and Essays, Second Series (1844) that are included in this edition provide a representative sample of his opinions describing that moral idealism as well as a hint of the subsequent scepticism that shaped his ideas. These essays, along with the well-known and widely read Harvard Divinity School Address, are "History," "Friendship," "The Over-Soul," "The Poet," and "Experience," in addition to the renowned title piece.