'A guided anthology that takes the reader through Emerson's own spiritual evolution.'--Robert D. Richardson, Jr., author of Emerson: The Mind on Fire

'It is a great service of this book that it traces [Emerson's] spiritual development . . . [It] is also valuable in establishing the full texture and subtlety of Emerson's much-misunderstood notion of self-reliance and nonconformity.'--Richard Higgins, Boston Globe

'This collection brings together for the first time Emerson's most important writings on spiritual themes, along with a discerning and eminently readable introduction by one of the foremost authorities on Emerson's religious thought.'--Lawrence Buell, Harvard University, author of Literary Transcendentalism and Emerson