Book excerpt: For well over a century, people's lives have been deeply affected by the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was one of the most influential and controversial writers of the 19th century. He advocated total independence of thought, rejecting conformity for its own sake. For Emerson the individual was key, with each person holding part of an eternal truth which collectively transcended the bounds of mortality. This profoundly optimistic view of humanity is laid out in and underlies his poetry and prose, written in a unique style which is highly readable as well as thought-provoking. Containing many of his most important writings, Essays and Poems is the perfect introduction to the work of this singular American thinker.