This work is Stanley Cavell's definitive expression on Emerson. The sustained effort of 30 years of labour is drawn together here for the first time into a single volume, which also contains two previously unpublished essays and an introduction by Cavell that reflects on this book and the history of its emergence. Students and scholars working in philosophy, literature, American studies, history, film studies and political theory can now more easily access Cavell's enduring work on Emerson. Such engagement should be further complemented by extensive indices and annotations.