Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the preeminent figures of American literature. The leading expositor of the transcendentalist movement, he helped shape modern American philosophy and religion, and his legacy continued through Thoreau, Melville, Whitman, and Dickinson. Here is a broad view of Emerson's greatest work, featuring a considerable amount of material from his journals, including an entry discovered in 1964 in the Library of Congress. The writings range from realistic descriptions of daily life to superbly polished meditations on human purpose and destiny, from sharply etched biographical studies to soaring, lyrical philosophic flights. Shaped by a passionate belief in individual freedom and a deep humility before the immensity of nature, they reflect a life and a spirit whose independence and integrity speak out with resounding significance to the contemporary world.

The epic of Son-Jara (also known as Sunjata or Sundiata) celebrates the exploits of the legendary founder of the Empire of Old Mali and is still widely recited among Mandekan-speaking peoples of West Africa today. As performed by griots, or professional bards, it embodies deeply rooted aspects of Mande cosmology and worldview. This edition of the epic presents the full, linear Mandekan text side by side with John William Johnson's important English translation. Fully annotated and explained, the text provides historical and contextual frameworks for understanding this African epic. A complete recitation of the epic by Jeli fa-Digi Sisòkò recorded in the town of Kita, Mali, is sold separately. This powerful text and inspiring performance show why the epic of Son-Jara has taken its place among the world's greatest epics.