EMERSON, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882). The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cambridge: Riverside Press for Houghton Mifflin and Company, [1903-1904].

12 volumes, 8vo. Half-titles, titles printed in red and black, numerous photogravures. (Some toning, minor dampstaining in the lower margin of 3 volumes, a few occasional spots and pencil annotations.) Contemporary green crushed levant gilt-decorated in a floral motif with red morocco onlays, spines in 6 compartments with 5 raised bands gilt, gilt-lettered in 2, the rest gilt-decorated with red morocco onlays, top edges gilt, the rest uncut and partially unopened, green and tan crushed levant doublures gilt with red morocco onlays in a floral design, STAMP-SIGNED BY MACDONALD (some minor scuffing to gilt on top edges, a touch of wear to extremities and joints).

LIMITED EDITION, number 580 of 600 sets of the “Autograph Centenary Edition,” signed by the publisher.

WITH AN ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT MENTIONING KEY FIGURES OF THE FRENCH ENLIGHTENMENT.

[Bound in to Volume I:] EMERSON, Ralph Waldo. Autograph manuscript leaf, presumably from part of a draft for his essay "France, or Urbanity." N.p., ca 1854-1856. 2 pages on one leaf, folio, (248 x 188 mm) window-mounted, in brown ink on light blue paper with a few ink corrections comprising 26 lines. "France, or Urbanity" was first delivered on 17 January 1854 as the 5th of 6 lectures in a series on "Topics of Modern Times" in Philadelphia, and was delivered 4 more times. Unpublished until 2001 in The Later Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson 1843-1871 (volume I, pp. 308-332), this draft includes mention of French politics and revolution, in part: "Levity levity a confusion of truth and falsehood in every man's mind Louis XV had reason when he took counsel of M. Bertin as to the best means of saving his light-heeled and light-headed lieges, and learned that P̵a̵r̵i̵s̵ ̵t̵h̵e̵ ̵p̵l̵a̵c̵e̵ ̵w̵h̵e̵r̵e̵ ̵t̵h̵e̵r̵e̵ ̵i̵s̵ ̵n̵o̵t̵h̵i̵n̵g̵ ̵t̵h̵a̵t̵ ̵i̵s̵ ̵n̵o̵t̵ ̵a̵p̵r̵o̵p̵o̵s̵ what the French wanted was, to be inoculated with the Chinese mind."

The corresponding published portion reads: "Louis XV had reason, when he took M. Bertin to counsel as to the best means of saving his light-headed and light-heeled lieges, and learned that, "what the French wanted was to be inoculated with the Chinese mind" (The Later Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson 1843-1871, vol. I, pp. 328-329).

Property from the Dorros Family Collection

EMERSON, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882). The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cambridge: Riverside Press for Houghton Mifflin and Company, [1903-1904].