The Shaking Tent
Ralph Waldo Emerson's First Sermons from the First Industrial Town in America
Laurence A. Green (Introduction)

When Ralph Waldo Emerson boarded a stagecoach in the fall of 1826 a fellow traveler turned to him and said, "Young man, you'll never preach a better sermon than that." So began the public career of the minister who would become America's greatest philosopher.

"The Shaking Tent" revives Emerson's first two sermons, delivered in Waltham, Massachusetts, and reveals for the first time his deep personal and philosophical ties to the first industrial town in North America. Preached to an audience of farmers and laborers in the shadow of one of New England's largest estates, the sermons in this volume are a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a man whose explosive ideas would ultimately shape every aspect of American life.  [Detailed Book Information]