Ralph Waldo Emerson books in order
American philosopher
- Lived
- 1803–1882
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 27
Ralph Waldo Emerson published 2 novels, 1 short story collection, 11 non-fiction books, 5 poetry collections and 8 other books, beginning with Nature (1836). The best-known is Essays (1841).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Ralph Waldo Emerson
Standalone novels in order
The Conduct of Life (1860)
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1902)
Short story collections in order
Essays, First Series (1876)
Non-fiction in order
Nature (1836)
Essays (1841)
Self-Reliance (1841)
Representative Men (1849)
English Traits (1856)
Miscellanies (1856)
Society and Solitude (1870)
The American Scholar (1901)
Essays and English Traits (1909)
The Heart of Emerson's Journals (1926)
Nature and Selected Essays (2003)
Poetry in order
Poems (1856)
May-day, and Other Pieces (1867)
Parnassus (1874)
The Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1880)
Letters and Social Aims (1883)
Other books in order
Essays: Second Series (1844)
Culture, Behavior, Beauty (1876)
Essays, First and Second Series (1883)
Emerson Year Book (1893)
Compensation (1900)
The Essay on Self-reliance (1905)
Essay on Compensation (1906)
Free to read
All free classicsEssays by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Essays — First Series
Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, and Salámán and Absál
The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1834-1872, Vol. I
The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1834-1872, Vol II.
Natural history of intellect, and other papers
About Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson, who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and critical thinking, as well as a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society and conformity. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche thought he was "the most gifted of the Americans", and Walt Whitman called Emerson his "master".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ralph Waldo Emerson FAQ
- How many books has Ralph Waldo Emerson written?
- Ralph Waldo Emerson published 2 novels, 1 short story collection, 11 non-fiction books, 5 poetry collections and 8 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Ralph Waldo Emerson's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Essays.
- What is Ralph Waldo Emerson's last book?
- Essays, First Series (1876).
- What is Ralph Waldo Emerson's most famous book?
- Essays (1841) is Ralph Waldo Emerson's most widely read book.
- Can I read Ralph Waldo Emerson's books for free?
- Yes. 18 books by Ralph Waldo Emerson are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.