Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) is at the center of this posthumous book that only lacked an introduction and an epilogue written by Princeton professor Carlos Baker . The Transcendental 2021 group recommended the book. I find it amazing that Emerson opened up his first wife's casket after 13 months of her being buried. He doesn't say why he did it, or his impressions after he did it. What an odd thing to do. I'm not saying it might not have been instructive or useful or therapeutic. It must have been shocking a little. Two of Emerson's working brothers were sickly, kept needing to get away from tubercular north east of America, and another brother was retarded and needed monitoring. Emerson wasn't feeling the orthodoxy of his church. He did not find the eucharist, the eating and remembering Jesus to be something you're supposed to do, he just thought the disciples were meant to do it that one time. He had other qualms, and got himself sick with worrying about ...