English Traits

"The book has no equal in its kind. It is the wittiest work of America's wittiest writer."

-Mark van Doren, American Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, writer, and critic




In English Traits (1856), Ralph Waldo Emerson blends his observations of the English character based on travels in England with insights gained from his extensive reading of British history. Because of its playfulness, wit, and clarity of style, this book quickly became one of the author's most popular works. In the English culture, Emerson recognized the source of everything American-from the laws of society to the plot of a novel. His observations are organized into 19 essays that include "First Visit to England," "Land," "Race," "Ability," "Manners," "Truth," "Character," "Cocaine," "Wealth," "Aristocracy," "Universities," "Religion," "Literature," "The Times," "Stonehenge," "Personal," "Result," and "Speech at Manchester."