The Conduct of Life - Publication

Publication

Three years after publishing his English Traits, Boston's Ticknor & Fields announced on 27 December 1859, an “early appearance” of a new book by Emerson titled The Conduct of Life. Confirmed as “completed” on 10 November 1860, Emerson’s seventh mayor work came out on 12 December of the same year—simultaneously in the US and in Great Britain (published there by Smith, Elder & Co.). It was advertized as “matured philosophy of the transatlantic sage” and sold as a collector’s item “uniform in size and style with Mr. Emerson’s previous works.” Quickly running through several editions in the U.S. (Ticknor & Fields announced a third edition only a week later) it was soon picked up by a third publisher (Cleveland’s Ingham & Bragg). In Great Britain, it was reported as “selling rapidly.” Subsequently, several passages from the book appeared in popular U.S. newspapers, most of them quoting either from 'Wealth' or 'Behavior' (especially the 'Monk Basle'-passage and Emerson’s treatment of the human eye).

First translations of the book appeared during Emerson's lifetime in France (1864) and in Russia (1864). Still, the height of the book's international fame came around the turn of the 20th century, coinciding with a growing public interest in one of Emerson's most famous readers: Friedrich Nietzsche. Eventually, The Conduct of Life was translated into at least 13 different languages, including Serbian, Dutch and Chinese.