The selected letters of George Ripley, 1828-1841, constitute an important source of information about New England Transcendentalism and its literary, philosophical, and political manifestations. These 36 letters from 1828 to 1841 chronicle Ripley's integral involvement in the most significant achievements of the Transcendentalists, translation of European literature, the various controversies with the Unitarian establishment, the formation of the Transcendental Club, and participation in the many reform movements of the period. Specifically, these letters detail Ripley's career as minister of Boston's Purchase Street Church, his missionary work for the American Unitarian Association, the production of his Specimens of Standard Foreign Literature, his relationships with many of the leading Transcendentalists, and his founding the experimental community, Brook Farm.Ripley's letters are presented here in fully edited form. Transcriptions were produced from photocopies of the original manuscripts, creating a genetic text which retains, as much as possible, the exact form of the handwritten letter. Each letter is fully annotated, and an index topeople, publications, and important ideas is provided. An extensive introductory essay outlines important events in Ripley's life and discusses the contribution the letters make both to an understanding of Ripley and to an important period in American letters. / Department of English