410 pages; Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
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David Duchovny calls Emerson the American Nietzsche. "I think he's kind of underrated as a philosopher." His essays provide a counterbalance to today's shrill public discourse. Also, they fit into a busy schedule. "Emerson's Collected Works is what I would call a bathroom book, because he writes aphoristically and you can sit down for your couple of minutes and pick it up anywhere. He says the same thing a thousand times from different angles, and one is going to resonate with you." Duchovny's favorite? "'Self-Reliance' is the only self-help essay one ever needs to read."

— As told to Karen Holt