Tablets

Tablets,
essays by Bronson Alcott, published in 1868. The book is divided into two parts, the first “Practical,” containing discussions on The Garden, Books, Counsels, Friendship, and other subjects in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Montaigne; the second “Speculative,” dealing with Instrumentalities, Mind, Genesis, and Metamorphoses, in a more transcendental vein. The philosophic ideas in both sections are interspersed by original poems, which supplement the prose and frequently carry it beyond the logical development onto a more spiritual plane.