The Almanacks of Mary Moody Emerson: A Scholarly Digital Edition

Preparation for publication of a scholarly, annotated, digital edition of the complete Almanacks of Mary Moody Emerson. (36 months) Born in Concord, Massachusetts on the eve of the American Revolution, Mary Moody Emerson (1774-1863) was a self-educated scholar, theologian, and author whose intellectual production bridges the 18th and 19th centuries. Most widely known as the brilliant aunt of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mary Emerson influenced her nephew's work and published her own pseudonymous essays; her most significant accomplishment is a series of unpublished manuscripts she called 'Almanacks' (c. 1804-1855). Spanning over fifty years and one thousand pages, these documents feature characteristics of the spiritual diary, philosophical commonplace book, and epistolary essay and demonstrate the ways in which early American women adapted traditionally 'masculine' genres and subject matter. The editors are collaborating with the director and staff of the Brown University Women Writers Project to publish a scholarly digital edition of the complete Almanacks in their subscription database, Women Writers Online.