Ralph Waldo Emerson, acclaimed philosopher and poet, lectured in Baltimore on three separate occasions during the 19th century. In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Emerson's birth and to highlight Emerson's tie with Baltimore, the Milton S. Eisenhower Library is presenting an exhibit titled Ralph Waldo Emerson: Lectures in Baltimore.

The exhibit features rare books from the Sheridan Libraries' Special Collections, including titles from the George Peabody Library, the John Work Garrett Library and the Eisenhower Rare Book Collection.

Items on display include a first edition of Emerson's Representative Men (1850); a 1949 Peabody publication, Mr. Emerson Lectures at Peabody; a copy of an 1855 letter from Emerson to Walt Whitman recognizing the latter's propensity as a poet; images of Emerson and Baltimore; and other items.

Curated by Allan Holtzman and Madeline Copp, the exhibit also shows the development of Baltimore's cultural and educational institutions such as the Mercantile Library Association, a private lending library; and the newly built Peabody Institute and Library, which sponsored Emerson's last lectures in Baltimore, in 1872.

The exhibit, located on the main level of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library on the Homewood campus, may be viewed during the library's normal operating hours. The exhibit will run through September 2003.