The following letter was written to an unknown recipient by Richard Poirier in his capacity as editor of Raritan Quarterly. A copy of it in its present form, with the name of the recipient deleted, was sent by Poirier to one of his students, to illustrate what Poirier thought were some misguided ways of approaching Emerson's writing. We offer it here because it also exemplifies many of Poirier's characteristic virtues as a writer, a teacher, and an indefatigable reader.