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“Best Things dwell out of Sight”(#998) describes one of America’s greatest poets. She dwelled out of sight for most of her life and her poems, with the exception of seven published anonymously, remained out of sight until well after her death. ....

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.... was a grand figure in Amherst. In his letters, he comes across as a remarkably ambitious man—“a typical success-oriented, work-oriented citizen of expansionist America,” in Richard Sewall’s characterization. Educated at Amherst College and Yale, he soon became the leading lawyer in town. For thirty-seven years he was the treasurer of the college that his father helped establish in 1821. Besides this, Edward had accomplished much success in his life but biographers of Emily’s life believe that he paid for his public success through his emotional destitution. Emily’s father was a rigorous Calvinist and dominat ....