The Conduct of Life was first published in 1860 at the height of Emerson's fame. The book was well received and sold very well. His English friend Thomas Carlyle said about it, "I read it a great while ago...with a satisfaction given me by the Books of no other living mortal." Published on the eve of the Civil War, the essays are particularly important for an understanding of America just prior to her greatest challenge and threat to her survival as a nation.