A book by a well-known Russian scholar and literary critic Elvira P. Osipova is a collection of essays written by the author at different times and dedicated to the works of the most significant American writers of the 19–20th centuries. The researcher focuses on the problems of philosophical and social views of writers, the connection of their works with the sociocultural context, and their sense of the tradition of American Romanticism and its humanistic emphasis. The essays are presented in chronological order — from Edgar Allan Poe to the writers of the late 20th century, the principle that allows to trace the humanistic emphasis of American literature throughout its two century history.