Classic or “foundational” collections of essays?

I love, love, love collections of essays, particularly ones where you get a very solid sense of the life/intellectual philosophies of their writers. Open to any genre from physics to life writing to satire, although I've recently been drawn to the arts, politics, philosophy, and literature. Not sure if this makes any sense, but I'd preferably like suggestions from "great" writers who have published "foundational" texts in their field or genre or just the classics of whatever canon! I've been much more writer-focused lately, so if you just have an author in mind but no particular collection I'd welcome those suggestions too!

Thanks!

Previous writers whose essays I've loved:

• Oliver Sacks

• Sartre

• Peter Schjehldahl

• TS Eliot

• David Sedaris

• Rorty

• Arendt

• Kafka

• Huxley