About this book
Few writers are more quotable than Henry David Thoreau. His books, essays, journals, poems, letters, and unpublished manuscripts contain an inexhaustible treasure of epigrams and witticisms, from the famous ("The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation") to the obscure ("Who are the estranged? Two friends explaining") and the surprising ("I would exchange my immortality for a glass of small beer this hot weather"). The Quotable Thoreau, the most comprehensive and authoritative collection of Thoreau quotations ever assembled, gathers more than 2,000 memorable passages from this iconoclastic American author, social reformer, environmentalist, and self-reliant thinker. Including Thoreau's thoughts on topics ranging from sex to solitude, manners to miracles, government to God, life to death, and everything in between, the book captures Thoreau's profundity as well as his humor ("If misery loves company, misery has company enough"). Drawing primarily on The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau, published by Princeton University Press, The Quotable Thoreau is thematically arranged, fully indexed, richly illustrated, and thoroughly documented. For the student of Thoreau, it will be invaluable. For those who think they know Thoreau, it will be a revelation. And for the reader seeking sheer pleasure, it will be a joy.
- Over 2,000 quotations on more than 150 subjects
- Richly illustrated with historic photographs and drawings
- Thoreau on himself and his contemporaries
- Thoreau’s contemporaries on Thoreau
- Biographical time line
- Appendix of misquotations and misattributions
- Fully indexed
- Suggestions for further reading
Contents
Preface xiii
A Note on the Texts xix
Introduction: Thoreau's Garment of Art xxi
On Pronouncing the Name Thoreau xxxvii
A Thoreau Chronology xliii
- Thoreau Describes Himself 3
- Questions 15
- The Thoughts and Words of Henry D. Thoreau 19
- Beauty 19
- Brute Neighbors: Animals, Birds, Fish, and Insects 22
- Change 31
- Character 34
- Charity and Philanthropy 38
- Children 43
- Cities 46
- Conservation 49
- Conversation and Talk 58
- Day and Night 60
- Dress and Fashion 65
- Education and Learning 70
- Expectation 77
- Experience 80
- Farmers and Farming 83
- Food and Diet 87
- Freedom and Slavery 92
- Friendship 107
- Genius 116
- Good and Evil 119
- Government and Politics 121
- Health and Illness 127
- The Heard and the Unheard 131
- Sound 131
- Silence 135
- Music 137
- The Heavens: Sun, Moon, and Stars 141
- Heroes and the Heroic: Courage and Fear, Right and Wrong 143
- Higher Law 146
- Human Nature 148
- The Mass of Men 148
- Individuality 156
- Hunting and Fishing 158
- Imagination 163
- Indians 166
- Institutions 173
- Land: Mountains, Bogs, and Meadows 177
- Life and Death 180
- From His Death-Bed 192
- Literary Matters 193
- Writing and Writers 193
- Poets and Poetry 206
- Books 210
- Love 218
- Manners 220
- Nature 223
- News, Newspapers, and the Press 236
- Observation 241
- Opinion and Advice 246
- Past, Present, and Future 254
- Possessions 256
- Poverty and Wealth 259
- Religious Concerns 265
- Religion and Religions 265
- Faith and Spirit 268
- God 271
- Science 275
- The Seasons 278
- Simplicity 288
- Society 293
- Solitude 298
- Success 303
- Temperament and Attitude 307
- Thoughts and Thinking 316
- Time 324
- Travel and Home 327
- Trees and Woods 335
- Truth and Sincerity 342
- Walking 349
- Water: Rivers, Ponds, and Oceans 353
- Weather: Rain, Snow, and Wind 358
- Wildness 364
- Wisdom and Ignorance 369
- Women 372
- Work and Business 376
- Thoreau Describes His Contemporaries 430
- Thoreau Described by His Contemporaries 439
Appendix: Misquotations and Misattributions 465
Bibliography 471
Index 477
Customer Reviews
Biography
Jeffrey S. Cramer is curator of collections at the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods, an independent research institution that holds the world's most comprehensive collection of Thoreau-related material. Cramer is the editor of The Portable Thoreau (Penguin), Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition, and I to Myself: An Annotated Selection from the Journal of Henry D. Thoreau, among other books.
