Quotable Thoreau

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.

Recipient of an Umhoefer Prize for Achievement in Humanities, Arts and Humanities Foundation in 2011 Selected for "The Best of the Best" Program at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference "Henry David Thoreau is one of the most oft-quoted essayists in the American literary canon, and now his sage aphorisms are gathered together in a beautifully compiled and impressively comprehensive volume. Edited by Cramer, curator of collections at the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods, this volume draws from well-known works such as Walden and A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers as well as Thoreau's journals, letters, and other papers... This volume will appear to both casual, browsing readers and to researchers needing an authoritative source on the words of Thoreau."--Choice "This quotable book is a handy guide and should find its way onto the shelves of any library, public or academic, school or special. But given its price at under $20, it should fall on the shelves of every American. While Thoreau will always smell something of the pine woods to some of us, those woods are our very own."--Mark Y. Herring, American Reference Books Annual "The Quotable Thoreau is not meant to be read all at once. It should, rather, be savored bit by bit for maximum engagement, preferably in outdoor settings at various times of the year. Readers would be well advised to digest a page or two each day, consider the passages, and accept or reject them according to preference."--Jeffrey Mifflin, Historical Journal of Massachusetts "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."--World Book Industry

• 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