FAITH IN A SEED

The first—and no doubt final—Thoreau book of the century. Little more needs to be said (and, from the extensive press coverage, most Kirkus readers are probably aware that the material was sifted out by Thoreau scholar Bradley P. Dean from among hundreds of pages of field notes that the Concord sage left behind). But we'll add that, in addition to its keystone, The Dispersion of Seeds—one of the author's last projects, a manuscript of luminous natural-history writing about the genesis, life, and fate of seeds, as well as about conservation—the volume also contains two shorter, reclaimed Thoreau pieces, plus copious notes by Dean and a lengthy, engaging introduction by Thoreau scholar Robert D. Richardson, Jr. Compared to Walden, this may be minor Thoreau—but its publication is still a major, and happy, literary event. (Sixty b&w illustrations) (First printing of 25,000)