THE ESSAYS OF HENRY D. THOREAU

Name: THE ESSAYS OF HENRY D. THOREAU
Author: Lewis Hyde
ISBN: 0-86547-585-7

edited by Lewis Hyde ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2001

A century and a half after they were written, as Hyde notes, the power of these essays comes “quickly back to life for any...

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The 13 essays gathered here are among Thoreau’s best writing: crackingly sharp, like a bright winter morning after a snowfall. Such favorites as “Walking,” “Civil Disobedience,” and “Natural History of Massachusetts,” as well as “Wild Apples” and “Autumnal Tints” distill his customary preoccupations with nature and how to live in the world. Given that these pieces are reprinted regularly, what makes this collection special is the thoughtful introduction from Hyde (Creative Writing/Kenyon Coll.; Trickster Makes the World, 1998, etc.). He offers access to the essays by way of Thoreau's prophetic voice speaking “of things that will be true in the future because they are true in all time.” Hyde notes the declarative, redemptive, spontaneous, imaginative, and intuitive nature of Thoreau's words. “My genius makes distinctions which my understanding cannot,” the naturalist once wrote. Yet he is no unworldly sage; two essays defending abolitionist John Brown show that Thoreau can get down in the political trenches as well.

A century and a half after they were written, as Hyde notes, the power of these essays comes “quickly back to life for any reader with ears to hear the many registers of their author's voice.”

Pub Date: May 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-86547-585-7

Page Count: 512

Publisher: North Point/Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2002

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
A PRIMER FOR FORGETTING
by Lewis Hyde

- BOOK REVIEW
COMMON AS AIR
by Lewis Hyde

- BOOK REVIEW
TRICKSTER MAKES THIS WORLD
by Lewis Hyde

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.