Essays: A Fully Annotated Edition

481 Pages·2013·2.26 MB·English

by  Henry D. Thoreau

Essays
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Essays
H E N R Y D . T H O R E A U
A F U L L Y A N N O T A T E D E D I T I O N
Edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer
(cid:3)New Haven and London
Frontispiece: Four Autumn Leaves, © Kazuo Honzawa/
orion/amanaimages/Corbis.
Copyright © 2013 by Yale University.
All rights reserved.
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Designed by Sonia Shannon.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817–1862.
[Essays. Selections]
Essays : a fully annotated edition / Henry D. Thoreau ;
edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer.
(cid:5)pages(cid:5)cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-300-16498-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
I. Cramer, Jeffrey S., 1955–, editor of compilation.
II. Title.
PS3042.C73 2013
814′.3—dc23
2012038780
A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library.
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO
Z39.48- 1992 (Permanence of Paper).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
publication of this book is enabled by a grant from
Figure Foundation
To Scott Greenberg
My friend is one . . . who takes me for what I am.
—Thoreau in his journal, 23 October 1852
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Thoreau and the Periodic Press xi
List of Abbreviations li
ESSAYS
Natural History of Massachusetts 1
A Winter Walk 27
A Walk to Wachusett 46
Paradise (To Be) Regained 64
Wendell Phillips Before Concord Lyceum 95
Thomas Carlyle and His Works 99
Resistance to Civil Government [Civil Disobedience] 145
Slavery in Massachusetts 172
John Brown Essays
A Plea for Captain John Brown 190
The Last Days of John Brown 217
An Address on the Succession of Forest Trees 225
Walking 243
Autumnal Tints 281
Wild Apples 317
Life Without Principle 346
Appendix: Excerpts from John Adolphus Etzler 369
Choice of Copy Text 383
Textual Notes and Emendations 384
Bibliography 401
Index 409
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Acknowledgments
A work like this could not have been made without the help of
literally hundreds of people, known and unknown. Many are ac-
knowledged below or in the bibliography, but there are many
who, I regret, have become anonymous, and for these omissions
of credit I apologize. There are generosity and enthusiasm in the
world, for which I am appreciative, and it is rewarding to know
that such dedication and passion exist.
Special thanks to the staffs of the College of Staten Island;
Staten Island Historical Society at Historic Richmond Town; the
New York Public Library; the Boston Public Library; and the Con-
cord Public Library; and to the following individuals for their help
with various conundrums: Jeffrey Auerbach, California State Uni-
versity, Northridge; Alastair Cameron; Eric Homberger; Nancy V.
Flood, managing editor, Encyclopedia of New York City; Kevin
Van Anglen; Elizabeth Bouvier, head of archives, Massachusetts
Supreme Judicial Court, for looking through the 1846 Middlesex
County Court of Common Pleas criminal records; and the late
Jan Chadbourne, Fine Arts Department, Boston Public Library,
who will be missed as both a colleague and a friend.
As always, particular thanks to Greg Joly for being a constant
sounding board for all the ideas that made it into this book and
the many that did not.
To my editor at Yale University Press, Jennifer Banks: it’s good
to have you back!
And to my family—my wife, Julia Berkley, and our daughters,
Kazia and Zoë—who once again welcomed this transcendental
visitor into our home.
Acknowledgments ix