Thoreau's Reading: A Study in Intellectual History With Bibliographical Catalogue

Rating:
Summary: Insightful detection & analysis provide the what & the why
Review: The task seems straightforward enough: list all the books that Henry David Thoreau owned and / or read. But while the famous Transcendentalist took copious notes from his readings and often cited his sources, he didn't leave us a definitive chronicle of titles to study. Why would he? And why would we even want to consult such a thing today? Because of his frequent use of literary allusions in his writings, especially in the two books published during his lifetime, _A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers_ and _Walden_. Because, too, he was a man who was often affected and impassioned by the words that passed before his eyes. Dr. Sattelmeyer has done a great job finding clues not only within Thoreau's writings themselves but also through extant library records held in Concord and Cambridge. The resulting prepared list takes up only two-thirds of this book, though. The four chapters at the beginning help to make sense of it all. They pose Thoreau's choice of reading material and his subsequent reactions against the perspective of life and events of the mid-1800s. The explanation of the changes occurring in natural history philosophies and theories -- culminating in the release of Charles Darwin's _Origin of Species_ -- is especially enlightening. Thus does the introductory text make this volume useful to anyone with a moderate Thoreau and / or 19th-century interest, and it dispels any first impression that this title focuses on an esoteric subject matter. If you enjoy reading _Walden_ and are interested in Thoreau's life and the prevailing thought of his day, seek out a copy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful detection & analysis provide the what & the why
Review: The task seems straightforward enough: list all the books that Henry David Thoreau owned and / or read. But while the famous Transcendentalist took copious notes from his readings and often cited his sources, he didn't leave us a definitive chronicle of titles to study. Why would he? And why would we even want to consult such a thing today? Because of his frequent use of literary allusions in his writings, especially in the two books published during his lifetime, _A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers_ and _Walden_. Because, too, he was a man who was often affected and impassioned by the words that passed before his eyes. Dr. Sattelmeyer has done a great job finding clues not only within Thoreau's writings themselves but also through extant library records held in Concord and Cambridge. The resulting prepared list takes up only two-thirds of this book, though. The four chapters at the beginning help to make sense of it all. They pose Thoreau's choice of reading material and his subsequent reactions against the perspective of life and events of the mid-1800s. The explanation of the changes occurring in natural history philosophies and theories -- culminating in the release of Charles Darwin's _Origin of Species_ -- is especially enlightening. Thus does the introductory text make this volume useful to anyone with a moderate Thoreau and / or 19th-century interest, and it dispels any first impression that this title focuses on an esoteric subject matter. If you enjoy reading _Walden_ and are interested in Thoreau's life and the prevailing thought of his day, seek out a copy of this book.