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Rating: 
Summary: Wait for a better edition!
Review: Despite the praise for this book, I was greatly disappointed but what I see as a sloppily edited text, and long for a properly and more carefully edited one. Thoreau deserves better. Just to cite a few examples: On pages 19, 162, 185 and 200 the word "river" is inserted after Assabet, but Dean did not do the same on page 123 or 168. In many places Dean interprets parentheses as meaning Thoreau intended a delete a word or phrase, but leaves many instances of similar parentheses in the text. There is no indication in the notes explaining how Dean is able to intuit Thoreau's using parentheses for a deletion versus a parenthetical statement. On page 61 Dean emends the acceptable 19th century word "spiritist" to "spiritualist" based on a journal passage, which would be a similar editorial technique to editing Walden back to an earlier draft forms. On pages 126 and 216 Dean has the name Sophia, who is according to the notes Thoreau's sister, but on page 202 Dean will "emend by replacing 'Sophia' in the MS with 'My sister,' which would conform with Thoreau's practice of not using proper names of individuals in his published writings." I do not understand why this editor chooses to follow Thoreau's practice in some places but not in others, or why he failed to identify so famous a person as the magician Signor Blitz (page 147) who was renowned for his bullet-catching act, but I think I do understand why this book has been remaindered. Wait for something better!
Rating: 
Summary: Wild Fruits - Finally
Review: Having read a good portion of Thoreau's diaries, I expected to find little else in this new manuscript. I was wrong. I found more and better observations on nature - specifics on white pine cone seed disbursement is hardly water cooler talk and not for everyone - written in a manner that is interesting and relevant. Intertwined with the topic of wild fruit and seed information is more of Thoreau's philosophy, that which has driven me to read him for all these years. If you like Thoreau, you simply cannot fail to read this piece of his puzzle. I can't wait for someone to tackle and publish what remains of his unpublished work. Finally, I must say that while closing the final page I was struck with a deep appreciation for the immense effort involved in publishing this book, given the quality of his handwriting and the poor organization of the manuscript. It is indeed appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: Thoreau gets down to it!
Review: I finally tried to read On Walden Pond a few Summers ago and I just couldn't force my way through it. I got sick of the way the author kept slamming farmers while suggesting a life of berry picking in the woods as the real way to go. Even the editor that put "Wild Fruits" together says "...in the popular mind..a querulous hermit... ." But then, "Recently the popular mind has had to expand itself to include...a third of his life: the one spent closely observing and eloquently reporting on natural phenomena-Thoreau the protoecologist." It's enough to be a Prophet but really you need to write that Testament too, "Wild Fruit" is Thoreau's and it is wonderful. More poetic than Walden and less insular this book contains great wisdom and it's fun to read. I'm only 1/3rd through the book but even the 22 page essay on Black Huckleberry alone is justification for reading the whole book. Emerson said at Thoreau's funeral that "The country knows not yet, or in the least part, how great a son it has lost." I didn't until I started reading "Wild Fruits" and now it's very obvious he's one of the most important Americans to have ever lived.
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