Overview
Henry David Thoreau happily labored as farmer, gardener, house painter, carpenter, mason, surveyor, pencil maker, day laborer, schoolmaster, lecturer, naturalist-and, when he had time, writer. In this intriguing title, Milton Meltz examines the life, writings, and philosophy of this unique contributor to America's literary heritage.Synopsis
Henry David Thoreau happily labored as farmer, gardener, house painter, carpenter, mason, surveyor, pencil maker, day laborer, schoolmaster, lecturer, naturalist-and, when he had time, writer. In this intriguing title, Milton Meltz examines the life, writings, and philosophy of this unique contributor to America's literary heritage.
VOYA
Meltzer continues his portraits of American literary figures in this lucidly written biography of Henry David Thoreau. He traces Thoreau's life, from his birth and early years to his academic career and his eclectic work as a pencil manufacturer, writer, tutor, lecturer, handyman, and philosopher. The biography is made more intimate with the descriptions of the people who surrounded him, whether family or friends, and how they influenced his life. Extensive quotes from Thoreau's works help to support Meltzer's statements and observations. The quotations add depth to the biography and its subject. In addition, the words of Thoreau's contemporaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ellery Channing, and Nathaniel Hawthorne support the author's interpretation of the biographical facts. The book is appealing visually, printed in clear type on smooth pages, and is packed with pictures and photographs of people, places, and items that surrounded Thoreau. The text is elegant in simplicity, of which Thoreau would approve, and is very accessible to most readers. Other features include a detailed chronology, a list of Thoreau's writing, Internet sources, a guide to sources for visiting sites related to Thoreau, and a fairly detailed index. Meltzer is thorough in his documentation; consequently this title is an excellent resource for research papers and belongs in any middle school or junior high library, if only for that purpose, although biography fans will enjoy making the acquaintance of this American literary giant.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
This biography is organized by topics and not necessarily consecutively in time. Thoreau is remembered as an author of two books and as a naturalist. This biography fleshes out the man. As a Harvard graduate, he researched the manufacture of pencils to make his family's business the best pencil maker in America. Living in Concord, Massachusetts, he became friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ellery Channing. To make a living, he taught school, worked in the pencil factory, was a surveyor, and worked as a general handyman. He wrote his first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, about a rowboat trip with his brother to memorialize him. As an abolitionist, he helped on the underground railroad and admired John Brown. An essay titled "Civil Disobedience" presented his idea of a higher law than government. He didn't pay his poll tax in order to protest the Mexican War, and stayed overnight in jail. Walden, his book about the two years he lived on Walden Pond was published in 1854 to mixed reviews. After his death at age forty-four, the book became an American classic and has since been read all over the world. A comprehensive time line, source notes, bibliography, a list of Thoreau's writings, Internet sites, addresses of places to visit, and an index are provided.VOYA -
Meltzer continues his portraits of American literary figures in this lucidly written biography of Henry David Thoreau. He traces Thoreau's life, from his birth and early years to his academic career and his eclectic work as a pencil manufacturer, writer, tutor, lecturer, handyman, and philosopher. The biography is made more intimate with the descriptions of the people who surrounded him, whether family or friends, and how they influenced his life. Extensive quotes from Thoreau's works help to support Meltzer's statements and observations. The quotations add depth to the biography and its subject. In addition, the words of Thoreau's contemporaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ellery Channing, and Nathaniel Hawthorne support the author's interpretation of the biographical facts. The book is appealing visually, printed in clear type on smooth pages, and is packed with pictures and photographs of people, places, and items that surrounded Thoreau. The text is elegant in simplicity, of which Thoreau would approve, and is very accessible to most readers. Other features include a detailed chronology, a list of Thoreau's writing, Internet sources, a guide to sources for visiting sites related to Thoreau, and a fairly detailed index. Meltzer is thorough in his documentation; consequently this title is an excellent resource for research papers and belongs in any middle school or junior high library, if only for that purpose, although biography fans will enjoy making the acquaintance of this American literary giant.School Library Journal
Gr 7 & Up - Meltzer closes this engaging biography with Emerson's eulogy for his friend, "The country knows not yet, or in the least part, how great a son it has lost . . . ." Indeed, the picture painted here is not that of the oft-mythologized hermit, but of a passionate man largely uncelebrated in his lifetime. Readers see Thoreau through a variety of lenses-brother, friend, pencil maker, abolitionist, naturalist, and transcendentalist-to name only a few. Meltzer's clear and succinct writing style is punctuated with well-chosen and good-quality photographs and reproductions. Perhaps this title's greatest virtue lies in its successful depiction of the link between Thoreau's personal philosophy and modern movements and concerns. His statements on conservation still fuel environmental advocacy, while his writings on civil disobedience can be directly linked to the work of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. A first-rate choice for any student seeking a well-organized introduction to the life of the author and philosopher.-Jill Heritage Maza, Greenwich High School, CT
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information