A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

by Henry David Thoreau

Overview

Henry D. Thoreau's classic A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers is published now as a paperback edition and includes an introduction by noted writer John McPhee. This work -- unusual for its symbolism and structure, its criticism of Christian institutions, and its many-layered storytelling -- was Thoreau's first published book.

In the late summer of 1839, Thoreau and his older brother John made a two-week boat-and-hiking trip from Concord, Massachusetts, to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After John's sudden death in 1842, Thoreau began to prepare a memorial account of their excursion. He wrote two drafts of this story at Walden Pond, which he continued to revise and expand until 1849, when he arranged for its publication at his own expense. The book's heterodoxy and apparent formlessness troubled its contemporary audience. Modern readers, however, have come to see it as an appropriate predecessor to Walden, with Thoreau's story of a river journey depicting the early years of his spiritual and artistic growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888306208
Publisher:	Bibliotech Press
Publication date:	06/29/2023
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Essayist, poet, and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) ranks among America's foremost nature writers. The Concord, Massachusetts native spent most of his life observing the natural world of New England, and his thoughts on leading a simple, independent life are captured in his best-known work, Walden.

Date of Birth:

July 12, 1817

Date of Death:

May 6, 1862

Place of Birth:

Concord, Massachusetts

Place of Death:

Concord, Massachusetts

Education:

Concord Academy, 1828-33); Harvard University, 1837

Table of Contents

	Introduction	ix
	Concord River	5
	Saturday	15
	Sunday	43
	Monday	117
	Tuesday	179
	Wednesday	235
	Thursday	298
	Friday	334
	Index	395

Editorial Reviews

Cullen maintains a mild, professional tone, appropriate to Thoreau’s contemplations…Much of what [Thoreau] has to say still rings true in our century, and his deep sense of time and nature transcends the ages.”

Kliatt

It’s a special pleasure to have this lovely and idiosyncratic book available in audio format…The reading by Patrick Cullen is fine.”

AudioFile