Description
Book SynopsisTrees were central to Henry David Thoreau's creativity as a writer, his work as a naturalist, his thought, and his inner life. This book explores Thoreau's deep connections to trees: his keen perception of them, the joy they gave him, the poetry he saw in them, his philosophical view of them, and how they fed his soul.
Trade Review"Writer and former Boston Globe reporter Richard Higgins culls a selection of Thoreau's writings on trees from his voluminous journals. Higgins gathers a satisfying assemblage, one that showcases Thoreau's deep reverence for the oaks and elms, pines and birches, rising into the sky in Concord. Short essays open each chapter, revealing Higgins to be a sensitive observer both of his environment and of Thoreau's writing." Boston Globe
Table of ContentsForeword by Robert D. Richardson
A Note on Sources
Introduction: Speaking the Language of Trees
1. AN EYE FOR TREES
Against the Sky a Tree Has Parts
2. A HEART FOR TREES
Heartwood
3. A POET’S TREES
Woodplay
4. A MIND FOR TREES
Forest Lessons
5. A SOUL FOR TREES
As High a Heaven
6. MY EMBLEM, THE PINE
Paeans to the Pine
7. KNIGHTING ELMS
Death of a Concord Kingpost
8 . A KINGDOM OF PRIMITIVE OAKS
Boxborough’s Ancient Oaks
9. TRANSFORMED BY SNOW
A World Made New
10. IN A BARQUE OF BARK
Sailing a Sea of Green
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
List of Thoreau Excerpts
Illustration Credits
Index
