Adventures in Contentment

This is the first in a series of around eight books by David Grayson (actually this is Ray Stannard Baker writing as Grayson). The title of the work says it all. If you are looking for a very, very mellow read, simply stuffed with wonderful observations, then this is one for you. The style/syntax, while admittedly archaic, is great and it takes only a couple of pages for you to fall into it's rythm. This book was written in the early part of the last century. This work reflects a time long past in this country, but that being said, this work still touches many aspects of our lives we often overlook in one way or another. If you can find this work, and the rest of the series, I strongly recommend you purchase them as you will want to read them over and over again. It is a shame we seem to have lost such books.

My first exposure to this book was ten years ago, when in the LSU library I stumbled upon some very old, very dusty books. Being intrigued by old books, I found his simple titles (Adventures in Contentment, Adventures in Friendship, Adventures in Solitude, etc.) irresistible. I read 5 David Grayson (Ray Stannard Baker's pseudonym) books in two days. I returned them to the library, then soon afterward moved to California. I could not remember Grayson's name, though I would tell stories about those wonderful books that influenced my life and my writing.7 years later, I came across a 90 year old copy of Adventures in Contentment, and found that it struck me as even more profound, having tasted a little of the cynical world that drove the main character from the city to the farm. This is the only book I have ever read that made me cry tears of human experience -- and then the very next chapter had me laughing out loud. (I was sitting at a coffee house with my friends when this happened, after which they wanted to borrow the book.)If you are a person of thought, this book will move you. Grayson will take you on a tour of his farm and his mind. You will give him a voice, and you will hear that voice speak the words as you read. You will quote this book, you will reread this book, you will think of this book with the fondness of a close friend.The simplicity of the essays will charm you, his masterful vocabulary will force you to grab your dictionary, and his expressive literary patterns will strike you as being as close to poetry as prose could possible come.A picture may say 1000 words, but David Grayson's simple essays about small town life in the early 1900's will paint more vivid images in your mind than 1,000,000 Michaelangelos ever could. Simply stated, this is the greatest literary work ever written. Unfortunately, modern literary critics refer to this type of work as unimportant, sentimental and preachy. So this book will probably never be placed in its rightful spot in the literary canon.Still, don't think the author died in obscurity without his talent being discovered. He was a lifelong friend of Woodrow Wilson, and in his old age, Ray Stannard Baker won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of his famous friend.

I wonder why there aren't any reviews on this book? It is the greatest book ever written. This book is about a person who has found a perfect harmony in life. Escaping all the scholastic philosophy and theological quest David Grayson here settles for what I regard the highest wisdom and the true purpose of life, and that is living. The book is potrayal of extra-ordinary experiences of a farmer poet who discovers a world within and without and adds a dream world quality with a sense of humour to our everyday experiences. A return to nature, beauty, simplicity, spontaniety and harmony!