I to Myself: An Annotated Selection from the Journal of Henry D. Thoreau
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Book Overview
A beautifully produced gift edition of Thoreau's Journal, carefully selected and annotated by Jeffrey S. Cramer
It was his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, another inveterate journal keeper, who urged Thoreau to keep a record of his thoughts and observations. Begun in 1837, Thoreau's journal spans a period of twenty-five years and runs to more than two million words, coming to a halt only in 1861, shortly before the author's death. The handwritten journal had somewhat humble origins, but as it grew in scope and ambition it came to function as a record of Thoreau's interior life as well as the source for his books and essays. Indeed, it became the central concern of the author's literary life. Critics now recognize Thoreau's journal as an important artistic achievement in its own right.
Making selections from the entirety of the journal, Cramer presents all aspects of Thoreau: writer, thinker, naturalist, social reformer, neighbor, friend. No other single-volume edition offers such a full picture of Thoreau's life and work. Cramer's annotations add to the reader's enjoyment and understanding. He provides notes on the biographical, historical, and geographical contexts of Thoreau's life. The relation between Journal passages and the texts of works published in the author's lifetime receive special emphasis. A companion to Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition, this gift edition of the Journal will be dipped into and treasured, and it makes a welcome addition to any book lover's library.
Customer Reviews
Rated 5 starsOutstanding Annotated Journals
As an avid Thoreau reader, I eagerly awaited I to Myself, scholar Jeffrey Cramer's annotated selections from Thoreau's massive journals. Cramer's much-lauded edition of Walden (Yale University Press, 2004) made that seminal text both deeper and more accessible to me, and I anticipated similar erudition and illumination from this new volume. Happily, I can report that Cramer's latest endeavor meets my fondest expectations...
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Rated 5 starsA Remarkable Book in All Ways
I To Myself, a new annotated selection from the journals of Henry David Thoreau, accomplishes what I did not think was possible--a "comprehensive" sense of Thoreau's mind and art as revealed in the journal. The entire journal is published elsewhere in 14 volumes, yet Jeffrey Cramer, a leading Thoreau scholar and curator, somehow reveals the emotional and intellectual acuity of the work in just one. Thankfully, the book...
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Rated 5 starsAn essential introduction to an American masterpiece
I first read the 14 volumes of Thoreau's complete Journal more than twenty years ago, and I'm inclined to think that the Journal may be Thoreau's masterpiece. I to Myself is a deeply satisfying book on its own terms, and it should go far toward helping readers rediscover the complete Journal. I to Myself is handsomely designed, the selections sensitively done, and the footnotes informative without being overwhelming. I was...
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Rated 4 starsThe Best of Henry Thoreau
I'm not sure where to start in this review: do I talk about what a great addition it is to Thoreau scholarship? or do I slam the previous review for being so totally wrong? Let's start with Cramer's book. In many ways this is a "Best of.." Henry Thoreau collection! Thoreau's journals run into many, many volumes and are easily over 2 million words, and few of us have read the entire thing! And, unless you're an Historian like...
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