Essays A fully annotated edition

Cramer (Curator of Collections, Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods) has collected in one volume 15 of Thoreau's most recognized essays, including "Resistance to Civil Government," "Walking," and "Slavery in Massachusetts." The volume includes annotations not found elsewhere. However, Cramer's collection will not likely supplant the effort of Elizabeth Hall Witherell, et al., editors of the Princeton University Press multivolume Writings of Henry D. Thoreau (the edition approved by the Modern Language Association), begun in 1971 and tentatively scheduled for completion in 2016. The Princeton edition includes much fuller historical introductions and textual apparatus than Cramer's Yale volume. Indeed, it is as if the standard Princeton edition did not exist for Cramer; when citing journal passages, he draws almost exclusively from the 1906 Journal (part of The Writings of Henry David Thoreau), edited by Bradford Torrey and Francis Allen. Though the present volume has some value for undergraduates, the Princeton edition is certainly preferred. Summing Up: Optional. Upper-division undergraduates. T. H. Richardson University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Thoreau scholar Cramer (curator of collections, Thoreau Inst. at Walden Woods) opens this exceptional collection of the author's most widely read essays with his informative introduction that frames the writing and the personality of the writer. While Thoreau's work was published mostly in the periodicals, newspapers, and literary journals of his day, it was frequently presented as lectures in venues near and around Concord, MA; for instance, "Life Without Principle" appeared as a spoken text (in varying titles) more often than in print. Cramer's anecdotes from the introduction enhance the allure of the essays, and his accompanying annotations add a layer of clarity to Thoreau's sometimes arcane references. VERDICT Both Thoreau aficionados and the casual reader will benefit from reading this superb and comprehensive work. Highly recommended for all types of libraries or for personal collections.-Sharon Britton, Bowling Green State Univ. Lib., OH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.