In this week's blog post, I share the details of an early edition of Thoreau's Walden published by the Burt Company, examining the "story" told by both its title page and frontispiece.
A. L. Burt Company’s Walden
Transcendentalism and the Problem of Misquotation
Above one of the classroom doors in my high school, there’s a well-known quote credited to Thoreau that so many of us have heard over the years: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagine.” No doubt, it’s a beautiful sentiment. And yet every time I pass that classroom, I …
Continue reading "Transcendentalism and the Problem of Misquotation"
The Curious Case of Thoreau’s Bean Field
Gardening is a strange pleasure. In Walden, Henry David Thoreau describes his experience in the bean field as a “small Herculean labor” and a long battle, the Trojans taking the form of worms, weeds, and woodchucks. For a weapon, he recounts leveling his enemy with his long-handled hoe, turning dirt and dust over the weeds …
The Pink Floyd Connection
It’s been almost thirty years since I first wrote about Pink Floyd. To be honest, I never felt compelled until last Thursday, when my friend Dave, who co-teaches my English 11 class with me, mentioned Pink Floyd while we reviewed the words for a vocabulary test. More on that later, but for now, let me …
From the Raven to the Muskrat
A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting at a desk in the back of my classroom. My students sat quietly, each working to complete the test before them, and it was one of those rare moments where I could just relax, observing everything around me. I took a deep breath. I’m a high school …
The White Whale 