Nature's Panorama: Thoreau on the Seasons

by Robert D. Richardson Jr. (Foreword), Ronald A. Bosco (Editor)

How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book, wrote Henry David Thoreau in Walden. Today that book continues to provoke, inspire, and change lives all over the world, and each rereading is fresh and challenging. Yet as Thoreau's countless admirers know, there is more to the man than Walden. An engineer, poet, teacher, naturalist, lecturer, and political activist, he truly had multiple lives to lead, and each one speaks forcefully to us today.

Sponsored by the Thoreau Society, the brief, handsomely presented books in this series offer the thoughts of a great writer on a variety of topics, some that we readily associate with him, some that may be surprising. Each volume includes selections from his familiar published works as well as from less well known lectures, letters, and journal entries. The books include original engravings by renowned illustrator and book artist Barry Moser.

152 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

The son of a Unitarian minister, Robert Dale Richardson III grew up in Massachusetts and earned his bachelor's and doctorate degrees in English at Harvard University. Richardson taught at a number of colleges, including the University of Denver and Wesleyan University.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of passages from Thoreau's journals contains some gems -- while his descriptions of the natural world are always interesting, I most enjoy his poetic language. Here he is writing about winter: "The world is a crystal palace" and autumn: "a velvet wind blowing from the southwest". I marked a number of selections for potential use with my students. The organization of material gives the reader a sense of how Thoreau observed the environment over the course of a calendar year, paying attention to familiar views and features as they shifted with the seasons. For someone new to the author, "Nature's Panorama" provides an excellent introduction to a revered Transcendentalist.

[Aaron Moul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not, I think, meant to be read in one go. Better to treat it as a daily devotional, and heighten appreciation of the season and the day.

[Sarah Burbank · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all time favorite, like walking through the year with Mr. Thoreau + beautiful wood carved prints.