Cape Cod (The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau) - Softcover

Moldenhauer, Joseph J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 069100076X ISBN 13: 9780691000763

Publisher: Princeton University, 1993

Synopsis

This new paperback edition of Henry D. Thoreau's compelling account of Cape Cod contains the complete, definitive text of the original. Introduced by American poet and literary critic Robert Pinsky--himself a resident of Cape Cod--this volume contains some of Thoreau's most beautiful writings.

In the plants, animals, topography, weather, and people of Cape Cod, Thoreau finds "another world" Encounters with the ocean dominate this book, from the fatal shipwreck of the opening chapter to his later reflections on the Pilgrims' landing and reconnaissance. Along the way, Thoreau relates the experiences of fishermen and oystermen, farmers and salvagers, lighthouse-keepers and ship captains, as well as his own intense confrontations with the sea as he travels the land's outermost margins. Chronicles of exploration, settlement, and survival on the Cape lead Thoreau to reconceive the history of New England--and to recognize the parochialism of history itself.

About this title

Review:

"Cape Cod is Thoreau's sunniest, happiest book. It bubbles over with jokes, puns, tall tales, and genial good humor. . . . Unquestionably the best book that has ever been written about Cape Cod, and it is the model to which all new books about the Cape are still compared."--Walter Harding, The Days of Henry Thoreau

Synopsis:

Henry D. Thoreau's trips to Cape Cod were intended, he wrote, to afford "a better view than I had yet had of the ocean". Here, his account of his experiences is presented in its complete form, excluding only the critical apparatus. In the plants, animals, topography, weather, people and human works of Massachusetts' long projection into the Atlantic, Thoreau finds "another world". Encounters with the ocean dominate the book, from the fatal shipwreck of the opening episode to the late reflections on the Pilgrims' Cape Cod landing and reconnaissance. Along the way, Thoreau relates the experiences of fishermen and oystermen, farmers and salvagers, lighthouse-keepers and ship-captains, as well as his own confrontations with the sea as he travels the land's outermost margins.

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 069100076X
• ISBN 13: 9780691000763
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 242