Friday, March 14, 2014

In Which Michael Sims takes a look at Henry David Thoreau

Portrait of Thoreau

 Henry David Thoreau
(1854)
by Samuel Worcester Rowse

My book of the year for 2012 was The Story of Charlotte's Web: E.B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic by Michael Sims. I wrote about it here

I have a signed copy of the book as Mr. Sims made a stop on his book tour that year at an independent bookstore here. He was delightful to listen to as he told his tale of visiting White's farm in Maine and actually seeing the barn where Charlotte was first imagined. 

So imagine my glee to find that Mr. Sims now has written a book about Henry David Thoreau. The Adventures of Henry Thoreau: A Young Man's Unlikely Path to Walden Pond.

Just as he took a look at White's life growing up and events that inspired Charlotte's Web, Mr. Sims focuses on Thoreau's life before he became famous for his journals of life at Walden Pond. 

I have checked Mr. Sims's website in hopes that he will be traveling through my city for this book but so far no events have been planned. I will keep my fingers crossed. 

4 comments:

  1. I might have to look for this book, Belle. After visiting Walden Pond last year, I'm now more interested in Thoreau. Sims' book sounds interesting.

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    1. I thought this one might appeal to you, Kathy. I look forward to reading it and hope Mr. Sims finds his way to a bookstore near me.

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  2. I read Mr. Sims' book about E. B. White and Charlotte's Web and enjoyed it. I think I'll like this one, too. When we lived in New England, we weren't far from Walden Pond and visited it several times over the years.

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    1. Hi, Joan. I like that this book looks at Thoreau's early life and some of the events and people that sent him off to The Pond. Mr. Sims has an entertaining prose style and I look forward to reading this and learning a bit more about young Henry.

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