The Heart of Thoreau's Journals

Book Description

The conflict between scientific observation and poetry, reflections on abolition, transcendental philosophy, other concerns are explored in this superb general selection from Thoreau's voluminous Journal. Here are "...the choicest fruits of Thoreau..." — Nation.

Customer Reviews:

The Mind Reader.......2007-06-12

How could this man have read every thought of mine over 100 years before my birth?! Timeless truth in all of his writings...not just this one. This is a most intimate example being his personal journal. Every word, every well thought out phrase speaks to my heart and idea of what truth should look and sound like. It should make you catch your breath and Thoreau absolutely accomplishes this for me.

Good start on the "other" Thoreau.......2007-02-07

We all know Walden and some of the other famous essays but the journals are sometimes hard to get through. This book of excerpts provides some of the gems from the journals and shows Thoreau in a new way.

Quintessential.......2004-01-10

I found this book on the shelf at my school's library after I had read a selection of Ralph Waldo Emerson's in which he praised Thoreau for being a particularly clear-seeing individual. I had never read Thoreau and did not know who he was, but this book immediately became my most valued possession after my own journal.

The editor did a wonderful job of selecting from Thoreau's many (often tedious) writings those that offer most in the way of communicating what he felt about life, love, society, government, death, religion, nature, science, beauty and self. The writing is in many ways flawless. Along with Emerson and Whitman, Thoreau embodied the spirit of American Transcendentalism, the philosphy under which one aspired to realize a word beyong the physical and social world. "The Heart of Thoreau's Journals" is the best evidence that Henry David Thoreau realized such a world and lived contently in it many of the days of his life.

This book is probably the best possible choice for anyone looking to read or know Thoreau. It is necessarily as honest as any other work. And unlike "Walden" or other commercially-produced works, it lacks the endless musings and explanations of ideas and events for the audience's information. It is only the bare naked thoughts and feelings of the author. I would suggest it as preliminary reading for anyone who wants to read his other books. It will give you the foundation of an appreciation for Thoreau that puts all other work in proper perspective.

"The Roaring Of The Wind Is My Wife".......2003-06-25

The Heart Of Thoreau's Journals provides readers with an intimate glimpse into the heart and mind of American literature's premier individualist. Consolidated into 218 concise pages by Odell Shepard from the 39 volumes Thoreau left behind upon his death at 45 in 1862, the journals reveal Thoreau as an irreverent and shrewd observer of the human character who was happily fated with the gift of forever seeing the king riding proudly in public without clothes ("The mass never comes up the standard of its best member, but on the contrary degrades itself to the level with the lowest," "After all, the field of battle possesses many advantages over the drawing - room. There is at least no room for pretension or excessive ceremony, no shaking of hands or rubbing of noses, which makes one doubt your sincerity, but hearty as well as hard hand - play. It at least exhibits one of the faces of humanity, the former only a mask," "This lament for a golden age is only a lament for golden men").

Requiring solitude in the manner most require food and shelter, the philosophical, ascetic Thoreau lived most of his life in isolation ("The poet must keep himself unstained and aloof") as an ardent lover and keen observer of the natural world ("All of nature is my bride," "My profession is to be always on the alert to find God in nature, to know his lurking - places, to attend all the oratorios, the operas, in nature"). A comedic misanthrope ("I have lived some thirty - odd years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors," "The society of young women is the most unprofitable I have ever tried"), Thoreau also wrote with sympathy, understanding, and concern about the townspeople whose company he preferred not to keep. Even his plain - spoken contempt for the boorish, the smug, the pretentious and the assertively conformist ("What men call social virtues, good fellowship, is commonly but the virtue of pigs in a litter, which lie close together to keep each other warm") was often tempered with humanity and matter - of - fact acceptance for the inevitable variations of man's psychology. The simple, the genuine, the uncomplicated and the sincere came in for high marks in Thoreau's estimation of people, places, and things.

A Harvard graduate who was born and spent most of his life in New England, bachelor Thoreau set the standard and defined the blueprint for all introverted American artists and thinkers to come. Though Thoreau wrote incessantly and found work as a lecturer, schoolteacher, editor, and tutor at different periods of his life, he typically worked as a gardener, handyman or land surveyor, and spent a particularly frustrating period working in his father's pencil factory. Though he knew himself to be misunderstood by most, Thoreau was uncomplaining ("Ah! How I have thriven on solitude and poverty! I cannot overstate this advantage"), confident, ultimately self - satisfied, and generally unconcerned with what, if anything, future generations would make of him. The respect, acknowledgement, and honor of society meant far less to him than his day - to - day, moment - to - moment freedom to continue to enjoy his perceptions, sensations, and ideas, which he rightfully understood to be his life's work and birthright.

As one of the founders of Transcendentalism, the idealistic Thoreau was a dryly passionate believer in man's capacity to overcome mundane (and often self - imposed) obstacles, identify and focus his attention on the eternal fundamentals of life, and enjoy personal communion with God by utilizing nature as a lens. The journals abound with declarative passages which readers have found enlightening, guiding, and inspirational for generations ("Despair and postponement are cowardice and defeat. Men were born to succeed, and not to fail," "We forever and ever and habitually underrate our fate...ninety - nine and one - hundredths of our lives we are mere hedgers and ditchers, but from time to time we meet with reminders of our destiny"). Thoreau's journals, along with key American text and masterpiece Walden, represent the cream of his work.

"Write while the heat is in you.".......2002-05-18

I once sat through a very snide speech, by a very snide editor, who pontificated in a very snide manner, that "no one wants to read your journals." This editor was of course a fool- the very best writing is to be found in personal journals. Nowhere is this demonstrated to be more true than in Thoreau's. Or as he himself put it,"The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his audience." Well, these writings inflame the mind. Thoreau was that rarest of of divine gifts, a true Individual. I often wonder if he did not represent the highest point that anyone in our society ever reached- the high water mark of a civilization before steam engines, corporations, and mass education reduced us to our present state.

I was concerned that the journals might suffer by editing, especially if an academic type with a deconstructionist ax to grind got his hands on them. Mr. Shepard's brief introduction put my mind to rest. He obviously has a close sympathy with the spirit of Henry David Thoreau and his selections are masterful. As Shepard puts it: "With a fit audience, though few, he is likely to win a more thoughtful reading now that individuals are so obviously withering among us, now that men are quite obviously enslaved by machines, now that we have floundered about as far as we can in the bogs of stupidity, greed, and cowering compliance that he warned us against long ago."

If _Walden_ spoke to you, these journal entries will speak even more strongly to you. This is the spring from which _Walden_ and all the rest sprang. This is the soul of Thoreau. It is the soul of the true America before the Byzantine rot set in.

There is one line from the very first year of the journals that has never ceased to inspire me: "All fear of the world or consequences is swallowed up in a manly anxiety to do Truth justice."

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The Heart of Thoreau's Journals
Odell Shepard
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IOGQU6

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The Heart of Thoreau's Journals
Odell (editor) Shepard
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JMC95I

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The Heart of Thoreau's Journals
Henry David; Shepard, Odell (Editor) Thoreau
Manufacturer: Dover Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J0F0TC

Book Description

This work presents outstanding generals, admirals, sergeants, privates, fighter aces, militiamen, frigate and submarine captains, and theorists as well as doctors and nurses. The 422 A-to-Z biographies highlight each individual's background, contributions, and significance to America's fortunes in war. American Military Leaders cites works for further research and includes a list of leaders organized by their military titles and a comprehensive index.

Amazon.com

Written primarily as a textbook for undergraduates, graduates, and biological researchers, Simulating Ecological and Evolutionary Systems in C offers an introduction to writing C programs that simulate common ecological processes, as well as the mathematical models behind them.

This title offers an intriguing mix of several analytical models--expressed in the language of mathematics--that researchers have used over the years to explain such phenomena as predator-prey interactions, how foraging patterns affect a species population, and other biological processes. Throughout the book, readers are invited to try out these rules for themselves by using computer simulations that are written in C. As suggested, analytical models can be verified--and even challenged--by comparing them with evidence that's generated from computer simulations.

While this book offers plenty of mathematical background (it assumes knowledge of calculus and differential equations), it's actually much more accessible when it comes to programming. There's a basic tour of C from the ground up, including the basics of writing and compiling programs in Unix and Windows. Any reader with a willingness to learn C can try out these simulations (which will remind the computer hobbyist of Conway's Game of Life, a well-known simulation). While there are plenty of visualization techniques--through PostScript files--more computer-savvy readers can take these programs to the next level by adding real-time graphics. The text culminates in an introduction to genetic algorithms, an exciting area of recent research in which evolutionary processes are simulated in software.

For the student or specialist, this is a solid academic treatment of an exciting field of biological research. (Each chapter concludes with exercises for the classroom, and a section on sample software projects will help students hone their programming skills on a rich variety of biological problems.) For the game programmer or interested enthusiast, it provides a glimpse into the exciting world of biological simulations and some intriguing algorithms to try out on one's own. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

Overview of models for biological systems
Simulations vs. theoretical models
Predator-prey interactions
Tutorial to the C programming language (basic statements, and compiling and running programs)
Immigration-emigration models
Discrete time and continuous models
Using the vi editor
Birth-death example
Evaluating random number generators
Visualization techniques for data using PostScript files
Two species competition models
Sample programming projects for ecological researchers (including disease dynamics
Foraging models
Integration techniques
Pollen dispersal in space
Diffusion algorithms
Spatial predator-prey models
Resource allocation for plants (optimal allocation schedules for growth and reproduction)
Introduction to genetic algorithms and simulations

Book Description

Computer simulations are a powerful tool for understanding ecological and evolutionary systems. Simulating Ecological and Evolutionary Systems in C models a diverse range of biological processes and systems, including competition, foraging, predation, mating systems, and life-history optimization, by simulating large collections of interacting individuals. Using the programming language C, the book starts with elementary programs modeling stochastic birth-death processes, with programming complexity increasing as the chapters progress. Wilson covers all the important features of C: arrays, files, pointers, and structures, within biologically motivated simulations. Although computer simulations of extremely complicated biological processes are released from rigid mathematical constraints, he places each of the simulations in the context of a mathematical formulation examined either analytically or numerically.

Customer Reviews:

A great practical resource.......2001-03-06

This is a unique book, in that it is heavy on the practical aspects of implementing ecological simulation theory. I'm tired of picking up academic books which just re-hash the usual theory and only vaguely describe how one may implement it. The basis of simulation is experimentation. How one implements the model in programming code is as important as the underlying model itself (garbage in/garbage out) - the author clearly guides the reader through implementation, AND also provides an very clear description of the theory behind the equations.

The coding style is clear. It is not cluttered with unecessary programming structures (no OOP here) - it just gets the job done.

One suggestion for future editions would be: information on large-scale implementations of ecological simulations i.e. the technical and coding issues one encounters in real-life research projects (e.g. parallel implementations, speed issues etc.)

Book Description

An uncompromising and self-destructive deserts his wife, family, business, and civilization for his art. Shedding harsh light on an artist's ego, Maugham reveals the lengths to which one man will go to focus on his art. Written in 1919, this unforgettable story is timeless in its appeal.

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On a trip to research French artist Paul Gauguin, Maugham sailed into Tahiti's Papeet harbor, where he imagined an exotic tale of the ultimate outsider, one who rejects his entire way of life to pursue an obsession. The result of his efforts is a story of rebellion and escape from civilization which continues to attract and captivate readers to this day.

Customer Reviews:

Not one of his best.......2007-06-30

Maugham has put in a lot of effort in an attempt to delve into the mind of an artist, tortured by his artistic impuses, impervious to the ordinary needs of normal people and to the moral codes that are made to secure and safeguard the needs.

But his choice of an english stockbroker to represent the very gaelic gauguin is flawed. Perhaps I was prejudiced, but an englishman in colonial times, in my mind was strictly bound to ideas of fair play and social morals. He's not unlike his french counterpart able to disregard, convention and give in to powerful artistic impulses.

The depiction of the burst of creativity, in tahiti, the tropicalness, the simplicity of natives, who lead their lives governed by instinct rather than complex social norms wasn't powerful or impressive, not in the same was that irving stone impressed with his depiction van gogh's achivements in arles.

Great to a point........2007-03-05

Nice book, though it wanders away the last 40 pages. Not at the level of the brilliant "Of Human Bondage."

Passion, Passion, Passion........2007-02-28

I always chafe when I hear people downplay the talent and importance of Somerset Maugham. He happens to be one of my favorite writers and The Moon and Sixpence is by far--in my opinion--his best book. I reread it yesterday and continue to be moved by its emotion. No other novel describes the passion which motivates the artist in such intricate detail. With Strickland, our neo-Gauguin, we see that the force that drives is absolute even though it may not be noble or life-affirming. As a man, Strickland treats people the way most of us treat parking places--we enter them, leave them and then never give their existence a second thought; yet, the one thing he undoubtedly has is artistic integrity. The middle third of the book is the strongest and here, as elsewhere, Mr. Maugham tells an amazing story. Also of note, are his impressions of women which may be as sound as those of anybody else I have ever encountered. Overall, this is a vastly underrated novelist and a vastly underrated book.

Engaging storytelling.......2006-09-09

Based in outline on the life of post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence makes for an at times dark, at times lighthearted tale with a predictable ending. The fun is in the getting there and the brilliant characters and anecdotes that we find along the way.

In a disarming style successfully conveying that neither the narrator nor the author takes himself terribly seriously, W. Somerset Maugham opens The Moon and Sixpence in an academic tone, with the narrator disparaging the novel as a literary form, and using frequent footnotes to convey that academic sense of non-fiction that is ostensibly so much more respectable. With characteristic phrases like "blackheart", "dash it all", and Robert Strickland's favorite, "go to hell", we are guided from Strickland's family life in England to his impoverished Paris years and finally on his trail to Tahiti where he spends his final days toiling away at his magnum opus in an idyllic but ultimately tragic setting.

My favorite character was Dirk Stroeve, a Dutch painter living in Paris, with very little talent of his own but with the ability to recognize its expression--notably in the genius of Strickland's painting. Stroeve's kindness and generosity, both of which he lavishes on others to a ludicrous degree, act as an almost perfect foil for contrasting with Strickland's boorish contempt, even for those who help nurse him through a life-threatening illness. The stark disparity with Stroeve humanizes and better defines Strickland.

In the course of relating Strickland's story, Maugham reveals a keen sense of observation and ponders some of the fundamental questions of what it means to be human. Strickland's character encompasses both the contradiction between and the synthesis of opposing ideas--of how, for example, pursuit of the creative impulse can be destructive, and destruction of social bonds can lead to creativity. In the way he writes of Strickland's genius, some of Maugham's own is revealed.

The Maddening Life of The Artist.......2006-04-09

Maugham begins this book, as he does 'Razor's Edge,' with an annoying fussiness ('I'm really not qualified to write about it..what's the point of a novel,'etc.). But once he gets down to the narrator's trying to understand the strange life of Strickland (a thinly-veiled portrait of 19th-century 'dumped his family for painting' French artist Paul Gaugain), the book takes on a lyrical beauty you won't soon forget. What drives the honest artist, his eyes on the stars while his mortal existence sinks into poverty? Maugham doesn't have an answer, but the asking is what will keep you involved.

Cakes and Ale,the Painted Veil,Liza of Lambeth,Razor's Edge,Theatre,Moon and Sixpence

Average customer rating:

No need for the review

Cakes and Ale,the Painted Veil,Liza of Lambeth,Razor's Edge,Theatre,Moon and Sixpence
W Somerset Maugham
Manufacturer: Octopus Publising Group Plc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 090571234X

Customer Reviews:

No need for the review.......2007-04-17

C'mon, this is Somerset Maugham. That says it all. If you know him, you do not need my review. If you don't .... well ... perhaps there is a reason why you don't .... ;-) Buy any of the Somerset Maugham's books and enjoy them as millions have done over the close to a century.

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MOON & SIXPENCE

Manufacturer: GEORGE H DORAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000IJTOGE

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"You are an unmitigated cad!"

Moon And Sixpence
W. Somerset Maugham
Manufacturer: Alan Rodgers Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Psychological & Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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The Razor's Edge

ASIN: 1598185217

Customer Reviews:

"You are an unmitigated cad!".......2005-09-22

When he first meets Charles Strickland, a London stockbroker, the young narrator of this novel thinks of him as "good, honest, dull, and plain." When Strickland suddenly abandons his wife and children and takes off for Paris, however, the narrator decides he is a cad. Though he has had no training, Strickland has decided to become an artist, a drive so strong that he is willing to sacrifice everything toward that end. Anti-social, and feeling no obligation to observe even the smallest social decencies, Strickland becomes increasingly boorish as he practices his art. Eventually, he makes his way to Tahiti, where he "marries," moves to a remote cottage, and spends the rest of his life devoted to his art.

Basing the novel loosely on the life of Paul Gauguin, Maugham creates an involving and often exciting story. His narrator is a writer who feels impelled to set down his memories of his early interactions with Strickland in London and Paris after Strickland's death and posthumous success. Because the narrator never saw Strickland after he left Paris, he depends on his meetings with a ship captain and a woman in Papeete for information about Strickland after Strickland arrived in Tahiti. The ship captain is described as a story-teller who may be spinning tall tales, a constant reminder to the reader that this is fiction, and not a biography of Gauguin.

By depicting Strickland as a "dull, plain" man suddenly gripped by an obsession so overwhelming that nothing else matters to him, Maugham involves the reader in his actions, which even the narrator claims not to understand. The least convincing aspect of Strickland's characterization is the narrator's observation that Strickland is completely indifferent to his wife of seventeen years and his children. No confrontation between Strickland and his wife appears, and one wonders if perhaps Maugham found himself unable to depict such an abandonment realistically. The story moves quickly, however, and whatever is sacrificed in the characterization is more than recouped in the plot and its development.

Straightforward in its story line, the novel is romantic in its depiction of the artist in the grip of an obsession, his subsequent abandonment of civilization and return to nature, his suffering of a long terminal illness (during which he paints his masterpiece), and the fate of this creation further develop the romantic themes. Good, old-fashioned story-telling at its best, this uncomplicated story, written in 1919, still has broad appeal. Mary Whipple

The Moon and Sixpence (Large Print Edition)

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The Moon and Sixpence (Large Print Edition)
William Somerset Maugham
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1426468113
Release Date: 2007-03-08

Book Description

I confess that when first I made acquaintance with Charles Strickland I never for a moment discerned that there was in him anything out of the ordinary.

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The Moon and Sixpence

Manufacturer: Triangle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GGCTD4

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wrong book

The Moon and Sixpence
W. Somerset Maugham
Manufacturer: Heritage Press Reprints
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

A wartime reprint, with illustrations by Paul Gauguin and Frederic Dorr Steele.

Customer Reviews:

wrong book.......2007-03-29

The picture on Amazon of THe Moon and Sixpence is not the book that was delivered!!! The picture is DECEIVING...Moon and Sixpence was delivered

but it was not the one with the cover jacket presented on the website!!!
I'm very unhappy about this. I know the book. I used to own it.

Average customer rating:

The Moon and Sixpence (Pocket Books)

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BZ8DU8

The Moon and Sixpence (Modern Library, 27)

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The Moon and Sixpence (Modern Library, 27)

Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000F7T0EA

Product Description

From the front flap: This is the story of Charles Strickland, driven by the demon of his genius to the South Seas, parallels in many respects the strange life of Paul Gauguin.

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The Moon and Sixpence
W. Somerset Maugham
Manufacturer: The Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NWT574

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