Henry D. Thoreau

Franklin Benjamin SanbornProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 396K words
Chapters: 40

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Henry D. Thoreau by F. B. SanbornAuthor: Sanborn, F. B. (Franklin Benjamin), 1831-1917,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 12, 2016

Editor's review

This is a biographical work on Henry David Thoreau. Its author, F. B. Sanborn, was a contemporary and close associate of Thoreau, giving the text the character of first-hand recollection. Unlike many later reconstructive biographies, this book is closer to an eyewitness record of observation; readers can see Thoreau as an ordinary person, not merely as the symbol of the author of Walden. The Gutenberg edition is an English public-domain text with no modern annotations, so reading it requires a certain command of English and a basic familiarity with the nineteenth-century American Transcendentalist movement. Its value lies in its documentary quality and sense of immediacy, and it is well suited as supplementary material for reading Thoreau's works. If you are reading Walden or Thoreau's journals, this book can supply additional details about his relationships and daily life; if you expect a systematic critical biography or academic analysis, you will need to look for modern scholarly works instead.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who are reading Thoreau's works and want to learn about his life
Those interested in the nineteenth-century American Transcendentalist movement
Readers with some command of English who prefer primary historical sources

Not a good fit for

Researchers seeking a systematic academic critical biography
Readers who find English reading difficult and need annotation support
Complete beginners unfamiliar with Thoreau and Transcendentalism

Reading tips

Read selected passages of Walden first, then this book; the personal details will be easier to understand.
Mark life events that correspond to Thoreau's works as you read, for easy cross-reference.
Use a brief introduction to the Transcendentalist movement alongside the book to help understand its figures and historical context.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and Walden?

This book is a biographical work by Sanborn, a contemporary of Thoreau, focusing on recollection and historical material; it is not a substitute for Walden. It can help readers understand the details of Thoreau's life and social circle, and is suitable as background reading alongside Thoreau's works.

What was the relationship between the author Sanborn and Thoreau?

According to the sources, Sanborn (1831–1917) was a contemporary of Thoreau, and this book is of a recollective and biographical nature. Specific details of their association should be based on the book's contents. Readers may regard it as a record from an eyewitness perspective rather than a modern academic biography.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

The Gutenberg edition is in the original English with no modern annotations, so an intermediate or higher reading level in English is recommended. The book deals with nineteenth-century figures and events; if you are unfamiliar with the Transcendentalist background, consult brief reference materials first for smoother comprehension.

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About the author

Franklin Benjamin Sanborn Author · American · 1831–1917

Franklin Benjamin Sanborn (1831–1917) was an American writer and editor, known for his study and documentation of Henry David Thoreau; he was both a biographer and a friend of Thoreau. One of his works is held in this collection, namely Henry D. Thoreau. Public information about the details of his life is limited, and this entry makes no speculation on that point. What can be confirmed is that his writing centers on Thoreau's life and work, combining the testimony of a personal acquaintance with the care of a documentarian. Such biographical writing seeks to present its subject's intellectual development and everyday life, offering later readers an early firsthand account of Thoreau and securing Sanborn a place in the preservation of nineteenth-century American literary memory.