The Correspondence of Henry D. Thoreau: Volume 1: 1834 - 1848 (Writings of Henry D. Thoreau, 24)

This is the inaugural volume in the first full-scale scholarly edition of Thoreau's correspondence in more than half a century. When completed, the edition's three volumes will include every extant letter written or received by Thoreau--in all, almost 650 letters, roughly 150 more than in any previous edition, including dozens that have never before been published.Correspondence 1 contains 163 letters, ninety-six written by Thoreau and sixty-seven to him. Twenty-five are collected here for the first time; of those, fourteen have never before been published. These letters provide an intimate view of Thoreau's path from college student to published author. At the beginning of the volume, Thoreau is a Harvard sophomore; by the end, some of his essays and poems have appeared in periodicals and he is at work on A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and Walden. The early part of the volume documents Thoreau's friendships with college classmates and his search for work after graduation, while letters to his brother and sisters reveal warm, playful relationships among the siblings. In May 1843, Thoreau moves to Staten Island for eight months to tutor a nephew of Emerson's. This move results in the richest period of letters in the volume: thirty-two by Thoreau and nineteen to him. From 1846 through 1848, letters about publishing and lecturing provide details about Thoreau's first years as a professional author. As the volume closes, the most ruminative and philosophical of Thoreau's epistolary relationships begins, that with Harrison Gray Otis Blake. Thoreau's longer letters to Blake amount to informal lectures, and in fact Blake invited a small group of friends to readings when these arrived.Following every letter, annotations identify correspondents, individuals mentioned, and books quoted, cited, or alluded to, and describe events to which the letters refer. A historical introduction characterizes the letters and connects them with the events of Thoreau's life, a textual introduction lays out the editorial principles and procedures followed, and a general introduction discusses the significance of letter-writing in the mid-nineteenth century and the history of the publication of Thoreau's letters. Finally, a thorough index provides comprehensive access to the letters and annotations.**Review"In short, The Correspondence of Henry D. Thoreau is a model of documentary editing. Editors of other authors would do well to follow the example set by Hudspeth and the Princeton edition." ---Kevin J. Hayes, *New England Quarterly* "Thoreau's letters unquestionably enlarge understanding of his character. The personality who emerges is not just cold, impassive, and stoic but also witty, playful, and sociable, not just reclusive and idealistic but also engaged and practical." ( Choice ) "The angles of vision opened by Hudspeth's Princeton Correspondence allow us to see Henry Thoreau in richly textured ways we never could have imagined."" ---Wesley T. Mott, *Resources for American Literary Study* "One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2014" About the AuthorRobert N. Hudspeth is Research Professor of English at the Claremont Graduate University and professor emeritus of English at Redlands University. He is the editor of The Letters of Margaret Fuller and the author of Ellery Channing. This is the inaugural volume in the first full-scale scholarly edition of Thoreau's correspondence in more than half a century. When completed, the edition's three volumes will include every extant letter written or received by Thoreau--in all, almost 650 letters, roughly 150 more than in any previous edition, including dozens that have never before been published. "Correspondence 1" contains 163 letters, ninety-six written by Thoreau and sixty-seven to him. Twenty-five are collected here for the first time; of those, fourteen have never before been published. These letters provide an intimate view of Thoreau's path from college student to published author. At the beginning of the volume, Thoreau is a Harvard sophomore; by the end, some of his essays and poems have appeared in periodicals and he is at work on "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" and "Walden." The early part of the volume documents Thoreau's friendships with college classmates and his search for work after graduation, while letters to his brother and sisters reveal warm, playful relationships among the siblings. In May 1843, Thoreau moves to Staten Island for eight months to tutor a nephew of Emerson's. This move results in the richest period of letters in the volume: thirty-two by Thoreau and nineteen to him. From 1846 through 1848, letters about publishing and lecturing provide details about Thoreau's first years as a professional author. As the volume closes, the most ruminative and philosophical of Thoreau's epistolary relationships begins, that with Harrison Gray Otis Blake. Thoreau's longer letters to Blake amount to informal lectures, and in fact Blake invited a small group of friends to readings when these arrived. Following every letter, annotations identify correspondents, individuals mentioned, and books quoted, cited, or alluded to, and describe events to which the letters refer. A historical introduction characterizes the letters and connects them with the events of Thoreau's life, a textual introduction lays out the editorial principles and procedures followed, and a general introduction discusses the significance of letter-writing in the mid-nineteenth century and the history of the publication of Thoreau's letters. Finally, a thorough index provides comprehensive access to the letters and annotations. "[Constitutes] the first full-scale scholarly edition of Thoreau's correspondence. When completed, the edition's three volumes will include every extant letter written or received by Thoreau--in all, almost 650 letters, roughly 150 more than in any previous edition, including dozens that have never before been published. Correspondence 1 contains 163 letters, ninety-six written by Thoreau and sixty-seven to him. Twenty-five are collected here for the first time; of those, fourteen have never before been published. These letters provide an intimate view of Thoreau's path from college student to published author. At the beginning of the volume, Thoreau is a Harvard sophomore; by the end, some of his essays and poems have appeared in periodicals and he is at work on A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and Walden. The early part of the volume documents Thoreau's friendships with college classmates and his search for work after graduation, while letters to his brother and sisters reveal warm, playful relationships among the siblings. In May 1843, Thoreau moves to Staten Island for eight months to tutor a nephew of Emerson's. This move results in the richest period of letters in the volume: thirty-two by Thoreau and nineteen to him. From 1846 through 1848, letters about publishing and lecturing provide details about Thoreau's first years as a professional author. As the volume closes, the most ruminative and philosophical of Thoreau's epistolary relationships begins, that with Harrison Gray Otis Blake. Thoreau's longer letters to Blake amount to informal lectures, and in fact Blake invited a small group of friends to readings when these arrived. Following every letter, annotations identify correspondents, individuals mentioned, and books quoted, cited, or alluded to, and describe events to which the letters refer. A historical introduction characterizes the letters and connects them with the events of Thoreau's life, a textual introduction lays out the editorial principles and procedures followed, and a general introduction discusses the significance of letter-writing in the mid-nineteenth century and the history of the publication of Thoreau's letters. Finally, a thorough index provides comprehensive access to the letters and annotations." -- Publisher's description. New York: Fordham University Press, 2015 — 384 p. — ISBN-10: 0823263878; ISBN-13: 978-0823263875.Dante put Muhammad in one of the lowest circles of Hell. At the same time, the medieval Christian poet placed several Islamic philosophers much more honorably in Limbo. Furthermore, it has long been suggested that for much of the basic framework of the Divine Comedy Dante was indebted to apocryphal traditions about a "night journey" taken by Muhammad. Dante scholars have increasingly returned to the question of Islam to explore the often surprising encounters among religious traditions that the Middle Ages afforded. This collection of essays works through what was known of the Qur'an and of Islamic philosophy and science in Dante's day and explores the bases for Dante's images of Muhammad and Ali. It further compels us to look at key instances of engagement among Muslims, Jews, and Christians. **Contents**Introduction.**__Approaches to a Controversy__**.Dante and Islam: History and Analysis of a Controversy.Dante and Islamic Culture.**__Dante and Knowledge of the Quran__**.Translations of the Quran and Other Islamic Texts before Dante (Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries).How an Italian Friar Read His Arabic Quran.**__Images of Islamic Philosophy and Learning in Dante__**.Philosophers, Theologians, and the Islamic Legacy in Dante: Inferno 4 versus Paradiso.Dante and the Falasijk: Religion as Imagination.Iconry as a Transmutative Art: Dante, Frederick II, and Islam.**__Images of Muḥammad in Dante__**.Dante’s Muḥammad: Parallels between Islam and Arianism.Muḥammad in Hell.**__Islam in Dante’s Italy__**.Mendicants and Muslims in Dante’s Florence.Dante and the Three Religions.The Last Muslims in Italy. New York: Fordham University Press, 2015 — 384 p. — ISBN-10: 0823263878; ISBN-13: 978-0823263875. Dante put Muhammad in one of the lowest circles of Hell. At the same time, the medieval Christian poet placed several Islamic philosophers much more honorably in Limbo. Furthermore, it has long been suggested that for much of the basic framework of the Divine Comedy Dante was indebted to apocryphal traditions about a "night journey" taken by Muhammad. Dante scholars have increasingly returned to the question of Islam to explore the often surprising encounters among religious traditions that the Middle Ages afforded. This collection of essays works through what was known of the Qur'an and of Islamic philosophy and science in Dante's day and explores the bases for Dante's images of Muhammad and Ali. It further compels us to look at key instances of engagement among Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Contents Introduction. Approaches to a Controversy . Dante and Islam: History and Analysis of a Controversy. Dante and Islamic Culture. Dante and Knowledge of the Quran . Translations of the Quran and Other Islamic Texts before Dante (Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries). How an Italian Friar Read His Arabic Quran. Images of Islamic Philosophy and Learning in Dante . Philosophers, Theologians, and the Islamic Legacy in Dante: Inferno 4 versus Paradiso. Dante and the Falasijk: Religion as Imagination. Iconry as a Transmutative Art: Dante, Frederick II, and Islam. Images of Muḥammad in Dante . Dante’s Muḥammad: Parallels between Islam and Arianism. Muḥammad in Hell. Islam in Dante’s Italy . Mendicants and Muslims in Dante’s Florence. Dante and the Three Religions. The Last Muslims in Italy. Controversy has raged about Christian perspectives on Muslims in Dante's Divine Comedy. One extreme emphasizes "clash of civilizations," another peaceful cohabitation. Dante's fit within orientalism remains debated. Sifting the issues requires investigating the Qur'an and Islamic learning, Dante's images of Muhammad, and engagement among Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Italy. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Letters 1834-1848 12 EDITORIAL APPENDIX 404 Notes on Illustrations 406 Acknowledgments 409 Editorial Contributions 412 General Introduction 413 Historical Introduction 449 Textual Introduction 471 Library Symbols 487 Short Titles 490 Bibliography 496 Index 506 Collects Every Extant Letter Sent Or Received By The Author, Over Six Hundred In All, Featuring Annotations Identifying The Correspondents, Quotations, Events, And Individuals.