Review 583: Henry Thoreau as Remembered by a Young Friend

Henry Thoreau as Remembered by a Young Friend by Edward Waldo Emerson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a somewhat small book recounting the character and person of Henry David Thoreau. The author, Edward Emerson was a child growing up in Concord and knew Thoreau quite well being the son of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Emerson does not rely solely on his own experiences and memories, he includes other people's remarks about Thoreau. There are also passages of Thoreau’s that were from his diary or other published works. He also has a few poems, or lines of poetry that is sprinkled throughout.

The book was published about 70 years after Thoreau's passing and is a response to those who criticized his character. Some of the townsfolk of Concord at that time thought he was lazy or didn’t do right by his family by spending time wandering around the woods. Emerson here points out how Thoreau was wisely spending his time. He also shows how Thoreau was ahead of his time. If that was noticeable in 1917 he is every more so now another 100 plus years later.