Autumnal Tints [Paperback]

Henry David Thoreau (Author), Henry Thoreau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Two institutions of New England, our fall colors and Henry David Thoreau, are brought together in this posthumously published rumination on Nature. Autumnal Tints was originally published in the October 1862 Atlantic Monthly. "October is the month for painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is its sunset sky; November the later twilight."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Library Journal EDITORS' PICK 2008 Brett Barry's crisp, well-paced reading free of theatrics allows the author's words to resonate. Listeners will get the sense of walking alongside Thoreau as he leads them half authoritative teacher, half marveling student on a tour of the evocative landscape. --Library Journal --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

American author, naturalist, philosopher, and leading transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is best known for his book Walden and his essay Civil Disobedience. His lasting contributions to American literature focus on natural history, self-sufficient living, and individuality.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Applewood Books (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155709442X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557094421
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Environmental Science
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Earth Sciences > Environmental Science
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Outdoors & Nature > Nature Writing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An essay omitted from many anthologies, January 2, 2002

By 

Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Autumnal Tints (Paperback)

Published in _Atlantic Monthly_ five months after his death, this essay describes the colors of the New England landscape as Henry David Thoreau saw them in the mid-1800s. His motivation for writing such words seems to have been his neighbors' apathy and indifference toward the natural world, for "A man sees only what concerns him." And so Thoreau speaks of the beauty of purple grasses and of maples, elms, and oaks. He doesn't mind the fallen willow leaves that land in his boat and doesn't clean them out -- he accepts them as extra cushioning for his seat. One wonders what Henry would think now, when tourists are apt to drive to New England on fall weekends, just to see the leaves. There's no earth-shattering revelations in this booklet. It's just an easy read for a crisp and bright October day.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unforgotten nature, October 22, 2008

By 

Poly Meros (Anywhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autumnal Tints (Paperback)

It is a beautiful text that revels in nature's exuberant expression and rescues her vital value to man. To witness Thoreau's love of nature is pure joy. There is no better teacher than he ... to learn Nature's lessons through his eyes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Autumn Harvest, March 20, 2011

By 

Amaranth "music fan" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autumnal Tints (Paperback)

"Autumnal Tints" is one of Henry David Thoreau's most underrated works. His writings on civil disobedience and Walden Pond are seminal works... yet his praise of the Massachusetts autumn is poetic. It is reverie in the glory of Nature. It is the writing of a Nature mystic, not unlike his Californian equivalent, John Muir (Journeys in the Wilderness) While Muir was in the relative seclusion of the redwoods, the wildness of Yosemite... Thoreau transcended the urbanity of New England in his forest solitude. A true Transcendentalist. He wasn't that far from the metropolis of Boston, or nearby Worcester... yet he found joy in the colors of the fall. Autumn is a time of harvest, contemplation, it is the softening of summer, the mild transition to the cold New England winter. "Autumnal Tints" is ecstatic in its praise of the Bay State. It is poetry transfigured into prose. A harvest of words.