White on White: Selections from the Works of E. B. White [Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

E. B. White (Author), Joel White (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1998

Famous for his columns in "Harper's" and "The New Yorker", revered for his essays in "One Man's Meat" and "The Elements of Style", and immortalized through his classic children's books "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little", E.B. White and his way with words have become legendary. During the last year of his life, his son, Joel White (1931-1997) visited him daily. These bedside hours were often spent with Joel reading excerpts from White's works aloud for them to enjoy together. Here, Joel reads some of their favorites including essays, letters and poems, plus a personal introduction that draws listeners closer to the life of E.B.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This sampler, complete with comments, is read by White's son Joel (who died in 1997). If nothing else, it is a listening experience that cannot be replicated. It brings together poems, letters, autobiographical notes, and fragments from essays (many of which appeared in The New Yorker or Harper's). White's writing is lightweight, the verbal equivalent of easy-listening music, further demonstrated by piano interludes. Excerpts from essays don't add any substance. And his poems (or rhymed verse) would fit better in the context of his famous children's books (most notably Charlotte's Web). The second tape is better, if only because listeners have gotten used to his style. It also includes the full text of "Once More to the Lake," a charming piece about taking his family on vacation every August. Recommended for listeners roaming the countryside on their own summer vacations.ARochelle Ratner, formerly with "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile

This re-release with additional works of essays and poems of E.B. White is an absolute treat. In this collection, the author's son, Joel White, narrates the work. At times, Joel White seems a bit careful in his reading, perhaps too deliberate, sometimes stiff. However, the combination of E.B. White's work and his son's presentation is power-ful and sensitive. The son's affection and respect for his father are clear, and his narration adds a terrific dimension to the listening quality of the tapes. E.W.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audio Bookshelf; Unabridged edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883332362
• ISBN-13: 978-1883332365
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,454,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Books on Cassette > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > White, E. B.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hang onto your hope, February 9, 2009

By 

Linda Bulger (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: White on White: Selections from the Works of E. B. White (Audio CD)

E.B. White's childlike joy in the world of animals and nature is best known through his children's classics CHARLOTTE'S WEB and STUART LITTLE. The same joy suffused all his work--essays, poems, letters--and this 2-CD collection read by his son Joel White is pure pleasure, if much too short.

White (1899-1985) was raised in New York and moved his family to a farm on the coast of Maine in 1938. This collection draws on work from all phases of his life, beginning with two essays about his boyhood. "The Conch" and "The Ring of Time" bring the questioning child to life again, and later in the first disc "The Sea and the Wind" describes his life-long fear of--and love affair with--the sea. These essays are interspersed with poems and letters, and certainly the pick of this first disc is White's letter to the IRS in 1951. He had been served with a warrant for the seizure and sale of his property in Maine due to a mix-up about Federal taxes. His letter is laconic, funny and passive-aggressive; "If you seize the place, there are a couple of things I should explain ..." such as where to find the eggs laid by the hens; a gentle reminder that it will soon be time to transplant the broccoli, tomatoes and petunias; and a request to straighten the headstones on the pets' graves. The home-town jam must have been settled amicably because he kept the farm.

The second disc brought me the greater pleasure, particularly the 1941 essay "Once More to the Lake." White had visited a Maine lake as a child, and when his son Joel was ten, father and son went to the same lake for a week of fishing. Raised as I was around lakes, I felt a deep connection with this story of the quiet mornings, the lake "chucking the boat under the chin," fishing for bass -- "the American family at play." The particular charm of this essay is White's reaction to the unchanging nature of the surroundings, seeing himself as a child when looking at his son.

White is in top form when writing about animals. We learn what it's like to raise a seagull chick: "A young gull eats twice his weight in food every ten minutes." We share "A Shepherd's Life" and learn that lambs will sit on goose eggs to keep them from freezing, because "things work out if you leave them alone." And in the delightful essay "A week in November," we meet Fred the elderly red dachshund: "Next to myself he is the greatest worrier and schemer on the premises"..."he wants to be present in a managerial capacity at every event"..."his hopes run always to accidents and misfortunes--the broken egg, the spilled milk...the fallen cake"..."as char-boy and scavenger he is the best dog I ever was associated with." Don't we all hope for such a perceptive and affectionate eulogy?

The simple but stylish essays and letters are a lesson in thoughtful writing. The poems may or may not be to your taste--they are not particularly to mine--but you do have to admire a writer who began compiling a dictionary in rhyming couplets, even if it was (thankfully) never completed.

The closing piece movingly expresses White's tempered view of life. Responding to a letter complaining about the state of the world, White wrote that every Sunday morning "I wind the clock as a contribution to order and steadfastness." He advises his correspondent to "Hang onto your hat, hang onto your hope, and wind the clock."

White on White: Selections from the Works of E. B. White. Two hours of listening enjoyment--recommended.

Linda Bulger, 2009

5.0 out of 5 stars Got a Daschound?, November 15, 2007

By 

L.C.C.Copeland (Mountain Home, AR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White on White: Selections from the Works of E. B. White (Audio CD)

Worth the price for the cut "Letter To The I.R.S." Alone! If you've got a dachshund, any dog, and had to leave them, been audited, lived in New York or Maine, or just need to have a smile today, this will do it!. By the author of "Charlotte's Web" and read by Mr. White's son, Joel. A perfect voice, and the right pacing and inflection for reading his Dad's work. A smile at least; probably a loud laugh, possibly cause you to roll on the floor!!