Essays of E. B. White (Perennial Classics)

This book was received from ThriftBooks through Amazon in the condition noted which was Very Good. This is an older book that was published in 1977. There is no "old book" smell. There are no stains of food or water damage. There is no writing or highlighting. There is no former owner bookplate. There is only a small tear in the bottom right corner of the paper book jacket which was ok with me. The photo did not indicate the book would even have a paper jacket so I considered it a bonus. The pages are of the thicker cream color paper that is cut so they aren't all perfectly even on the long edge. I like that effect on a book. I borrowed a copy of this book from a local library and enjoyed the first essay so much I ordered the book. I wanted to be able to read the essays over time instead of on a library due date timeline. I have enjoyed all of the essays I have read to this point.

writes Elwyn Brooks White, probably familiar to most people as the author of Charlotte's Web. This collection contains 31 essays that "cover a long expanse of time, a wide variety of subjects" divided into seven categories: The Farm; The Planet; The City; Florida; Memories; Diversions and Obsessions; and Books, Men, and Writing. White impresses me most with his ability to entertain and inform readers on wide-ranging subjects. He seems as comfortable (and skilled) at writing about serious topics like: segregation (On a Florida Key-1941), "And I felt there were too many people in the world who think liberty and justice for all means liberty and justice for themselves and their friends;" the separation of church and state (Bedfellows-1956), "...I don't think a president should advertise prayer;" environmentalism (Sootfall and Fallout-1956), "I believe that no chemical waste is the correct amount to discharge into the rivers of the world...;"and disarmament (Unity-1960) "Total disarmament would not leave anyone free of the threat of war, it would simply leave everyone temporarily without the help of arms in the event of war;" as he is sharing his insight on less serious subjects, such as: the difficulty with giving up sentimental stuff (Goodbye to Forty-eighth Street-1957), "Trophies are like leeches. The ones made of paper, such as a diploma from school or a college, can be burned if you have the guts to light the match, but the ones made of bronze not only are indestructible but are almost impossible to throw away...;" his well-missed dachshund (Bedfellows), "Whenever the bed was occupied during the daylight hours...Fred would appear at the doorway and enter without knocking. On his big gray face would be a look of quiet amusement (at having caught somebody in bed during the daytime) coupled with his look of fake respectability;" the fate of a sick pig (Death of a Pig-1947), "Never send to know for whom the grave is dug, I said to myself, it's dug for thee;" an unconventional family of geese (The Geese-1971), "...geese are friends with no one, the badmouth everybody and everything;" and a nostalgic, return trip to a favorite boyhood destination with his son (Once More to the Lake-1941), "Summertime, oh, summertime, pattern of life indelible, the fade-proof lake, the woods unshatterable, the pasture with the sweetfern and the juniper forever and ever, summer without end." He also has great stuff to say about those whose works he admires, for example: (Will Strunk-1957), "A book I have decided not to get rid of is a small one...The Elements of Style, by the late William Strunk, Jr....Am delighted to study it again and rediscover its rich deposits of gold;" an ornithologist (Mr. Forbush's Friends), "If Edward Howe Forbush's prose is occasionally overblown, this results from a genuine ecstacy in the man, rather than a lack of discipline;" and Thoreau (A Slight Sound at Evening-1954), "Hairshirt or no, he is a better companion than most, and I would not swap him for a soberer or more reasonable friend even if I could." Other eclectic topics include: everything you ever wanted to know about the Model T (Farewell, My Lovely!-circa 1936), an eventful trip by ship to Alaska after being relieved of his job as a Seattle Times reporter (The Years of Wonder-1961), and the evolution of the railroad system in Maine (The Railroad-1960). Besides the fact that it contains some of the best essays of all time, the book's foreword provides insight into the authors' views on the genre and its writers, "The essayist is a self-liberated man, sustained by the childish believe that everything he thinks about, everything that happens to him, is of general interest," and the post essay section, entitled About E.B. White, includes an excellent chronology of major events in the man's life and writing career. Also good: The Painted Veil by Somerset Maughan, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Most folks will know E.B. White as the author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, or as the eminently practical voice of reason in The Elements of Style. However, White was also an accomplished essayist, turning out pieces for The New Yorker and Harpers on a regular basis for many years. What I like about White's essays is that they can be counted on to be insightful, amusing and well-written. White approaches an essay like a pleasant conversation. He's been thinking about New York and its inhabitants, he will tell you, and this what he's come up with. On another occasion it may be the personality quirks of his old dachshund Fred, or the controversy over white versus brown eggs. Anything and everything is food for thought, although you can be sure that White will broaden the scope of his topics to include the world at large. New York, he concludes, is a concentrated version of many worlds, "...bringing to a single arena the gladiator, the evangelist, the promoter, the actor, the trader, and the merchant." Fred, the dachshund, was "...the Cecil B. deMille of dogs. He was a zealot, and I have just been reminded of him by a quote from one of the Democrats..." And the white versus brown egg debate, White concludes, is simply a matter of what you're used to. Personally he prefers brown, and can recommend the egg of the Silver Cross, whose egg is "...so richly brown, so wondrously beautiful as to defy description." Best of all, White's insightful commentary does not require intense concentration or endless analysis to get the gist of what he is trying to say. You can sit back and relax when you pick up a book of his essays, knowing you won't have to grapple with unfamiliar or awkward language. This is not to imply that you won't find yourself thinking about what he has to say. It's just that his approach is so matter-of- fact, easy going and accessible that you feel you've been invited to tea or are taking a leisurely stroll as the essay unfolds. I read White's essays the way some people read mysteries or romance novels. They are entertaining without being too demanding, and are a great way to set day-to-day concerns aside. Treat yourself to a good read.

A good read

ENGLISH: Interesting collection of essays by the author of the famous trilogy about speaking animals, headed by Charlotte the spider. All these essays are very interesting, well-written and humorous, and give a good picture of life in the U.S. during forty years in the middle of the 20th century. "The eye of Edna," about a hurricane alert lived by the author in his farm in Maine, is hilarious. One of the best is "Coon tree," which not only deals with coons, but is also a meditation on old and modern home appliances. "Farewell my lovely" is a great tribute to Ford Model T. "The years of wonder" is the description of an adventurous journey White made during his youth. The essay about Don Marquis incremented my wish to read [book:Archy and Mehitabel|400723], which I've been wishing to read since decades ago, so I have now got the book and am reading it. I like this quote, which at the time it was written could have been suggested by MacCarthyism, but is perfectly applicable to the current situation: <i>I distrust the slightest hint of a standard for political rectitude, knowing that it will open the way for persons in authority to set arbitrary standards of human behavior.</i> ESPAÑOL: Interesante colección de ensayos por el autor de la famosa trilogía sobre animales parlantes, encabezada por la araña Carlota. Todos estos ensayos son muy interesantes, bien escritos y humorísticos, y dan una buena imagen de la vida en los Estados Unidos durante cuarenta años, a mediados del siglo XX. "El ojo de Edna", sobre una alerta de huracán que el autor vivió en su finca de Maine, es divertidísima. Una de las mejores es "El árbol del mapache", que no sólo trata de mapaches, sino que contiene una meditación sobre herramientas domésticas antiguas y modernas. "Adiós, encanto" es un gran homenaje al Ford modelo T. "Los años de la maravilla" describe un viaje aventurero que hizo White en su juventud. El ensayo sobre Don Marquis incrementó mi deseo de leer [book:Archy and Mehitabel|400723], que he estado deseando leer desde hace décadas, así que me he comprado el libro y lo estoy leyendo. Me gusta esta cita, que en su momento podría haber sugerido el macartismo, pero que se aplica prefectamente a la situación actual: <i>Desconfío del más mínimo indicio de un estándar de rectitud política, sabiendo que abrirá el camino para que las personas con autoridad establezcan estándares arbitrarios para el comportamiento humano.</i>

From a time when writing with dignity and brevity was a practiced art.

My first book with essays by E B White, just out of curiosity. Like all excellent writers, he knew how to put the perfect word in the perfect place. I jogged along with him from story to story but never got bored.

very readable essays.

a worthy read