This is the second 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 2 contains 246 letters, 124 written by Thoreau and 122
written to him. Sixty-three are collected here for the first time; of
these, forty-three have never before been published. During the period
covered by this volume, Thoreau wrote the works that form the foundation
of his modern reputation. A number of letters reveal the circumstances
surrounding the publication of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack
Rivers in May 1849 and Walden in August 1854, as well as the essays
"Resistance to Civil Government" (1849; now known as "Civil
Disobedience") and "Slavery in Massachusetts" (1854), and two series,
"An Excursion to Canada" (1853) and "Cape Cod" (1855). Writing and
lecturing brought Thoreau a small group of devoted fans, most notably
Daniel Ricketson, an independently wealthy Quaker and abolitionist who
became a faithful correspondent. The most significant body of letters in
the volume are those Thoreau wrote to Harrison Gray Otis Blake, a friend
and disciple who elicited intense and complex discussions of the
philosophical, ethical, and moral issues Thoreau explored throughout his
life.
Following every letter, annotations identify correspondents, individuals
mentioned, and books quoted, 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 history of the publication of Thoreau's
correspondence. Proper names, publications, events, and ideas found in
both the letters and the annotations are included in the index, which
provides full access to the contents of the volume.
