The Penobscot Man

by Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, Edward D. Ives (Contributor)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1904 edition. ... INTRODUCTORY The question is sometimes asked why a state like Maine, so sparsely settled, poor, weak in all external aids, can send forth such throngs of masterful men, who, east and west, step to the front to lead, direct, and do. We who were brought up among pine-trees and granite know the secret of their success. It comes not wholly by taking it is in the blood. Here are stories of men, the kind we have yet a-plenty, who die unknown and unnoticed; and every tale is a true one, -- not the chance report of strangers, the gleanings of recent acquaintance, the aftermath of hearsay, the enlargements of a fading tradition; but the tales of men who tended me in babyhood, who crooned to me old slumber-songs, who brought me gifts from the woods, who wrought me little keepsakes, or amused my childish hours, -- stories which, having gathered them from this one and that one who saw the deed, I have bound into a garland to lay upon their graves. Such tales are numberless; choice becomes invidious unless rigidly limited, and therefore, since the old West Branch Drive is no more, I have chosen solely among its members, and have strung these tales, like beads of remembrance, upon one thread, -- of which we who love it never tire, -- the River. These are stories told with little art. In the long run, the books that lie closest to the facts have the advantage. It is lovely to be beautiful, but it is essential to be true. The events are actual occurrences; the names, real names; the places any one may see at any time. Yet each story is not merely personal and solitary, but illustrates typically some trait of the whole class. Their virtues are not magnified, their faults are not denied; in black and white, for good or evil, they stand here as...

351 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

(1865-1946)

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The stories in it are true and are about real men. It was more than interesting to read about Joe Attien, Thoreau's guide on his second trip to the Maine woods, who drowned trying to run impossible rapids, just for the challenge of it. He could have saved himself, but chose to stay with those of his men who could not swim. "Oh, the folly of all self-sacrifice, the vanity of all things beautiful, the lying promise of spiritual ends which the cynic preaches! 'This might have been sold for much and given to the poor!' Verily. Yet when the poor had eaten and drunken it, what then? But the precious wastefulness, preserved within a book, — how many are fed from the ambrosia of such a fair and noble deed!"
And then there is the pretty story of "The Posies", where eleven pure white Ladies Slippers are plucked and saved by the rivermen, because they overheard a woman telling her companion that they were beautiful! Those rough men, who would dare each other to do deeds that often cost them their lives, yet took such care not to crush a little bird's nest that had been built close to the river where they worked! I doubt there will be men like them ever again.

[Zanyar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly a great book. I really enjoyed the stories. Before this book I didn't know a thing about river runs. I'm amazed and awed by these people. Also a great audiobook by Librivox. Highly recommend.

[DMC · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editor of this book annotated a 1904 text by FHE that profiles the life of the Penobscot River drivers during the era of the long logs, before there was any help from horses or steam. Most of the action in the book takes place on the West Branch. It was a fascinating look into the people and work of the era. Very interesting to compare the landscape then to today. The style of writing can be a bit cumbersome to read (the author had a hinting rather than direct style and alluded to all sorts of other texts), so I’d only recommend if you’re really interested in the content or locale.