Thoreau: his life and aims;: A study,

by Alexander Hay Japp

A rare and perceptive early English study of Thoreau.

271 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2010

About the author

Alexander Hay Japp (1837–1905) was a Scottish author, journalist and publisher. Japp was versatile and prolific writer, writing under pseudonyms such as "H. A. Page", "A. F. Scot", "E. Conder Gray", and "A. N. Mount Rose" as well as in his own name. In his own name he issued in 1865 Three Great Teachers of our own Time: Carlyle, Tennyson, and Ruskin, which Ruskin found perceptive. He issued a selection of Thomas de Quincey's Posthumous Works (vol. i. 1891; vol. ii. 1893) and De Quincey Memorials: being Letters and other Records here first published (1891).

Japp tried many genres. Under a double pseudonym he issued in 1878 Lights on the Way (by "the late J. H. Alexander, B.A.", with explanatory note by "H. A. Page"), which was semi-autobiographical fiction.

Reviews

[Mischa Daanen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has to be the one of the best collections of Thoreau's rants out there. A lot of gems I've never stumbled upon before, taken from (I guess) his notebooks, private letters and lectures and speeches. Unfortunately, this also makes for the biggest disappointment of the book. It's a badly designed collection of sharp and insightful prose put together by, I feel, an admirer, who also didn't care about referencing the sources used. It's a constant stream of anecdotes and quotes and it's hard to differentiate between excerpts that are Thoreau's or the author's. The book is more or less chronological but it's not divided into chapters nor has it any kind of order to it. Not of much research value but quite enjoyable nevertheless.