Thoreau in His Own Time, edited by Sandra Harbert Petrulionis, is now available from the Writers in Their Own Time series of the University of Iowa Press.

The 49 recollections gathered in Thoreau in His Own Time demonstrate that it was those who knew him personally, rather than his contemporary literati, who most prized Thoreau’s message, but even those who disparaged him respected his unabashed example of an unconventional life.

Included are comments by Ralph Waldo Emerson—friend, mentor, Walden landlord, and progenitor of Thoreau’s posthumous reputation; Nathaniel Hawthorne, who could not compliment Thoreau without simultaneously denigrating him; and John Weiss, whose extended commentary on Thoreau’s spirituality reflects unusual tolerance. An excerpt by John Burroughs, who alternately honored and condemned Thoreau, asserts his view that Thoreau was ever searching for the unattainable.

Each entry is introduced by a headnote that places the selection in historical and cultural context. Petrulionis’s comprehensive introduction and her detailed chronology of personal and literary events in Thoreau’s life provide an informative gateway to the entries themselves.

Petrulionis is professor of English and American Studies and program coordinator for Letters, Arts, and Sciences at Penn State Altoona.

The book is available at bookstores or from the UI Press, 800-621-2736 or www.uiowapress.org. Customers in Europe, the Middle East or Africa may order from Eurospan Group at www.eurospanbookstore.com.