Essays of E. B. White

E. B. White

Harper Collins, Feb 25, 2014 - Literary Collections - 384 pages

"Some of the finest examples of contemporary, genuinely American prose. White's style incorporates eloquence without affection, profundity without pomposity, and wit without frivolity or hostility. Like his predecessors Thoreau and Twain, White's creative, humane, and graceful perceptions are an education for the sensibilities."  — Washington Post

The classic collection by one of the greatest essayists of our time.

Selected by E.B. White himself, the essays in this volume span a lifetime of writing and a body of work without peer.  "I have chosen the ones that have amused me in the rereading," he writes in the Foreword, "alone with a few that seemed to have the odor of durability clinging to them." These essays are incomparable; this is a volume to treasure and savor at one's leisure.

Contents

• GOODBYE TO FORTYEIGHTH STREET: 3
• HOMECOMING: 8
• A REPORT IN SPRING: 16
• DEAD OF A PIG: 20
• THE EYE OF EDNA: 30
• COON TREE: 41
• A REPORT IN JANUARY: 56
• THE WINTER OF THE GREAT SNOWS: 65
• RIPOSTE: 73
• THE GEESE: 76
• THE PLANET: 85
• LETTER FROM THE EAST: 87
• BEDFELLOWS: 99
• SOOTFALL AND FALLOUT: 112
• UNITY: 125
• THE CITY: 137
• THE WORLD OF TOMORROW: 139
• HERE IS NEW YORK: 148
• FLORIDA: 169
• ON A FLORIDA KEY: 171
• THE RING OF TIME: 178
• WHAT DO OUR HEARTS TREASURE?: 188
• MEMORIES: 193
• AFTERNOON OF AN AMERICAN BOY: 195
• FAREWELL MY LOVELY: 202
• THE YEARS OF WONDER: 210
• ONCE MORE TO THE LAKE: 246
• DIVERSIONS AND OBSESSIONS: 255
• THE SEA AND THE WIND THAT BLOWS: 257
• THE RAILROAD: 261
• BOOKS MEN AND WRITING: 279
• THE ST NICHOLAS LEAGUE: 281
• A SLIGHT SOUND AT EVENING: 292
• SOME REMARKS ON HUMOR: 303
• DON MARQUIS: 312
• WILL STRUNK: 319
• MR FORBUSHS FRIENDS: 327
• About E B White: 349

About the author

E. B. White, the author of such beloved classics as Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921 and, five or six years later, joined the staff of the New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. He died on October 1, 1985, and was survived by his son and three grandchildren.Mr. White's essays have appeared in Harper's magazine, and some of his other books are: One Man's Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, Essays of E. B. White, and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White. He won countless awards, including the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which commended him for making a "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children."During his lifetime, many young readers asked Mr. White if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, "No, they are imaginary tales... But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination."

Bibliographic information

• Title: Essays of E. B. White
• Author: E. B. White
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2014
• ISBN: 0062348752, 9780062348753
• Length: 384 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Biography & Autobiography / Literary Figures; Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs; Biography & Autobiography / Women; Fiction / Short Stories (single author); History / Modern / 20th Century / General; History / United States / 20th Century; Literary Collections / American / General; Literary Collections / Essays; Literary Collections / Medieval; Literary Collections / Women Authors; Literary Criticism / Books & Reading; Literary Criticism / Feminist; Literary Criticism / Modern / 20th Century; Literary Criticism / Shakespeare; Literary Criticism / Women Authors