Concord: Its Poets & Its Places [antikvár]

PrefaceMy first visit to Concord, in 1947, vvas to visil Maiy Winder Crocker who was a student at Concord Academy. We were married two years later and moved lo Concord in the spring of 1950 after my graduation írom Harvard College. Our first home was a small cabin in the woods on top of Punkatasset Hill, leased from Mr. Gordon Hutchins. Although we had running water and a wood burning stove, we had no electricity. Our light was from candles and our lieat and hot water from the wood burning stove. It was this wonderful, spartan living tliat gave tis a lasling appreciation of the simple life and the natural beauty of Concord. As winter approached, we moved lo Láng Street, vvhere in December, tbc íirst of our llve cbildren was borii.In 1956, to better accommodate our expanding family, we built our own liouse on a five-acre parcel on Barnes Ilill Road. Our next door neigbbors for many years were llie Emerson family. It is through Dávid Emerson was a great-grandson ofRalph Waldo Emerson, ihat we came lo know of the self-reli-ant lifeslyle of the Emerson tradition. Our cbildrcn knew many of the eight Emerson children asyoung playmates. Although the Emersons moved away somé time ago, we still keep in touch with the family through Danny Emerson, one of the Emerson children who visits witli us from time to time.After living in Concord for forty-íive years, I have become joyfully rooted in the wonderful tradition and beauty of Concord. As a consequence, I feel inspired to share with others somé of the delightful images tliat my wife and I have come to apprcciatc over tbc years. Coinciding with this ürge to share Concord's beauty vvas a desire lo learn more about Concord's famous literary circle,Whal follows is a collagc of Concord's enduring natural beauty blended with words from fourof Concord's famous "poels": Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Dávid Thoreáu, Louisa MayAlcott, and Nathaniel I lawtborne. Tbese four arc Concord's literaiy grou|>, those who lived, wrote, and were buried here. These authors have enriched the lives of counüess pcople around the world, national leaders and priváté citizens alike. I hope through this blending of text and images the readerwill diseover sublimi-nal glimpses of t he "transcendental", the simple philosophy oí'lifc spawned by these four writers of the nineteenth century.