Thoreau and the Language of Trees

Richard Higgins is a former longtime staff writer for the Boston Globe, the coauthor of Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion after 50, and the coeditor of Taking Faith Seriously. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Christian Century, and Smithsonian. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

• Foreword by Robert D. RichardsonA Note on SourcesIntroduction: Speaking the Language of Trees1. AN EYE FOR TREESAgainst the Sky a Tree Has Parts2. A HEART FOR TREESHeartwood3. A POET’S TREESWoodplay4. A MIND FOR TREESForest Lessons5. A SOUL FOR TREESAs High a Heaven6. MY EMBLEM, THE PINEPaeans to the Pine7. KNIGHTING ELMSDeath of a Concord Kingpost8 . A KINGDOM OF PRIMITIVE OAKSBoxborough’s Ancient Oaks9. TRANSFORMED BY SNOWA World Made New10. IN A BARQUE OF BARKSailing a Sea of GreenAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyList of Thoreau ExcerptsIllustration CreditsIndex

"Writer and former Boston Globe reporter Richard Higgins culls a selection of Thoreau's writings on trees from his voluminous journals. Higgins gathers a satisfying assemblage, one that showcases Thoreau's deep reverence for the oaks and elms, pines and birches, rising into the sky in Concord. Short essays open each chapter, revealing Higgins to be a sensitive observer both of his environment and of Thoreau's writing." Boston Globe