Thoreau, and the Illustrations of Henry Bugbee Kane.

I am wholly of one mind with Alice, who asked,"And what is the use of a book without pictures?" Many's the book I have owned for years, just enjoying the pictures in it, before I got round to reading the text.

One such book was the Bramhall House edition of Henry David Thoreau's Walden, illustrated by another Henry, Henry Bugbee Kane. I don't find much, if I Google the man. This is one of those things which defies my comprehension, because I think that Henry Bugbee Kane was one of the finest artists and illustrators of the twentieth century. The illustrator's job is to bring the text to life, and Mr. Kane does this magnificently with Thoreau's books.

In any event, here are three of the illustrations that he did for Walden:




This one in particular is a favorite of mine. It captures so well the feel, the spiritual essence, of autumn:



Used copies of this edition of Walden can still be found, for not much money, on sites like Addall.com. If you're into Thoreau, and good illustration, I recommend it highly.