Bonds of Affection: Thoreau on Dogs and Cats (Spirit of Thoreau (University of Massachusetts Press))

About this book

Henry David Thoreau is celebrated as one of Americas greatest nature writers yet few readers are aware of the tender perceptive and often humorous attention he gave to the animals closest to human domestic life. Bonds of Affection: Thoreau on Dogs and Cats gathers the finest of Thoreaus own writings in which he turns his unflinching powers of observation and his characteristic philosophical wit toward our oldest animal companions. In these pages Thoreau emerges not merely as a solitary sojourner in the wild but as a keen and affectionate chronicler of the relationships between people and the animals who share their lives. Whether tracking the behavior of a neighborhood dog or meditating on the inscrutable self-possession of a cat Thoreau reveals the depth of feeling and moral seriousness he believed we owe to all living creatures. His observations are sometimes wry sometimes lyrical and always charged with his conviction that an attentive life demands that we see the world through eyes other than our own. Beautifully complemented by original engravings from celebrated artist Barry Moser and framed by a foreword from bestselling animal author Elizabeth Marshall Thomas this elegantly produced volume is both a delight for lovers of Thoreau and an essential companion for anyone who has ever shared their homeand their heartwith a dog or a cat. Published in cooperation with the Thoreau Society Bonds of Affection introduces readers to a Thoreau who is at once familiar and surprising: playful and profound grounded in the everyday and alive to the wonder of the natural and domestic world alike.