Thursday, December 31, 2009

"Essays of E.B. White"

E.B. White was an extremely talented writer of essays. He wrote thousands of essays for the "New Yorker," from its inception in 1925 to the day of his passing in 1985 at the age of 86. No one would argue that E.B. White was the Master of letters of the 20th century. His writing style is conversational, and his subject matter is interesting and timeless, like a very good story that you just can't put down.

This particular collection of essays contains essays on the demise of the railroad as transportation, the female raccoon who gives birth to her young in White's tree every year, the harmful effects of radiation, and much more. Each essay has within it the power to make the reader care about whatever the subject is. One of my favorites is the essay in which he lovingly extols the beauty and idiosyncrasies of his Model T.

What it was about this collection of essays that I enjoyed most was the way in which they encouraged me to think about the everyday things in life. I am encouraged to appreciate loved ones more, and take care not to take them for granted. I feel as though I should look on all that I have and really, really be thankful.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Tami,
This is my first visit to your blog site and I can tell you I will be visiting often. I love your reviews and have made a list of books to check out, books I probably would not have thought of on my own...I had no idea E.B. White had a collection of essays.
By the way, I love that picture of you in the classic car.

Lora's ~ Journal said...

Hi Tami: Congrats on finding your own space. V. Woolf would be proud of you. I also enjoy E.B. White's essays. My fav. book is titled: Here is New York..intro by Roger Angell. Only 54 pges, he describes NYC as it was when he wrote it in 1949) and since I live in the heart of the city, I cherish it. Tami, happy writing in 2010. Cheers. Lora Mitchell (Visit me at: triplemoonstar.blogspot.com..Lora'sJourney. Only a few months in..it is slowly evolving as I haven't found my theme yet.

tamirichards said...

I had no idea that I was receiving comments on this blog! Sorry for not responding; I thought that I had updated my email addy.

Thank you for visiting, and for leaving comments. Responder; I like the classic car pic, too. In fact, classic cars are a not-so-secret passion of mine.

I am glad to get the word out about E.B. White's amazingly articulate and relevant essay collection.

Karen-I have not as of yet figured out how to speak in front of others without being overwhelmed. E.B. white had his acceptance speech for one of his awards read by someone else; seems he had the same problem.

Lora-I will be sure to read "HERE IS NEW YORK." Though it is a bit older, I'm sure to find value in the prose.

---Tami