The New Walden (By Matt Steel)
Out of context: Reply #10
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- gramme2
pressplay, thanks for your thoughts.
I don't think my edition is contrary to Thoreau's philosophy at all. Thoreau was one of America's first environmentalists, and this edition will last for hundreds of years. I'm taking the long view on sustainability here. As Dann Petty said, "buy nice or buy twice." If you want a book to last a really long time, it takes sturdy, premium materials. In that sense, this edition is very economical and simple: you'll never need to buy another edition of Walden. It won't wear out or get banged up very easily, and the rounded spine will allow the binding to last longer. Long-lasting production values seemed appropriate for a story with great staying power.
Re: reaching a broader audience, that's what the $15 digital version is for. (you can find free digital versions of Walden, but all of them are unattractive). The printed book is more of a collector's item, although it's priced much lower than the average collector's edition.
My edition will be about 6.6" x 9," slightly bigger than the average hardcover novel. The first edition of Walden was larger than mine, with a blind-stamped floral design on the front cover and gold foil on the spine. So while he was a proponent of living simply, I don't think Thoreau was utterly spartan in every single category. I think it would be a stretch to say that a cheap, pocket-sized edition of Walden is the ideal format for the text. The pocket editions certainly have their place, as do the collector's editions.
If published, this will be the fourth annotated edition of Walden. The other three have much more comprehensive notes. My approach is more streamlined, and it is actually an exercise in simplicity. By defining archaic terms, providing notations for mythological / historical references that are less widely-known now than in HDT's day, and giving bibliographical info for literary references, the reader can keep their phone in their pocket or their 19th c. dictionary on the shelf. I'm avoiding the background info and in-depth commentary that you'll find in Cramer's or Harding's editions. That stuff is great for study, but I wanted to make something that's more attractive to the lay reader.
Annotations become almost indispensable over time because of the evolution of language. It's a courtesy to the reader. People will still have to "stand on tip-toes" to understand this edition Walden.
(See the KS page for more on my approach to annotations.)
The wide margins were designed to provide enough space for small but legible side notes. Side notes aligned with the baseline grid are much more user-friendly than footnotes.
Body copy is 10 pt Lyon, so pretty economical. And my page count will be pretty close to the first edition.
The big type – I'm guessing you mean the epigraphs w/ green backgrounds? Those are mainly for the sake of pacing. I find that providing readers with peaks and valleys helps hold their attention. It's particularly helpful when dealing with one of the most complex books in the history of American literature.