Page:The first and last journeys of Thoreau - lately discovered among his unpublished journals and manuscripts.djvu/17

 Society as are acquainted with the writings of Thoreau will at once appreciate the great importance of this publication, as being a valuable contribution to the literature of our country, and also as a work that will arouse a lively interest among collectors of First Editions. When an "unpublished manuscript" of Thoreau was first announced, it created somewhat of a sensation, and many admirers of this great poet-naturalist and philosopher ventured to assume that "it can t be so; it must be a forgery." But, startling as the fact may be, the Society has, through the liberality and kindness of Mr. Bixby, come into possession of an important collection of unpublished Thoreau manuscripts, which are now printed for the first time, and placed within the reach of the members of The Bibliophile Society.

Of the genuineness of the originals there can be no doubt, for every line is in the autograph of the author himself. Their authenticity is attested by the editor, Mr. F. B. Sanborn, who was the neighbor and personal friend of Thoreau, as also of Emerson, Hawthorne, and Channing. Mr. [ix]