Among the Isles of Shoals

Bowie, MD: Heritage Books. VG HB. 1978. Charles Dickens called Thaxter's essays admirable and Horace Greeley called them "best prose writing I have seen for a long . time. Her pen pictures are wonderfullly well done." The shoals are a group of nine small rocky island off the coast of New Hampshire where she was raised and lived most of her life. Herman Melville called them the "Enchanted Isles" "It is to be doubted whether any spot on earth can "in desolateness, furnished a parallel to this group." Thaxter says though "There is a charm about them, an indescribable influence in this atmosphere, hardely to be explained but universally acknowledged." Includes publisher's press review that states "Thaxter's stories both poignant and humorous" are about the hardy folk who inhabited the islands, and explanations for their names "Hog Island now called Appledore; Smutty Nose; White Star. Classic and unclassifiable." It captures natural history and personal recollection to capture the stark beauty of the islands." "Thaxter is one of the most popular poets of the late nineteenth century and a leading literary figure who counted among her friends John Greenleaf Whittier, Sarah Orne Jewett and Nathanicl Hawthorne. "Best femembered now for her non-fiction books An Island Garden and Among the Isles of Shoals." This is a facsimile edition of the original 1873 edition. .