I fell in love with The Blog of Henry David Thoreau at first sight. A brilliant utilization of the blog format, this site brings us excerpts from Thoreau’s journals every day of the week. Like a glass of single-malt scotch drunk neat, Thoreau’s stark, reflective prose has a memorable bite that ripens on the tongue.

Greg Perry, the founder and editor of the site, graciously agreed to answer some questions.

How did you come up with the idea for The Blog of Henry David Thoreau?

I had purchased the journals at a used book store some time ago. Every now and then, I’d check the entries for the particular date, but certainly not in any regular basis. Back in July, I had picked them up again, and read the entries for that date. And decided to post them on my blog, “grapez.” If I remember correctly I did this two days in a row, and light dawned on Marblehead: what about blogging these entries every day on a blog dedicated to just that. The rest, as they say, is history.

Can you talk about the process you go through when choosing excerpts for the blog? Have you ever found two great quotes, and felt dismayed that you had to wait an entire year before posting the second one?

I sit down at night and read the entries year by year. I have the Dover two volume set. Sometimes I begin with Vol 1, sometimes Vol. 2. I try to read them without any preconceived wish list for something to blog. I like to let the entry strike me as unique, inspiring, or just damned interesting. But I admit that very long entries usually are not considered. I just don’t have the time to type (at my typing speed especially). But every now and then, there is something that’s just too good, so I hack away at the keyboard. Not too often though. Because Henry has the tendency to be concise in short paragraphs. And then there are the one sentence pearls of wisdom. I like to mix those in. And yes, there have been many times when there has been more than one great entry. And every great while, it’s difficult to find an appropriate entry. But those are very rare (and usually when for some strange reason, Henry did not blog on that particular date in many of the years).

Thoreau’s journal seems particularly well-suited to the blogging format. What similarities and differences do you see between his 19th-century paper journal and our 21st-century electronic blogs?

The similarities are obvious. Daily entries. Personal notes. Natural observations. Runs the gamut really. I don’t think there are any differences except the obvious one. Thoreau wrote his journal as if others would read it eventually. So other than the immediacy of a blog, there isn’t that much different.

Does Thoreau’s journal show how vain, superficial, and ill-spoken we are today, or could he be vain, superficial, and ill-spoken, too?

Oh absolutely! That’s one of the great discoveries in reading him daily. He is human like the rest of us. His bigotries toward the Irish and the Indian are especially noticeable. There are times when you just don’t like the man. But that makes him even more appealing in fact. He’s not a saint. He’s a human being with all the foibles inherent with that species. Yet he could rise above that and recognize the better angel in himself. And that is truly inspiring to me.

One of the joys of reading The Blog of Henry David Thoreau is realizing that some things haven’t changed since his time. What continuities do you see between his era and ours?

Actually, that’s the thing. Most things are the same. He is living in a technological age as well as we are. The railroad and the telegraph are changing the world he knows. The country that he lives in has changed from the primeval days of his ancestors. There is a buried past there as well. And people are people. Politicians are especially politicians. Commerce is commerce. Even farmers are joining that business.

What has surprised you most as you have read through Thoreau’s work?

The lows and the highs. Sometimes I can’t believe the narrow view he has on some concern. And then there are the times (more than the lows I might note) when he just soars so high, I get shivers down my spine. These are the times that keep me going.

How has editing Thoreau’s journal affected your own writing?

I suppose I look at things differently, blog differently. Look to him as a mentor. I can think of at least a couple of instances in which my blog post was somewhat inspired by his journal, including my post yesterday. Although we have different temperaments of course.

Can you give us some links to your favorite journal posts?

That’s a difficult one. How to choose from the children? I’ll give you one that I remember stopping me in my tracks:

Thoreau’s Journal: 11-Dec-1855

What kind of feedback have you gotten on the site?

Comments and links which I always appreciate. I love it when something Thoreau posted stirs and inspires another. The Utne online notice was probably the biggest, in terms of attracting readership. It probably doubled the daily hits for Henry.
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You can find The Blog of Henry David Thoreau here.

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