"OH, THE BLESSEDNESS OF WORK, OF LIFE GIVING AND LIFE SUSTAINING WORK"

BURROUGHS, John. Literary Values and Other Papers. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1902. Small octavo, original half brown, half olive cloth. $750.

First edition, inscribed by the author, "Oh, the blessedness of work, of life giving & life sustaining work. The busy man is the happy man; the idle man is the unhappy. John Burroughs January 19, 1914."

"One of his finest moments as a writer on literature, Literary Values focused on contemporary trends in criticism, and on the issues of genuineness in both criticism and art…The best criticism, wrote Burroughs, was that which was infused with the heartfelt emotion and concern of the critic himself. Burroughs sought criticism that rose organically from the author's passions, affections, and biases, criticism that was much more than a dry scholarly summing up. He craved the full mind of the critic" ((Renehan, John Burroughs: An American Naturalist, 221). Printer's imprint on p. [266] as called for. BAL 2172.

Interior fine, inner hinges expertly reinforced, small stain to cloth front cover. Near-fine.