"Essays of E.B White" is a brilliant collection of essays that are cherished equally by writers and readers. He is one of a handful of writers who I have loved since my childhood, as we often become literary snobs once the 30's are met, forsaking many of the authors of our youth as sophomoric. White's works are different - they transcend age, classification and genre.
Besides penning the classics "Stuart Little" and "Charlotte's Web", E.B. White, prior to his death in 1985, was a writer's writer whose skills were not limited merely to the genre of children's fiction.
"Essays of E.B. White" is broken-down into 7 categories; the farm, the planet, the city, Florida, memories, diversions and obsessions and books, men and writing. They are brilliant works ranging in length that can be appreciated by anybody. His analysis and understanding of the most minute details are so easily conveyed that I often wonder if I could ever be as great of a writer as E.B. White.
I could without much difficulty at all add some of my favorite excerpts from the book, but that wouldn't be fair to the rest. The collection of essays are as simple to digest and as readable as anything you'll read, however often there are subtle reminders of just how great a writer Mr. White was;
When we got back for a swim before lunch, the lake was exactly where we had left it, the same number of inches from the dock, and there was only the merest suggestion of a breeze.
Simple and void of words that have you reaching for your Funk & Wagnall's, yet genius in the sense that it allows the visualization of his prose without much trouble at all.
The cover of the printing I own is also one of my favorite covers to any book I own.
I will be more than happy to be half the writer he is once my days on this planet become numbered - the man is a genius. "Essays of E.B. White" is a collection by one of the greatest essayists, a book that should be owned by both fanatical fans of literature and casual readers alike.
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