Little Rivers

A Book of Essays in Profitable Idleness

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Pages: 109

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About this book

Little Rivers is presented as a book of essays in profitable idleness, dedicated to the writer's little daughter Brooke. The writer declares a preference for rivers small enough for intimacy, promising praise even for famous streams that remain little rivers at heart.

A travel account describes lazy movement by gondola, increasingly monotonous cries from the gondoliers, and the danger of falling asleep while paying by the hour. The journey toward the mountains begins with a railway trip to Belluno, described as taking about four or five hours. The reflection on flowers finds a secret pleasure in discovering delicate plants in the wilderness and says naming plants makes them a hundredfold more sweet and intimate.

About the author

Henry Van Dyke

Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933), known in full as Henry Jackson van Dyke Jr., was an American author, educator and diplomat who also wrote poetry and worked as a theologian and literary scholar. His books include "The Blue Flower" and "The House of Rimmon".