4 ms·

"It's said that Henry David Thoreau lived alone in a Bakers tent on Walden Pond." Who says this? Thoreau lived in a cabin and had his mother bring him food ev

"It's said that Henry David Thoreau lived alone in a Bakers tent on Walden Pond." Who says this? Thoreau lived in a cabin and had his mother bring him food every day.

mikestew 5y ago
Thoreau says this, in The Maine Woods[0]. (EDIT: Thoreau says that he lived in a tent in Maine, not at Walden Pond.) The author of TFA got it a little wrong. Note to those wanting to replicate this: I'm pretty sure Thoreau's tent catches fire at some point. I'd have to re-read to confirm or deny if it had anything to do with setting the tent in front of the fire, as the author of TFA does. [0] https://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods.html https://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods.html
- robocat 5y ago
  “A shed-shaped tent will catch and reflect the heat like a Yankee-baker, and you may be drying while you are sleeping.” Page 124: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page124.html http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page124.html “ We had no sooner pitched our tent than the thunder-shower burst on us, and we hastily crept under it, drawing our bags after us, curious to see how much of a shelter our thin cotton roof was going to be in this excursion. Though the violence of the rain forced a fine shower through the cloth before it was fairly wetted and shrunk, with which we were well bedewed, we managed to keep pretty dry”. Page 99: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page99.html http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page99.html “Our bed was made with as much care and skill as a roof is shingled; beginning at the foot, and laying the twig end of the cedar upward, we advanced to the head, a course at a time, thus successively covering the stub-ends, and producing a soft and level bed. For us six it was about ten feet long by six in breadth. This time we lay under our tent, having pitched it more prudently with reference to the wind and the flame, and the usual huge fire blazed in front.” Page 27: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page27.html http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page27.html I didn’t find anything about a tent catching fire, but I only skim searched.
  - mikestew 5y ago
    Thanks for looking. It is entirely possible that my middle-aged memory on books read 25 years ago is...not entirely reliable. :-)
- Semiapies 5y ago
  Thanks for the correction/clarification.
  - Semiapies 5y ago
    I'm boggled people would downvote this; I would have noted mikestew's point about The Maine Woods in my original post if I could have still edited it.
    - mikestew 5y ago
      Boggled myself. I upvoted, but it's still light text, which means it wasn't just a one-off or an accident. :-P It reminds me of what a good idea /.'s meta-moderation was: "keep that shit up, and we'll take your down arrow away".

"It's said that Henry David Thoreau lived alone in a Bakers tent on Walden Pond." Who says this? Thoreau lived in a cabin and had his mother bring him food every day.

mikestew 5y ago

Thoreau says this, in The Maine Woods[0]. (EDIT: Thoreau says that he lived in a tent in Maine, not at Walden Pond.) The author of TFA got it a little wrong. Note to those wanting to replicate this: I'm pretty sure Thoreau's tent catches fire at some point. I'd have to re-read to confirm or deny if it had anything to do with setting the tent in front of the fire, as the author of TFA does. [0] https://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods.html https://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods.html

robocat 5y ago
“A shed-shaped tent will catch and reflect the heat like a Yankee-baker, and you may be drying while you are sleeping.” Page 124: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page124.html http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page124.html “ We had no sooner pitched our tent than the thunder-shower burst on us, and we hastily crept under it, drawing our bags after us, curious to see how much of a shelter our thin cotton roof was going to be in this excursion. Though the violence of the rain forced a fine shower through the cloth before it was fairly wetted and shrunk, with which we were well bedewed, we managed to keep pretty dry”. Page 99: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page99.html http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page99.html “Our bed was made with as much care and skill as a roof is shingled; beginning at the foot, and laying the twig end of the cedar upward, we advanced to the head, a course at a time, thus successively covering the stub-ends, and producing a soft and level bed. For us six it was about ten feet long by six in breadth. This time we lay under our tent, having pitched it more prudently with reference to the wind and the flame, and the usual huge fire blazed in front.” Page 27: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page27.html http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page27.html I didn’t find anything about a tent catching fire, but I only skim searched.
- mikestew 5y ago
  Thanks for looking. It is entirely possible that my middle-aged memory on books read 25 years ago is...not entirely reliable. :-)
Semiapies 5y ago
Thanks for the correction/clarification.
- Semiapies 5y ago
  I'm boggled people would downvote this; I would have noted mikestew's point about The Maine Woods in my original post if I could have still edited it.
  - mikestew 5y ago
    Boggled myself. I upvoted, but it's still light text, which means it wasn't just a one-off or an accident. :-P It reminds me of what a good idea /.'s meta-moderation was: "keep that shit up, and we'll take your down arrow away".