Essays of E. B. White

By: E. B. White

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Legendary author and essayist E. B. White writes, "The essayist is a self-liberated man, sustained by the childish belief that everything he thinks about, everything that happens to him, is of general interest." Covering a large number of subjects, this classic collection features 31 of White's most memorable essays.

©1977 E.B. White (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

a fun little book that gives you an appreciation

this book speaks about life in a different century for those who go into the 21st century should take heed to what it was like in the 19 hundreds EBY does a wonderful job and tells great stories recommend.

An absolute treasure

While listening to these essays I have the uncanny feeling that they were written last week.

Narrator’s voice is like a lullaby.

The essays are fascinating, weird, and so well written. But the true gift is if you are having trouble sleeping the narrator’s voice is so soothing and sonorous. Perfect for bouts of sleeplessness.

Great writer read beautifully!

EB White has always been a treasure to read. This audiobook adds a wonderful reader able to bring out the full resonance and emotion of this remarkable man. Highest recommendation!

A wonderful life.

Essays written by a master storyteller. Sophisticated yet down to earth, they are an absolute pleasure to listen to.

A beloved voice and master stylist

E. B. White is probably best known for Charlotte's Web, and next for Strunk and White's Elements of Style, the slim Bible for writers. These essays, mainly from his New Yorker days, cover an astonishing range of times and topics, but are all in that spare, elegant, unpretentious voice. His essay on New York is a love letter that resonates to this day, while his accounts of the homely details of farm life are vivid and oddly moving. Some of the political commentary is dated, but that's a minor theme and well worth browsing. The reader is pitch perfect. Highly recommend.

Literary Treasure!!

what else can I add but it's E.B.White!!! A person who loves words and knows how to put them together harmoniously.

Disappointing at times

Mr White can be brilliant and droll in many of his essays. However when he spoke of politics, the prose was pedantic and smarmy.
This was disappointing because much of the first and last essays in this collection were so enjoyable.

Rich food for the soul

Quirky, pithy, profound. A treasure of delights both in topic and style. Thought-provoking and entertaining. I enjoyed it so much I’m gifting it to friends this Christmas.

A Break from the Modern Age

Ably read by Malcolm Hillgartner, this collection of some of E.B. White’s essays is a mixed bag.

The first part, dealing with White’s life on his farm in Maine, may appeal to fans of James Herriot.

His essays covering politics are mainly of their time, although there is wisdom in them for those who choose to recognize it—not so much in his political positions, which have almost all become universally held—but in his tone. He lacks the viciousness that characterizes much of today’s arguments.

His autobiographical pieces are interesting, his nostalgic essays about the St. Nicholas Society and his favorite authority on birds are fairly dull.

What comes through most is his warmth and love for the world on its own terms, not a theoretical improved version, but just as he found it. His humor is gentle, tending more to the wry than the hilarious, and his tone is conversational and welcoming.

To sum up: the book is charming.