Eudora Welty: A stepping stone to greater things

When Selected Stories of Eudora Welty was introduced into Random House's Modern Library series in the 1950s, one man saw in that collection the potential to effect a change in another's life for "greater things." He purchased a copy and inscribed it to a a friend or relative or lover, known only to us as SAR (or is that SAK?), and forgotten to history. Either way, the sentiment is the same for an aspiring writer or scholar.

"With the hope that this will be a stepping stone to greater things."

Thoreau's annotated copy of Walden

I don't know how long this link will be available, but the video is worth a look while it's around on the Internet: http://ow.ly/m6SdX

Professor Gould of Middlebury College in Vermont talks about Thoreau's copy of his book, Walden, which she retrieves from the college's archives and shares with viewers in this interview. Her comments on Thoreau's marginalia underscore the scholarship inherent in such an historically important copy of this book.

But there's also a certain thrill-factor, which Professor Gould captures perfectly in her closing words:

"It's just glorious to be able to hold it in your hands because Thoreau held it in his hands, he made the notes, and it's as close to history as you can possibly get."