Much Instruction From Little Reading: Books and Libraries in Thoreau's Concord.

Examines 'Much Instruction from Little Reading,' a popular compendium of stories that Thoreau believed symbolized the poor state of culture in Concord. It was an anthology of 18th-century poetry and prose for adults that found its way into the Charitable Library Society of Concord. Philanthropic public libraries like this emerged as part of America's republican spirit, and their collections sought to create a moral tone that might influence the citizenry. Surveys its holdings, which reflected a commitment to 18th-century republican values. By the 1830's it had transformed itself into a democratic institution typical of Jacksonian America, but one whose acquisitions policy remained conservative and traditional.