Additional information
by Robert Frost (Author), Mint Editions (Contribution by)
North of Boston (1914) is a collection of poems by American poet Robert Frost. Following the success of Frost's debut, A Boy's Will (1913), North of Boston was published in London to enthusiastic reviews from both Ezra Pound and W.B. Yeats. His success abroad quickly translated to critical acclaim in the United States, and Frost would eventually be recognized as a leading American poet.
"Mending Wall" takes place in spring, as the people emerge from their homes to assess the damage done by the long, dark winter. Observing that parts of the stone wall on the edge of his property have fallen, the poet joins his neighbor "to walk the line / And set the wall between us once again." Although he feels they "do not need the wall," his neighbor insists that "'Good fences make good neighbours, '" continuing down the line to reinforce the space between them. A meditation on humanity, civilization, and democracy, "Mending Wall" is an iconic and frequently anthologized poem. In "After Apple-Picking," as fall gives over to winter, the poet remembers in dreams how the "Magnified apples appear and disappear, / Stem end and blossom end" as he climbs the ladder into the heart of the tree. Both a symbol for life and a metaphor for the poetic act, apple picking leaves the poet "overtired / Of the great harvest he himself] desired", awaiting sleep as he describes "its coming on," wondering what, if anything, it will bring.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Robert Frost's North of Boston is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.
Back Jacket
With his second collection, North of Boston, Robert Frost invites the reader to enter his world: "I'm going out to clean the pasture spring...You come too." Invoking the tradition of pastoral poetry, Frost sets himself apart as a writer familiar with the work required of rural life while composing a plainspoken music capable of "mak[ing] gaps even two can pass abreast."
