It seems that Herrick Kimball has become a member of a select group and been rubbing shoulders with such notable authors as Wendell Berry. Well….. maybe “rubbing shoulders” is not quite how I should describe….
I was perusing the latest issue of FARMING MAGAZINE, enjoying articles about grass based cattle farming, finding the perfect broiler chicken, and teaching your children to enjoy bee keeping when I came to page 58. And what did my wondering eyes fall upon but a picture of Herrick’s book Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian. It seems that FARMING MAGAZINE has done a review of Herrick’s book. On the same page is a review of Wendell Berry’s book Conversations with Wendell Berry. Hence, the above line!
Let me be the first to concratulate you on this Herrick!
And for all you other Christian Agrarians…and those longing to be, if you haven’t got a copy of Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian, well, get it in gear. I ordered a copy of Herrick’s book as soon as it was available and read it out loud to my family, at which time it was decided that each of my sons had to have a copy (because I wasn’t going to give up mine!) for their own library so they could read it to their own families. I also ordered several more copies to give as gifts to family and friends.
Herrick, thank you! Not only for sharing with us all on your blog, but also for putting all those stories into book form. You are passing on a heritage and a legacy for your own sons as well as assisting many others in doing the same. We have enjoyed your tales emmensly!
Allen
January 27, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Hi Allen,
I appreciate the kind words about my book and for letting others know about the review in “Farming” magazine. Thank you.
I tracked down a copy of the magazine when you e-mailed me about it. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known. “Farming” is a very fine magazine that I’ve been intending to subscribe to for some time and now finally have. One of the nice things about it is, as you know, Wendell Berry and Gene Lodgsdon are regular contributors. The recent issue has a story by Berry titled “Drouth.” I read it and marvelled at his skill in crafting a story with the written word. He and I are in no way comparable as writers, even if our books were reviewed together. But we do share a love of, and concern for, the virtues of our agrarian past: faith, family, community, and a respect for the land.
I am delighted to see that you are now blogging about such things yourself. Your blog is well-presented and inspiring and I look forward to reading more about you, your family, and your thoughts in the days ahead.
Best wishes,
Herrick Kimball
January 30, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Herrick,
I again tried to post comments on your blog but it is not working for me.
Thank you for your kind words and the warm welcome you have extended to my family and I. Thanks also for the plug to our blog. Your endorsement of my writing is encouraging.
I was not only surprised to see the review, I was also quite surprised that no one else had mentioned it. I’m sure there are other Christian Agrarians out there who read FARMING MAGAZINE.
Allen