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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley Paperback - 1995

by Opal Whiteley; Benjamin Hoff (Editor)


Summary

Long before environmental consciousness became popular, a young nature writer named Opal Whitely captured America's heart. Opal's childhood diary, published in 1902, became an immediate bestseller, one of the most talked-about books of its time. Wistful, funny, and wise, it was described by an admirer as "the revelation of the ...life of a feminine Peter Pan of the Oregon wilderness—so innocent, so intimate, so haunting, that I should not know where in all literature to look for a counterpart."

But the diary soon fell into disgrace. Condemning it as an adult-written hoax, skeptics stirred a scandal that drove the book into obscurity and shattered the frail spirit of its author.

Discovering the diary by chance, bestselling author Benjamin Hoff set out to solve the longstanding mystery of its origin. His biography of Opal that accompanies the diary provides fascinating proof that the document is indeed authentic—the work of a magically gifted child, America's forgotten interpreter of nature.

From the publisher

Opal Whiteley grew up in logging settlements near the town of Cottage Grove, at the southern end of Oregon's Willamette Valley. A child literary prodigy and acclaimed nature teacher, she is the author of The Fairyland Around Us, a self-published nature book for children (1918) and her bestselling childhood diary, The Story of Opal (1920).


Benjamin Hoff grew up in a rural area a few miles from Portland, Oregon—at the opposite end of the valley in which Opal Whiteley wrote her diary. As a child, he, like Opal, preferred to spend his time outdoors, observing animals, insects, and plants. From an early age, he, too, loved to write. He is tha author of the bestselling The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet.

Details

  • Title The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
  • Author Opal Whiteley; Benjamin Hoff (Editor)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 384
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date 1995-02-01
  • ISBN 9780140237207 / 0140237208
  • Weight 0.74 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.7 x 5.11 x 0.97 in (19.56 x 12.98 x 2.46 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Oregon - Social life and customs, Authors, American - 20th century - Diaries
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 94012718
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Praise for The Diary of Opal Whiteley in 1920:



"A human miracle... The most wonderful book concerning childhood, and written by a child, that has ever been given to the world." —The London Sphere



"Like no other book that ever was, that is certain." —Life



"A wonderful book." —The New York Times



Praise for Opal's Diary and Benjamin Hoff's biography:



"One of the great forgotten works of 20th-century American literature." —The Washington Post



"We can rejoice that [Opals'] enchanting diary has at last been republished." —Newsday



"The Singing Creek is truly wonderful—an intriguing reading experience." —Fort Worth Star-Telegram



"A strange, sad tale...has at last been given a happy ending." —Chicago Tribune

About the author

Opal Whiteley grew up in logging settlements near the town of Cottage Grove, at the southern end of Oregon's Willamette Valley. A child literary prodigy and acclaimed nature teacher, she is the author of The Fairyland Around Us, a self-published nature book for children (1918) and her bestselling childhood diary, The Story of Opal (1920).

Benjamin Hoff grew up in a rural area a few miles from Portland, Oregon--at the opposite end of the valley in which Opal Whiteley wrote her diary. As a child, he, like Opal, preferred to spend his time outdoors, observing animals, insects, and plants. From an early age, he, too, loved to write. He is tha author of the bestselling The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet.

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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley

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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley

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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow : the Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley : With a...
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow : the Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley : With a Biography and an Afterword

by Whiteley, Opal Stanley; Hoff, Benjamin

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Penguin Books, c1994. Very Good. Whiteley, Opal Stanley. The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow : the Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley : With a Biography and an Afterword. Hoff, Benjamin. New York: Penguin Books, c1994. Penguin paperback ed.. 373pp. 20 cm.. Paperback. Book condition: Very good.
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley

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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow : The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow : The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley

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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow : The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow : The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley

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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley

by Opal Whiteley; Editor-Benjamin Hoff

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Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow, the (the Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whitely)
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Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow, the (the Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whitely)

by Hoff, Benjamin

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Penquin, 1994. 374 pages, brownish pictorial with black ltrs, scruffed covers, corners and edges are bumped, address sticker on upper ffep, pencil scratches on lower ffep. Environmental consciousness.. 1st Printing. Trade Paperback. G++.
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley
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The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley

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SINGING CREEK WHERE THE WILLOWS GROW.MFYSTICAL NATURE DIARY OPAL WHITELEY  ,THE JOURNAL OF AN...
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SINGING CREEK WHERE THE WILLOWS GROW.MFYSTICAL NATURE DIARY OPAL WHITELEY ,THE JOURNAL OF AN UNDERSTANDING HEART (STORY OF) .BIOGRAPHY AFTERWORD

by WHITELEY, OPAL, (HOFF, BENJAMIN ED)

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PENGUIN BOOKS. Good. 1986,1994. first edition,7p THUS; 79108642pt line. paperback. 5x7". GOOD CONDITION PAPERBACK, BIT STICKER RESIDUE BACK COVER..coffee stain near binding edge. OW quite nice copy.. ; DARK PURPLE TITLES ON PINKISH COVERS..OLD PHOTO PORTRAIT OF OPAL COVER ART. ; Story Of An Orphan Girl Who Grew Up In A Lumber Camp In Oregon Starting From 1900, Wrote This Journal/Poetry Of Her Life. ..book with BIOGRAPHY & AFTERWORD by BENJ. HOFF...Plus reprint of HER DIARY, in OPAL'S style. THIS HAS HER TEXT AS WAS PUBLISHED IN 1920....PLUS ADDITIONAL MATERIAL.....(THIS IS NOT THE VERSION SET UP LIKE POETRY, NOR ABRIDGED) .
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