Why We Are Here, and Other Essays

"The answer came to me in a quiet thunderclap, beautiful and soft yet with an ultraviolet intensity that I could countenance. After that unforgettable Tuesday afternoon, I lived in a glowing golden cloud for weeks," says Hathaway.

That bright experience inspired the essay Why We Are Here and the other entertaining essays in this book, which will be a friendly companion to those who love good reading.

The first essay, A Vacation in Time, is a picturesque description of a train ride through villages, towns, cities, and the beautiful countryside of the British Isles and its similarities to our perception of time, which Hathaway calls the simultaneity of events.

In the two insightful essays, How to Eat and How to Sleep, Hathaway suggests slight changes to our eating and sleeping habits that he used to overcome a disorder or two previously thought incurable.

How Animals Communicate contains truths from which we have become alienated, of which the fauna continuously and patiently reminds us, beckoning us to nature as only they can.

The Warmth of the Sun is an extraordinary beam of light, brilliantly illuminating a darkened room. Here, mysteries of irreducible human development and relationships are word-painted with artistic ingenuity. Its message is invaluable as we seek civilizational eminence and individual happiness.

The three vignettes sparkle "in crimsons and in purple and in gems." One is philosophical, one enchanting, one futuristic, yet all are expressions of truth and beauty, as we believe art should be.

This book, this vigorous blossoming of the author's quest to recognize value in a world so often gray and cold without forsaking realism, is somewhat heroic. His engaging tempo of thoughts sets a rhythm that stimulates curiosity and wonder while entertaining us with elegant wit and wisdom, leaving the reader refreshed and satisfied.  

So, Hardcastle Publishing cordially invites you to read and enjoy this little book of splendid essays.

About the cover art:

French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted Luncheon of the Boating Party in 1881. It animates this book with feelings of warmth, happiness, and sociability, all of which we hope you might enjoy a little more after this light inquiry.