Shelf Life

Provincetown Harbor at low tide, from a new illustrated edition of Henry David Thoreau's 1865 "Cape Cod." (Scot Miller)

Green man

Henry David Thoreau was a minor writer when he died. Today the man recognized as the nation's first environmentalist is a favorite of publishers, especially around Earth Day.

Two new books this season bear special note. Houghton Mifflin has a new edition of Thoreau's "Cape Cod," originally published in 1865, with photographs by Scot Miller. Many reflect what Thoreau might have seen: sunrises over the ocean and sunsets over the bay, cliffs, dunes, and beach grass. In "Cape Cod," Thoreau not only demonstrated his powers of observation and description but his sense of humor as well.

The Library of America has published an impressive anthology that includes dozens of essays along with photographs, poems, paintings, and cartoons. "American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau," edited by Bill McKibben, begins with Thoreau's writings and ends with Rebecca Solnit's essay "The Thoreau Problem."

A tech retrenching

Twenty-two years after June and Bill Kapitan opened a technical bookstore in the high-tech heart of Cambridge, they have closed up shop.

For years, online and corporate sales accounted for most of Quantum Books' business. Earlier this month a new landlord and a sharp rise in rent prompted the owners to leave Kendall Square. The shop was popular with math, physics, and science devotees and Web technology buffs. The couple plan to open a retail shop in their warehouse in Wilmington later this spring.

Poet picks

Boston's first poet laureate, Sam Cornish, and Peter Payack, Cambridge's first poet populist, will give a joint reading at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cambridge Public Library's Central Square branch, 45 Pearl St.

The number of poets in public service may be on the rise. At least one constituent has asked Governor Deval Patrick to name a state poet laureate. There's a move afoot in Somerville to name a poet laureate, and murmurings in Brookline along the same lines.

Book fest by the sea

The Newburyport Literary Festival next Friday through Sunday has a number of sessions for children and teens, including "So You Want to Be a Famous Writer." In other workshops, attendees will create a fictional character and make books out of recycled materials.

Highlights for adults at the annual festival include a reading by Andre Dubus III from his eagerly awaited novel "The Garden of Last Days," being published in June, and a conversation about the future of reading in a digital age. Details at newburyportliteraryfestival.org.

Joyce in the morning

The annual James Joyce Ramble in Dedham is as entertaining a road race as you'll find. Actors in costume will read from Joyce's works at various points along the 10K course. The race begins at 11 a.m. next Sunday at the Endicott Estate, 656 East St. Details at ramble.org.

Coming out