Add to the September 22, 2003 entry on Flemish and Dutch engravers Anthonie Waterloo’s etching “Two Hermits” (circa 1640); available at URL: http://www.wfu.edu/academics/art/pc/pc-waterloo.html.
English hermit
Reprinted from the magazine CAPRA (Cave Archaeology and Paleontology Archive), “The English Hermit” discusses English hermits and their cave dwellings in Britain from the eighteenth century on. Several photographs and an informative overview of the topic. URL: http://www.shef.ac.uk/~capra/1/hermit.html
Grand Canyon hermit
Louis Boucher was a reclusive explorer and prospector in the Grand Canyon who lived as a hermit at the turn of the 19th-20th century. A great many natural objects are named after him: Boucher Creek, Boucher Rapids, Boucher Trail, Hermit’s Basin, Hermit Camp, Hermit Canyon, Hermit Creek, Hermit Rapids, Hermit’s Rest, Hermit Road, Hermit Shale, and Hermit Trail. Pictures of Boucher’s dwelling area can be found on the Web: remains of his cabin (http://www.kaibab.org/tr981/gc981514.htm), his cabin fireplace (http://www.kaibab.org/tr981/gc981513.htm), and his orchard (http://www.kaibab.org/tr981/gc981511.htm). Some contemporary photographs (from the Grand Canyon Historical Society) of Boucher’s 1891 exploration are available: (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Museum/5907/boucher1.html). Reflections on Boucher’s star gazing can be heard in an NPR audio segment from March 2002 (http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1140327).
Solitary practice
A translation of the essay “Solitary Practice” by Zhongfeng Mingben (1262-1323) is available on the Web site of Chan Magazine at http://www.chancenter.org/ddp/chanmag/sum2003.html#solitarypractice.
Canonical hermit
The Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia (USA) gave canonical status to a hermit in 2001. Details at: http://www.mailutilities.com/news/archive/85/1551.html. The article mentions his life in a rundown urban area, his daily routine, and his minimal livelihood. A photo of hermit Richard Withers is on the Images of Eremiticism: Hermits page of Hermitary.