Most Popular Books by David Thoreau

Naturalist and philosopher Thoreau''s timeless essays on the role of humanity—in the world of nature, and in society and government. Thoreau, a sturdy individualist and nature lover, lived a spare existence in a wooden hut on the edge of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts, from 1845 to 1847. "Walden" is the fruit of Thoreau''s two-year stay on the Walden Pond. It is a record of his experiment in a simple life and his contemplation of the wonders of nature and the ways of man. He carefully shaped the book to follow the natural cycle of the seasons, yet it is more than an account of life in the woods, it is a quest for personal freedom and individuality that evokes nature without being sentimental or distorting the natural world. "Civil Disobedience" was also based on Thoreau''s experiences during the period he lived on the pond. In 1846, he was arrested for not having paid his poll tax, as a way of demonstrating that he did not recognize the authority of a government that "buys and sells men, women, and children." It is a treatise against slavery and a government that wages war to support injustice. This edition includes: -A concise introduction that gives readers important background information -A chronology of the author''s life and work -A timeline of significant events that provides the book''s historical context -An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations -Detailed explanatory notes -Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work -Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction -A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader''s experience Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world''s finest books to their full potential.

Henry David Thoreau''s vision of personal freedom is indelibly etched on the American consciousness. ''We need the tonic of wildness,'' Thoreau wrote in Walden, and by turning his back on town amenities to build a house on Walden Pond in 1845, he helped shape our notions of the individual, subsistence, and a moral relation to nature. Raising white beans and potatoes that he sold to his Concord neighbors, he stayed for two years; his book records both the philosophy he developed while living alone and the facts of his everyday life. Included here with the complete text of Walden are selections from Thoreau''s first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers; ''A Plea for Captain John Brown,'' his eloquent defense of the American abolitionist''s rebellion at Harper''s Ferry, and such masterpieces as his famous essay ''Civil Disobedience,'' in which he describes a night spent in prison for refusing to pay a poll tax to a government that condoned slavery.

In 1845, Thoreau moved to a cabin that he built with his own hands along the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Shedding the trivial ties that he felt bound much of humanity, Thoreau reaped from the land both physically and mentally, and pursued truth in the quiet of nature. In Walden, he explains how separating oneself from the world of men can truly awaken the sleeping self. Thoreau holds fast to the notion that you have not truly existed until you adopt such a lifestyle-and only then can you reenter society, as an enlightened being. These simple but profound musings-as well as "Civil Disobedience," his protest against the government''s interference with civil liberty-have inspired many to embrace his philosophy of individualism and love of nature

Walden by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. First published in 1854, it details Thoreau''s experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts. The book compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human development.By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau''s other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period.

Henry David Thoreau built his small cabin on Walden Pond in 1845 and, for two years, lived there as simply as possible, eliminating the unnecessary material and spiritual details that intrude upon human happiness. Thoreau described his experiences in Walden, using vivid, forceful prose that transforms his reflections on nature into richly evocative metaphors. This beautiful illustrated edition brings a rarely seen visual dimension to Thoreau''s philosophical masterpiece.

Excursions Henry David Thoreau - Excursions is an 1863 anthology of several essays by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. The anthology contains an introduction entitled "Biographical Sketch" in which fellow transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson provides a description of Thoreau.

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On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau - On the Duty of Civil Disobedience is an essay by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau that was first published in 1849. In it, Thoreau argues that individuals should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences, and that they have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice. Thoreau was motivated in part by his disgust with slavery and the MexicanAmerican War (1846-1848).

Walden (/ˈwɔːldən/; first published in 1854 as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and-to some degree-a manual for self-reliance.[2]Walden details Thoreau''s experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts.Thoreau makes precise scientific observations of nature as well as metaphorical and poetic uses of natural phenomena. He identifies many plants and animals by both their popular and scientific names, records in detail the color and clarity of different bodies of water, precisely dates and describes the freezing and thawing of the pond, and recounts his experiments to measure the depth and shape of the bottom of the supposedly "bottomless" Walden Pond.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American by birth, descendant of French immigrants was a teacher, philosopher, naturist and writer. He is considered to be one of the founders of United States literature since at that time it was just emerging. He is famous for having proposed a form of rebellion against the state called civil disobedience. He is also famous for having lived for more than two years in an isolated cabin in a forest, to experience life in nature, an experience that he reflected in a book entitled Walden since his home was located near Lake Walden Pond. Thoreau has more than thirty works being the best known Civil Disobedience (initially published as Resistance to Civil Government) (1849) and Walden (1854). In addition, he participated in the clandestine activity of transporting slaves to Canada to grant them their freedom.

The essay Resistance to Civil Government, also referred to as On the Duty of Civil Disobedience or civil Disobedience for brief, was authored by Henry David Thoreau, an American writer who specialized in transcendentalism. It was initially published in 1849. In it, Thoreau says people shouldn''t allow governments to overrule and weaken their consciences, and that they''ve a responsibility to avoid such acquiescence from making it possible for the authorities to utilize them as agents of injustice. Thoreau''s disdain for slavery and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) have been elements in his motivation. Here is the complete text of the novel with the followings annotations: *Biographical Information: Original life and, education 1817-1837: Henry David Thoreau was created David Henry Thoreau in Concord, Massachusetts, into probably the "modest New England family" of John Thoreau, a pencil maker, and Cynthia Dunbar. The father of his was of French Protestant descent.The paternal grandfather of his were definitely created on the UK crown dependency island of Jersey. The maternal grandfather of his, Asa Dunbar, led Harvard''s 1766 pupil "Butter Rebellion", the original recorded pupil protest in the American colonies.David Henry was named after his just lately deceased paternal uncle, David Thoreau. He started calling himself Henry David when he finished college; he never ever petitioned to create a legal name change.