Most Popular Books by Henry David Thoreau

In July 1845, Henry David Thoreau built a small cottage in the woods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. During the two years and two months he spent there, he began to write Walden, a chronicle of his communion with nature that became one of the most influential and compelling books in American literature. Since its first publication on August 9, 1854, by Ticknor and Fields, the work has become a classic, beloved for its message of living simply and in harmony with nature. This edition of Walden features exquisite wood engravings by Michael McCurdy, one of America''s leading engravers and woodblock artists. McCurdy''s engravings bring the text to life--and illuminate the spirit of Thoreau''s prose. Also included is a foreword by noted author, environmentalist, and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams who reflects upon Thoreau''s message that as we explore our world and ourselves, we draw ever closer to the truth of our connectedness.

An American masterwork in praise of nature, self-reliance, and the simple life"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."In 1845, the transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau moved from his home in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, to a small cabin he built by hand on the shores of Walden Pond. He spent the next two years alone in the woods, learning to live self-sufficiently and to take his creative and moral inspiration from nature. Part memoir, part philosophical treatise, part environmental manifesto, Walden is Thoreau''s inspirational account of those extraordinary years and one of the most influential books ever written.

Thoreau has inspired generations of readers to think for themselves and to find meaning and beauty in nature. This sampling includes five of his most frequently read and cited essays: "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" (1849), "Life without Principle" (1863), "Slavery in Massachusetts" (1854), "A Plea for Captain John Brown" (1869) and "Walking" (1862).

Collected here are nineteen essays by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau was one of America''s best known and most influential writers. His work has helped shape the American Discourse and had a lasting effect on the environmental movement in America. Included here are The Service, A Walk to Wachusett, Paradise (to be) Regained, The Landlord, Herald of Freedom, Wendell Phillips Before the Concord Lyceum, Reform and the Reformers, Thomas Carlyle and His Works, Civil Disobedience, Slavery in Massachusetts, A Plea for Captain John Brown, Remarks After the Hanging of John Brown, The Last Days of John Brown, Walking, Autumnal Tints, Wild Apples: The History of the Apple Tree, Life Without Principle, Night and Moonlight, and The Highland Light.

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.

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