Books with title Walden

First published in 1854, Walden recounts American philosopher and naturalist Henry David 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 is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and, ultimately, manual for self-reliance.Walden enjoyed some success upon its release, but still took five years to sell 2,000 copies, and then went out of print until Thoreau’s death in 1862. Despite its slow beginnings, later critics have praised it as an American classic that explores natural simplicity, harmony, and beauty. The poet Robert Frost wrote of Thoreau, "In one book ... he surpasses everything we have had in America."

"Walden" (1854) is a work by Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. "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. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion." - Henry David Thoreau

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. As Thoreau made clear in his book, his cabin was not in wilderness but at the edge of town, about two miles (3 km) from his family home.

I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.Published in the mid-19th century, Walden chronicles Henry David Thoreau’s life secluded from society as he lived in a small cabin at Walden Pond. One of the most compelling books in American literature, Walden is a reminiscence of self-discovery that resonates even more so in today’s hectic world. A journey to self-discovery, Thoreau’s two years, two months, and two days spent living in a natural surrounding provides us with the insight to his renewed spirituality and a guide to simple living and self-reliance.Included is Thoreau’s famous essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.”

“How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book!” —Henry David Thoreau, WaldenCharmingly decorated throughout, this Complete, Unabridged, and Beautiful edition of the transcendentalist classic brings to readers the timeless reflections of Henry David Thoreau on personal independence, self-reliance, simplicity, nature, spirituality, and much more.A must-read for anyone wishing to “live deliberately,” experience the life-changing wisdom in Walden again or for the very first time.

Walden (also known as Life in the Woods) by Henry David Thoreau is one of the best-known non-fiction books written by an American. Published in 1854, it details Thoreau's life for two years and two months in second-growth forest around the shores of Walden Pond, not far from his friends and family in Concord, Massachusetts. Walden was written so that the stay appears to be a year, with expressed seasonal divisions. Thoreau called it an experiment in simple living.Walden is neither a novel nor a true autobiography, but a social critique of the Western World, with each chapter heralding some aspect of humanity that needed to be either renounced or praised. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, and manual for self reliance. (from Wikipedia)

Written by noted Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, Walden is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. Published in 1854, it details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau did not intend to live as a hermit, for he received visitors regularly, and returned their visits. Rather, he hoped to isolate himself from society to gain a more objective understanding of it. 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. As Thoreau made clear in his book, his cabin was not in wilderness but at the edge of town, about two miles (3 km) from his family home. Thoreau's intention during his time at Walden Pond was "to conduct an experiment: Could he survive, possibly even thrive, by stripping away all superfluous luxuries, living a plain, simple life in radically reduced conditions?" He thought of it as an experiment in "home economics". Although Thoreau went to Walden to escape what he considered, "over-civilization", and in search of the "raw" and "savage delight" of the wilderness, he also spent considerable amounts of his time reading and writing. Thoreau spent nearly four times as long on the Walden manuscript as he actually spent at the cabin. He went through eight different drafts over the course of almost ten years.[5] Walden was a moderate success when it was first published in 1854. It sold well and was received favorably among reviewers. After Walden's publication, Thoreau saw his time at Walden as nothing more than an experiment. He never took seriously "the idea that he could truly isolate himself from others." Without resolution, Thoreau used "his retreat to the woods as a way of framing a reflection on both what ails men and women in their contemporary condition and what might provide relief."

Unabridged version of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, offered here for chump change. The noted transcendentalist Thoreau wrote Walden as a reflection upon simple living. It is part personal declaration, part social experiment, and part manual for self-reliance.Nature was a study for the essayist, naturalist, and environmentalist David Thoreau. He communed from his cabin on Walden Pond, owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson, to “live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and… learn what it had to teach.”Walden is landmark book on self-reliance and simple living.Table of ContentsEconomy 3Where I Lived, and What I Lived For 29Reading 35Sounds 39Solitude 45Visitors 48The Bean-Field 53The Village 57The Ponds 59Baker Farm 68Higher Laws 71Brute Neighbors 76House-Warming 80Former Inhabitants and Winter Visitors 86Winter Animals 91The Pond in Winter 95Spring 100Conclusion 107

Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound pocket-sized gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure. Henry Thoreau is considered, along with Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman and Nathaniel Hawthorne, as one of the leading figures in early American literature, and Walden is without doubt his most influential book. It recounts the author’s experiences living in a small house in the woods around Walden Pond near Concord in Massachusetts. Thoreau constructed the house himself, with the help of a few friends, and one of the reasons why he moved into it was in an attempt to see if he could live independently and away from society. The result is an intriguing work which blends natural history with philosophical insights and includes many illuminating quotations from other authors. Thoreau’s wooden shack has won a place for itself in the collective American psyche, a remarkable achievement for a book with such modest and rustic beginnings.

Carefully edited for modern readers to allow for easier reading Published in 1854 by transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau, Walden depicts Thoreau's experience living an entirely self-sufficient life in a small cabin he built himself by Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau seeks to demonstrate how easy it is to acquire all of life's necessities by living simply and rejecting the rat-race of competing for material possessions. This way of living liberates the individual to pursue what Thoreau believes should be our primary aims in life: personal growth and cultivating a spiritual connection with nature.