Walden: (Writings of Henry D. Thoreau)

Book Description

Originally published in 1854, Walden, or Life in the Woods, is a vivid account of the time that Henry D. Thoreau lived alone in a secluded cabin at Walden Pond. It is one of the most influential and compelling books in American literature.

This new paperback edition--introduced by noted American writer John Updike--celebrates the 150th anniversary of this classic work. Much of Walden's material is derived from Thoreau's journals and contains such engaging pieces as "Reading" and "The Pond in the Winter." Other famous sections involve Thoreau's visits with a Canadian woodcutter and with an Irish family, a trip to Concord, and a description of his bean field. This is the complete and authoritative text of Walden--as close to Thoreau's original intention as all available evidence allows.

For the student and for the general reader, this is the ideal presentation of Thoreau's great document of social criticism and dissent.

Customer Reviews:

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-24

My first copy of this book was indubitably from some other publisher. So I'm not commenting on this particular volume but the content of the work itself.
I have always loved this book but it wasn't until recent years that I realized what a controversial book this was. Thoreau published this book at his own expense and he sold very few copies. Later on he stored most of his unsold copies in an attic. He once claimed to have the largest collection of book published by Henry David Thoreau than anyone alive - and I'm sure he did.
But why didn't people buy this book? Well, for one thing it was critical of "the neighborhood". For another thing it was critical of "the values of his neighbors". For another thing it was critical of the values of his countrymen; it was critical of Capitalism; it was critical of modern life; it was critical of the "consumer mentality"; it was critical of the work ethic; it was critical of buying things; it was critical of "getting ahead" and "accumulating; it was critical of working for a living; it was critical of achieving; it was a critique on the civilization of the day - and it was not positive.
So why did it make me feel good to read it then and why does it have the same effect on me today?
I don't know but whenever I get lonely to go have a talk with an old friend I go to the book shelf and pick up Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

Pertinent and well written.......2007-09-17

Strangely surprising how pertinent many of Thoreau's perceptions, opinions and insights on habits and values are to modern day society and culture. And impressive how vehemently he professes these views in some sections. No sugar coating here. This is raw stuff, presented with language and skill we've lost over the years.

My favorite quote: "One generation abandons the enterprises of another like stranded vessels"

Thoreau is inspired and inspiring.

A lesson for us all.......2007-08-18

Imagine a man, living in the present time, who is fed up with life in our ever-changing electronic world. So, he goes to live in a hut he's re-built out by a gentle pond, reasonably away from civilization. He throws away his cell phone, computer, TV, radio, etc. and lives simply and quietly, observing naature with his eyes and a microscope. He's not a hermit, because he visits and is visited by, friends and neighbors. He examines his life in solitude and writes about the sights and sounds of the woods and the pond.
For two years living alone this way, he comes to know nature and himself intimately and when he returns to civilization, he is refreshed, spiritually, emotionally and mentally.

Now, imagine all this as done 160 years ago when technology consisted of things like the newly invented telegraph (which he disdained), railway system, and others. Thoreau, like many of us today, longed to live simply and in harmony with Nature. The inspiration for hundreds of hippies, eco-freaks, Luddites and anti-technologists, he showed us that we sometimes need to get back to simple and clean living with no one and nothing to intrude on our thoughts.

And by the time you've finished this little gem of a book, the weekend will be over, and it will be time to go back to the ugly, long commute to a place where technology and stress seemingly go hand in hand.

Great classic/ but too expensive here.......2007-07-16

I brought this book because I had a class that required it. I got it within 2 weeks so that wasn't bad but I hadn't realized that I paid more for the book here then I would have had I gone to a local store! The back of the book says it's only $2.50. The lowest price I could find on Amazon was $4. I guess that's why people don't have to pay for shipping when they purchase items that exceed $25! (The free mailing gets paid for (at least in this case), with higher book prices.
BTW I found out that this book is a free e-book via the web. Next time I'll make sure to check that avenue first.

Mr. Thoreau's Work: Walden.......2007-04-22

It looks like I rated it 4 stars. I can't seem to change that. I really meant to rate it a 3.

Fortunately, I read The Annotated Walden, annotated by Phillip Van Doren Stern. Thank goodness I chose it. Without Mr. Van Doren Stern's introduction, side bars, pictures and comments, I think I would have been thoroughly lost.

I have to agree with a few of the reviewers who stated how pompous Thoreau sounds; he does. He tries to act superior,only to have the side bar notations state something different; something that a friend mentioned. For example, he says he "could easily do without the post-office," yet a contemporary, Sanborne, is quoted off to the side of the annotated version as having said about this quote: "Few residents of Concord frequented the Post Office more punctually or read the newspapers more eagerly than Thoreau."

He contradicts himself constantly. He mocks people who don't read, and then says he barely read a few pages of one book in the two years he was at Walden pond. He could be vindictive; lashing out at Flint's Pond (and Mr. Flint) because Flint would not let him build a cabin on his pond. He comes off as a snob, saying most men learn to read only as a necessity; for work, to add up their profits. But *true* readers are hard to come by. "I aspire to be acquainted with wiser men than this Concord soil has produced.."

Yet, he also has some really great words of wisdom. He questions the wisdom in working so hard during the best part of your life (youth) only to spend the fruits of your labor "during the least valuable part of it." Enjoy life while you are young. Why work so hard when the endgame is death? He comments on things that are still true to this day; fashion and our obsession with appearance. Work to provide for yourself, not to overburden yourself and keep yourself in debt.

Someone reviewing this book on Amazon wrote that it was a failed experiment; that he meant to live in the woods as a hermit of sorts and failed miserably to do so. That was never the extent of his experiment. He never says he's going to lead a solitary life. He states he visited the village every day or two. "As I walked in the woods to see birds and squirrels, so I walked in the village to see men and boys."

I find myself having mixed feelings regarding this book. He is so contradictory, but then, so am I. He can be judgemental and then he can be spot-on. It was a difficult book to get through, Again, had I not had the annotated version, I would have been truly lost. He frustrated me at times. I was not reading literature. I was reading someone's diary that often went off-tangent (like this review). Is it Top 100 book worthy? My opinion: no. It was good at times, painful at others. I took 2 months to trudge through it, all the while reading 5 other books just to keep me going. I am glad I read it. I won't do it again though. Sorry, Mr. Thoroeau

The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness

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Informative
This is excellent. I would LOVE a disc accompaniment
Lots of Great information
Yoga Teacher with over 10 years of experience
A great book for women

The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness
Linda Sparrowe , and Patricia Walden
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570624704
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Book Description

The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health is the first comprehensive book about women's health issues and how to treat them with yoga. The authors offer a complete yoga program for general health as well as pose sequences that address specific health problemsâall in the Iyengar tradition, which targets health needs more than other forms of yoga. For example, in the first part of the book, Patricia Walden has organized three chapters showing yoga poses with clear instructions that tell how to get into each pose and describe its benefits: chapter one is the Essential Sequence for all women, and includes modifications for people who cannot or should not do all the poses; chapter two is the Restorative Sequence for stress relief and relaxation; chapter three contains advanced poses that energize and tone. The second part is presented in four sections that broadly represent the stages of a woman's life: teen years and early twenties, later twenties and thirties, midlife, and wisdom years. Each section contains chapters offering specific information about a particular health issue from author Linda Sparrowe, as well as sequences of yoga poses from Patricia Walden that address the problem. For example, the back care chapter includes information about common back problems and their causes (scoliosis, arthritis, lordosis, sciatica, kyphosis, among others) with an emphasis on: emotional and psychological roots of some back problems; physiological information about the spine and back muscles; general information about how yoga addresses different areas of the back; and finally, Patricia Walden's sequences of poses that target different back problems with the goal of not only relieving back pain but of strengthening, and healing old injuries and misalignments. Sections of the book include: Teens and Early 20s: Eating disorders, menstrual health, immune support 20s and 30s: Back care, pregnancy, headaches Midlife: Depression, menopause, digestion Wisdom Years: Osteoporosis, postmenopause, the heart The final section of the book includes listings of yoga centers, instructional videos, yoga equipment, and where to go for more information about yoga.

Customer Reviews:

Informative.......2006-10-30

Comprehensive, well presented and informative book. I would have like to have seen more on pregnancy though.

This is excellent. I would LOVE a disc accompaniment.......2006-08-11

I've done Bikram yoga for two years and am trying to broaden my experience. This book is one of the best I've found. It includes several complete, balanced sequences to do at home, which is a concern of mine since many dvds don't deliver a balanced workout and many books don't help a novice construct one. I am 48 and it addresses physical issues of mine with knowledge and compassion -- and I'm buying my 16-year-old daughter a copy, for the same reason. She will have to share it with me.

The only way this book could be improved would be if the authors would issue a dvd or audio cd of the sequences, so I could focus on doing them instead of reading the directions.

Lots of Great information.......2006-04-03

This focuses on the Iyengar technique and shows how to use the props they are so fond of in that tradition. A wealth of valuable health information for women. I feel that one would need a live class in order to truly be sure they were doing things right (ie. in the Iyengar tradition- wink wink).
A good addition to your yoga library.

Yoga Teacher with over 10 years of experience.......2006-03-29

A great read for the beginner and advanced women practitioner. Great for teachers needing more substance in identifying what a women practitioner wants to hear. The information is detailed and very easy to understand.

A great book for women.......2006-02-27

Effective solutions for women using yoga to increase their health and well-being. Very well organized book. It is easy to find what you're looking for just from the table of contents. A great book for women, especially those who don't have time to practice at a yoga studio.

Average customer rating:

Like panning for gold...
Rich and Profound
An Entirely New Level
Tied for second place among the annotated Waldens
INSOMNIA'S CURE

Walden
Henry David Thoreau
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395720427

Book Description

On July 4, 1845, Henry David Thoreau moved into the cabin he had built on the shore of Walden Pond. Now, on the 150th anniversary of that event, Houghton Mifflin is proud to publish an exceptional new edition of what is perhaps the most important book in our history as a publisher. Walden: An Annotated Edition features the definitive text of the book with extensive notes on Thoreau's life and times by the distinguished biographer and critic Walter Harding. In the third chapter, Thoreau writes, "How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book?" For many readers, Walden is that book. Written a century and a half ago, it grows more meaningful every day, and whether you are reading it for the first time or the hundredth, Walter Harding's insightful comments will open your eyes to the true depths of this masterpiece.

Customer Reviews:

Like panning for gold..........2006-12-31

...you have to sift through a lot.

Thoreau has some really great, original ideas and approaches to life. He has whole sections that seem incredibly tangential but after you reread them, you realize they were perhaps the greatest parts of the book.

That being said, he also has sections that are just incredibly tangential, and when you finish you miss things like narratives, a centered topic, main points, etc. These are just stream of consciousness it seems.

Rich and Profound.......2006-01-05

To a citydweller who enjoys the modern conveniences, the idea of building a primitive shed in the woods and observing Nature for days on end was entirely unappealing. I felt I would have no sympathy with the Thoreauvian worldview.

I was pleasantly surprised. Thoreau has a distinct sense of humor. While a lot of the book is descriptions of Nature, the writing was lovely enough to make up for my disinterest in the subject. In fact, Thoreau's enthusiasm communicated itself to me, and I found myself becoming more interested as I read on.

Thoreau has a reputation for being unworldly, but interestingly the longest chapter in the book, "Economy," lays out in great detail the cost-effectiveness of his experiment in simple living. Although living in an isolated shed, he is no misanthrope but displays much affection and compassion for his fellow man. He is a keen observer of human nature and his descriptions of his friends and visitors were some of the best parts of the book. He is a man of sensibility, sincerely concerned about the direction he sees society taking.

The annotations were useful, as was the map of Concord.

An Entirely New Level.......2005-03-22

Henry David Thoreau did something truly magical in Walden. He brought boredom to an entirely new level I never knew existed. The amount of pointless and extraneous details that overflowed the pages of the book never ceased to amaze me.
I was forced to read the book for an english class. My life has never been the same since. Thoreau's brilliant writing technique has allowed me to realize the full potential of other "books." I often find myself engrossed in the phone book or the dictionary, which have become suspenseful thrillers in comparison to Walden.

Tied for second place among the annotated Waldens.......2004-08-10

WALDEN has rarely been out-of-print since its first publication in 1854. Copies come in all sizes, shapes and price ranges. Today's Thoreauvians have three ANNOTATED versions of WALDEN to choose from. Each one provides same-page explanatory notes that help the reader interpret the sometimes esoteric references in Henry David Thoreau's original text. The three books are "The Annotated Walden" (edited by Philip Van Doren Stern, 1970), "Walden: An Annotated Edition" (edited by Walter Harding, 1995), and "Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition" (edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer, 2004). Each one has at least one map of Concord and/or Walden Pond. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses. Each one has appeal for a devoted audience.

"Walden: An Annotated Edition" by Walter Harding was released in 1995, a year before the editor's death. Harding was a founding member of the Thoreau Society and devoted his entire life to the man and his writings. He is still regarded as *the* HDT expert of the 20th century. In addition to the text of WALDEN, this volume includes a few "extras": a four-page forward that contains a biographical summary; a bibliography; journal entries and original HDT sketches scattered throughout the book's margins (a favorite Harding technique); and a special appendix regarding the story about "a hound, a bay horse, and a turtle-dove." The explanatory notes -- the essence of an annotated edition -- define a number of references both in word and phrase. Harding didn't copy anything from Van Doren Stern's previous work, and he also didn't include as many stylistic comments as his predecessor. He offered more frequent explanations and backed them up with a variety of source materials. He also throws in his own opinion every once in a while. The occasional ink doodlings from the journals serve well to break up the text. But lack of an index is a major failing. This is a handsome volume that improves upon Van Doren Stern's previous WALDEN analysis.

Lining up the three versions side by side is an interesting experiment, best conducted on a rainy summer day when no other work has appeal. Let's use two well-known and oft-debated passages for an initial sample interpretive comparison.

"I long ago lost a hound, a bay horse, and a turtle-dove, and am still on their trail." ("Economy") Do those three animals stand for actual individuals in Thoreau's life? Or does this passage simply refer to Life's losses? Philip Van Doren Stern devotes a page-length note to this paragraph. He mentions a few of the major interpretations and refers readers to the bibliography for more. His conclusion is: "Since there is no clear explanation, each reader will have to supply his own." Walter Harding offers three pages in a special appendix that covers all the major theories. At the end, he too suggests that "each reader is free to interpret them as he wishes." Jeffrey Cramer's paragraph cites two similiar excerpts found in other Thoreau pieces, and his explanation states that "no analysis has been generally accepted as valid." So the three men agree: we have to decide for ourselves what we think of the story.

"There was an artist in the city of Kouroo who was disposed to strive after perfection." ("Conclusion") Is the parable that follows that opening sentence based on some of the Eastern texts that Thoreau was fond of reading at the time? Or is it a thinly-disguised depiction of his own struggle to perfect the final WALDEN manuscript? Philip Van Doren Stern simply says that "no one has been able to find a source for the legend" and agrees with Arthur Christy that it is an allegory about Thoreau's own life. Walter Harding offers several possible origins of the legend but eventually cites and agrees with Christy's allegory statement. Jeffrey Cramer devotes just a two-sentence annotation, concluding with "It is generally agreed that the following fable is by Thoreau." In this instance, Cramer has the benefit of time over his colleagues. Most Thoreauvians have come to the same realization during the past decade after much gnashing of teeth.

Explanatory differences are more pronounced at other various junctures in the text. Each man obviously was intrigued by certain references more than others. I can say that overall, I found Jeffrey Cramer's annotations to be the most helpful of the three. Maybe someday someone will have the courage to tell all the makers of posters, bumper stickers, and t-shirts that "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in" is NOT about fishing at
all.

Every school and public library should own at least one of these annotated editions. Academic libraries will want at least two of the three versions. If you want a book that has a lot more HDT than just WALDEN, find a used copy of the Philip Van Doren Stern book. If you want to hear from expert Walter Harding, choose his. Individuals who want the most comprehensive interpretation should go with the newest volume by Jeffrey
Cramer. It's a worthy addition to the Thoreau legacy.

INSOMNIA'S CURE.......2004-05-13

I first read Solitude in high school(over 10 years ago), not as part of the regular curriculum but for US Academic Decathlon. To think about it even now still bores me. Reading Solitude may have been the most boring part of USAD, & that ain't a little bit of boredom. Thoreau, Emerson, those other guys I can barely differentiate, especially the 'fire & brimstone' types were some of the reasons I took British lit instead of American lit in college. I also took British lit rather than American because it is 800+ years vs. 200+. (Thanks Mr. M, my h.s. English lit teacher). But back to Walden.

Think of it. You decide to live in solitude for a couple of years, in the 19th century! The very idea is boring. Let's not get into no t.v., et.c. But not even the daily news? Didn't they have newspapers back then? Before some make the mistake of thinking I don't understand, I (yawn) say I can appreciate one's desire to engage himself by the near total exclusion of others. I just don't believe its something you need to read about some guy doing over 150 years ago. On the other hand, if you wanted to avoid those very interesting times, you'd do what Thoreau did if you could so afford. If not you'd read about it, to quiet the debate going on outside one person's journey of self-discovery. Specifically, if I wanted to learn more about those times I'd check up on abolitionist writings, women's suffrage, and other things from the period that were more topical.

Nevertheless, I could use a copy though, for those troublesome nights when I can't get to sleep.

P.S. Thoreau is one of those authors you list that maintains your "with it-ism" in our increasingly 'my country, right or wrong' times.

Average customer rating:

A Great Book Written By A Great Couple!

beautifull book to read.

Exploring the Road Less Traveled: A Study Guide for Small Groups
Alice Howard , and Walden Howard
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671620541

Customer Reviews:

A Great Book Written By A Great Couple!.......2003-08-03

While living in Salisbury, Maryland, I was befriended by the Howards. One day we were having a rather lofty conversation. All of the sudden they handed me a copy of their book! I was amazed! Even though I'm not a big fan of M. Scott Peck's endless series of theology books, EXPLORING the Road Less Traveled certainly brings his best selling namesake alive!

One can certainly benefit from the Howards' book as an individual reader. However, I believe a lot more can be gained by forming a study group. The Howards' approach is practical, liberal and downright interesting. The book is divided into 11 chapters, ranging from "Dedication to Reality" to "The Courage of Love." With the support of a dynamic study group, there's certainly the potential for a lot of emotional growth, which is the reason the Howards' wrote the book in the first place!

beautifull book to read........2000-06-16

it is a nive and a feeling book to read it tauched my feelings and opened my mind in many things. nice book you should read it...

Walden and Civil Disobedience (150th Anniversary) (Signet Classics)

Average customer rating:

Book cover commercialization?
Amazon Purchases August 9, 2007
He heard a different drummer- The sun is but a morning star
Isolate, Nonconformist
Ho hum

Walden and Civil Disobedience (150th Anniversary) (Signet Classics)
Henry David Thoreau
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0451529456
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Book Description

Henry David Thoreau's masterwork, Walden, is a collection of his reflections on life and society. His 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.

Customer Reviews:

Book cover commercialization?.......2007-09-23

A previous reviewer asked what Thoreau might think of how society has developed commercially since he wrote this book. I have to also wonder what he would think of the ridiculous (in my opinion) and jingoistic cover of this current edition? The person who chose the cover design should have read the book. The cover is offensive, given the ideas the book contains. Penguin should be ashamed.

Amazon Purchases August 9, 2007.......2007-08-09

This is a classic novel. It's value as literature speaks for itself.
I received the product in the condition advertised, in two days.
I am completely satisfied with the purchase and service.

He heard a different drummer- The sun is but a morning star.......2006-01-15

Thoreau is more than simply a writer who produced a great American classic. He exemplified the idea which perhaps as much as any other has come to be at the heart of the American creed. "If a man does not keep pace to his companion, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."

Throreau when he went into the woods of Walden Pond on July 4, 1845 , a journey in solitude which would last just two years and two months, was the archetypal American individualist. He was the man 'doing his own thing' living in accordance with what only he could know was right for himself. This idea of 'radical individualism' has become part of the American common faith. Its abuses are legion and may be disastrous, but it also has brought about not simply 'better mousetraps' but a whole vast world of innovations and innovators, the like of which Mankind has never known before.

Thoreau as he writes in his introduction went to the woods to explore not simply the natural world, the outdoors he so much loved. He went to the woods to truly go more deeply into and know himself. As he says in his introduction:

" I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience. Moreover, I, on my side, require of every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men's lives; some such account as he would send to his kindred from a distant land; for if he has lived sincerely, it must have been in a distant land to me."

Thoreau in that enigmatic, epigrammatic aphoristic style, he shared with his great mentor and fellow pioneering poet- philosopher, Emerson connects the world within with the world without , connects the Concord woods with the Cosmos . He creates a work in 'Walden' of singular beauty and of its own special economy and principles in thought.

Thoreau was too an abolitionist, an opponent of the Mexican war, a civil disobedient who refused to pay the poll tax-, a pioneer
whose followers would include Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

But in his close looking at the world of nature and the world of himself he was first a great explorer of life and reality going out alone in his own way- however geographically close he may have been to home.

His words and his wisdom waken us even today to the hope of new and better worlds i.e. he also embodied the spirit of a great American optimism.

The great individual teaches us even in dark hours to find new worlds in ourselves outside our own darknesses. " There are new worlds yet to be born" he writes, " The sun is but a morning star"

Isolate, Nonconformist.......2003-10-14

Thoreau lived for two years and two months at Walden Pond. He said the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation. Henry Thoreau asked hard questions.

He related that when the Masschusetts Bay Colony was founded, earthen houses were built. They were convenient and suitable and they had the advantage of putting everyone in a position of equality and not making the poorer inhabitants feel discouraged. It distressed Thoreau that a good deal of the money spent for shelter and dress was for show, uneconomical.

He farmed organically because he was only a squatter. He found that by working for about six weeks he could meet all of the annual expenses of living. He claimed that memorable events transpired in the morning.

Thoreau went to the woods because he wished to live deliberately. The sounds of the railroad penetrated the woods. Visitors were frequent during three seasons. In the wintertime basically he had only himself for company and some of the animals.

In any season, the woods were surprisingly dark at night. Because he had no helpers or animals to assist him in cultivating the fields he felt that he ws more intimate with the beans in his beanfield. Songs have suggested that husbandry is a sacred art.

The scenery of Walden was on a humble scale. The first ice was especially interesting. He reported seeing fox, jays, chickadees, and red squirrels in the the winter.

In CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE he asserts that in a government that imprisons unjustly, the place of a just man is in prison. Thoreau underwent an overnight jail stay when he failed to pay a poll tax.

Ho hum.......2003-07-21

Isn't it a little bit incongruous to desire to detach yourself from society, seeking self-reliance, and then write a book about it? Just an observation...

While Thoreau is a curious individual - sort of a poor-man's G.K. Chesterton - he always seems to come up short. The Virtue of Civil Disobedience reads more like self-satire than a serious attempt at political philosophy. And while Walden is rich and fulfilling, it is ultimately just a vehicle for Thoreau to make baseless claims predicated upon his treasury of tidbits and odd knowledge.

Had Thoreau been blessed with living in the modern world, he could have just written "Living by a Pond on Your Own For Dummies" and saved himself (and us) a lot of trouble.

Instead of "Civil Disobedience," I recommend anything by Lysander Spooner (particularly "No Treason")

Book Description

With their call for "simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!”, for self-honesty, and for harmony with nature, the writings of Henry David Thoreau are perhaps the most influential philosophical works in all American literature.

The selections in this volume represent Thoreau at his best. Included in their entirety are Walden, his indisputable masterpiece, and his two great arguments for nonconformity, Civil Disobedience and Life Without Principle. A lifetime of brilliant observation of nature--and of himself--is recorded in selections from A Week On The Concord And Merrimack Rivers, Cape Cod, The Maine Woods and The Journal.

Download Description

In 1845 Henry David Thoreau left his pencil-manufacturing business and began building a cabin on the shore of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. This lyrical yet practical-minded book is at once a record of the 26 months Thoreau spent in withdrawal from society -- an account of the daily minutiae of building, planting, hunting, cooking, and, always, observing nature -- and a declaration of independence from the oppressive mores of the world he left behind. Elegant, witty, and quietly searching, Walden remains the most persuasive American argument for simplicity of life clarity of conscience.

Customer Reviews:

The Best.......2007-01-26

This is the best book that the United States of America has produced. America has failed to the extent that it has fallen beneath the level of these practical ideals. But it is never too late to put them into practice.

A questioning of life.......2000-09-01

Thoreau masterfully analyzes his in its purest form, he does away his all superfluous details. He forces the read to question his own existence. He forces the reader to imagine life without technology, commotion and anything unnecessary. Besides his analysis in Walden, he takes a stand for the maverick, for the individual, for the non-conformist. Lastly his social commentary especially about slavery shows how wrong our coutry had been.

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The Essence of Provence: colors, design & gardens

Provence: The Art of Living
Sam Walden , and Sara Walden
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 1556704496

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The Essence of Provence: colors, design & gardens.......2000-06-28

I bought this book for ideas on paint colors for my 1920s Spanish Colonial home. It is beautifully done, full of design details and the gorgeous colors of Provence, the south of France, that derive from the paint colors, the food, the gardens, pottery and the surrounding dry, burnished mediterranean landscape. It is the perfect inspiration for any California home or a richly hued coffee table book!

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Beautiful book, helpful comments
Beautiful and accessible
One step further outside of Concord
To Live at Walden; A Visit with Thoreau
A Plethora of Riches

Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition
Henry D. Thoreau
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300104669

Book Description

Thoreau’s literary classic, an elegantly written record of his experiment in simple living, has engaged readers and thinkers for a century and a half. This edition of Walden is the first to set forth an authoritative text with generous annotations. Thoreau scholar Jeffrey S. Cramer has meticulously corrected errors and omissions from previous editions of Walden and here provides illuminating notes on the biographical, historical, and geographical contexts of Thoreau’s life.
Cramer’s newly edited text is based on the original 1854 edition of Walden, with emendations taken from Thoreau’s draft manuscripts, his own markings on the page proofs, and notes in his personal copy of the book. In the editor’s notes to the volume, Cramer quotes from sources Thoreau actually read, showing how he used, interpreted, and altered these sources. Cramer also glosses Walden with references to Thoreau’s essays, journals, and correspondence. With the wealth of material in this edition, readers will find an unprecedented opportunity to immerse themselves in the unique and fascinating world of Thoreau.
Anyone who has read and loved Walden will want to own and treasure this gift edition. Those wishing to read Walden for the first time will not find a better guide than Jeffrey S. Cramer.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful book, helpful comments.......2007-06-14

This copy of Walden is beautiful and the extensive notes are very helpful.

Beautiful and accessible.......2007-01-31

This edition of Walden is a joy to read, with lovely typeface and layout. I am not a Thoreau scholar, but found the annotations accessible and absorbing. The layout allows you to read Walden straight through or wander off into the annotated notes, depending on your mood.

A book that serves as a miniature vacation every time you open it.

One step further outside of Concord.......2006-02-02

Walden, since the age of fourteen, has always been a special place for me. Ironically, I did not disturb the leaf laden path through Thoreau's wood until seven years after, but at a young age I enjoyed the utopia this book offers. Interestingly enough the surface was read, and with little understanding of history, of which I know have a Masters degree, I did not know the context. With this Annotated version you are thrusted further into Thoreau's world than ever before. I suggest strongly to read the text, then start over with just the annotations. It takes you into the historical/political context of the book's purpose, and from that, into a world leading to civil war, that would traverse those growing pains into a time of reform. Truly a book before its time, yet speaks to the reform movement of the latter 19th c., and perhaps today.

To Live at Walden; A Visit with Thoreau.......2005-02-15

150 years ago, a philosopher went to live in the woods off a small Massachusetts pond, and write about his experiences and meditations. Today, his thoughts, opinions, and experiences inform and educate us, enlightening us to a world of possibilities. Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden, and now all of us have a chance to spend time there in this richly illustrated edition.

Jeffrey Cramer, Thoreau scholar, has meticulously put together this labor of love for the book, as is shown on each and every page. Writing a short, insightful introduction to this book, and carefully research notes in the margins of the book, add layers of understanding to an already powerful book.

I hadn't ever visited Walden prior to this book. As a Walden novice, it served as an excellent introduction to an amazing man and an amazing work. I'm sure that both novices and scholars will benefit from this wonderful literary escape from the world. Yet the escape teaches us more about the world than we might ever know. Thanks to Cramer, and thanks to Henry for crafting this word feast.

A Plethora of Riches.......2004-09-24

Jeffrey Cramer's annotated "Walden" weaves together the "woof" of Thoreau's philosophy and observances with the "warp" of all the influences upon him in his life, current and remembered. Cramer brings light to bear on the puns and allusions that would likely escape the reader of today. It is an uncommonly rich reading experience.
The book itself is the best designed I can remember in years. The annotations are side by side with the text; the type is crisp and clear; the book opens flat for easy handling; and it is printed on fine stock. Cramer and Yale University Press have given us a rare gift.

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A solution looking for a problem
Read 'Ishmael' First
Skinner at his best
Interesting
A totalitarian "Utopia"?

Walden Two
B. F. Skinner
Manufacturer: Hackett Pub Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0872207781

Book Description

This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct.

Customer Reviews:

A solution looking for a problem.......2007-07-24

Like Copernicus, Galeleo and Darwin, Skinner was verbaly crucified for what he discovered. Those who dismiss this book are the flat earth theorists and religious dogmatic right.

It was not Skinner's first choice to be a social scientist. He openly admitted that his discoveries were just that - Discoveries. At first most scientists have little idea of what thier discoveries mean. The lazer was first described as 'a solution looking for a problem' - its first imagined use to cut James Bond in half. Who would have dreamt that lazers would be used for delicate eye surgery to give people clear sight. In Walden II Skinner set about thinking what his discoveries could mean for individuals and societies.

The two principle characters of Walden II are Frederick and Burrhus. These are Skinner's two christian names. Walden II is an arguement that Skinner had with himself. Both sides robustly stated, it reveals both the confidence and doubts that Skinner had about the meaning and value of his discoveries.

Individuals and society always benefit from advances in science. The scientists who split the atom did not intend its use to be destructive and many campaigned against the atomic bomb. Skinner realised that the lottery is very effective way for governments to extract excessive tax from the poor. It must have been one of his worst nightmares that governments would do so. He must be turning in his grave at present British government's use of the lottery to pay for education. Skinner was a teacher and devoted part of his life to improving teaching.

Walden II was never a 'blue-print for living'. Taken as such it is inevitable inadequate, as discovered by those who have tried to 'live the experiment'. Written in 1948, it is now dated. Regretably no-one has since updated it, maybe because the reality is that we all live in a token economy.

Skinner's first career choice was to be a writer. He wasn't a very good one, but in Walden II he is surprisingly good for an academic. A radical thinker, it should be no surprise that Skinner should borrow the title of one of his literary heroes - Thoreau. Only a few have lived that utopia of the original Walden.

The world is not flat, man evolved and real social science can help us improve life and society. Ignorance is a prison without bars. It was centuries before Galeleo showed that Copernicus was right. A century has passed since Darwin's death. Many still do not want to accept evoluiton and many of those who do simply do not understand it, despite calling themselves Darwinians. It will be some time before society understands behavioural science, its full benefits and just how great a scientist Skinner was.

Read 'Ishmael' First.......2007-06-08

If you are interested in how people can be happy, read Daniel Quinn's 'Ishmael' first, then come back to 'Walden Two.'

I am not a behaviorist. The term 'social engineering' makes me uncomfortable. I do not believe in the concept of Utopia. There is no One Right Way to live, no solution that will bring about the End of History. Humans are what they are, and the sooner we quit trying to mold people into what we think they should be and accept that fact, the happier we will all be.

So why do I rate Walden Two highly? Because of it's pragmatism.

The basic approach put forth in the book is simply to do what works. Experiment. Try something. If it works, keep it. If it doesn't, discard it and try something new. This approach seems obvious, but in fact it's pretty rare in our daily lives. Instead we are ruled by dogmatism: we do things because that is the 'right' way to do it, no matter how poor the outcome.

This pragmatic approach, and the examples used to illustrate it, hint at methodologies currently being used with much success. Two that interest me the most are NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and Permaculture.

Skinner at his best.......2007-04-15

The book "Walden Two" by B.F.Skinner is excellent. It is written in a story form so most of us will not get lost with the psychology jargon, and the story is very interesting and moves right along.For those of you not familiar with his work Skinner explains what behavioral engineering is and his main charcter uses this as his platfrom for a utopic society. I liked many things about Waldon Two how the residents created a more scientifically efficent community and I thought th behavioral engineering of the children in the community was billiant. I also really enjoyed the idea of the four hour work day and how it promotes a more creative group of people. Naturally this type of work week would enable its residents to become much more creative and spend more time with the arts. I didn't enjoy every part of Walden Two I felt the economic structure was very similar to communism. I understand how it relates to how the society is to succeed. Overall the book is very enjoyable and it was very helpful in learning more about behavioral engineering I would reccomend it and its not a very long read either its about 280 pages.

Interesting.......2006-06-02

Before we talk about the book, Walden 2, you need to know something about B.F. Skinner. He was a behavioral psychologist and behavior psychologists like to be able to predict and to control human activity. He believed in his theories so much that when he brought home his 2nd daughter from the hospital he placed her in an controlled environment much like the one in the book. His daughter lived there for 2 1/2 years. Skinner became famous for his work with rats using his "Skinner Box". The Skinner Box was an apparatus which allows an experimenter to observe, manipulate, measure and record animals behaviors. Skinner also insisted that their environments, the environments which humans themselves built, controlled humans. Skinner's main aim in analyzing behavior was to find out the relationship between behavior and the environment, the interactions between the two. Walden 2 is a book about how he imagined the application of is theories would work out in real life.
Walden 2 is a very good book but is arguably the worst story ever. Besides being amateurish, it's downright silly. But luckily the story is not a big part of the book. infact, Walden 2 transcends its mediocre story by being so provocative. Through the course of Walden 2, so many interesting ideas are brought up. It took me forever to finish the book because every couple of pages, I'd have to stop and think about whatever I was reading. This book brings up many extreme alternatives to modern life that are for the most part, surprisingly logical. Between child rearing and distribution of labor, you will have your jaw open. He talks about having the youth produce children and then putting the children through a system involving not moving out of the crib until a baby turns one and not putting on clothes till the age of three. This may seem like a very stupid idea and that's the reaction that you should have but there are many benefits to it. Clothes can be uncomfortable and temperature sun exposure isn't problem because they don't go outside. It also decides how much a job pays based on the demand for that job. A job like sniffing flowers would not be high paying because everyone wants that job. Some may say well isn't that how capitalism works but its not even close. We know this isn't true because actors are getting paid much more then farmers. Everyone wants to be an actor and yet it still has a large paycheck, I rest my case. This book is so progressive and so ahead of it's time. It brings up many ideas that no one else has and B. F. Skinner did it in 1948. On the contrary, the concepts B. F. Skinner presents are flawed. The whole book requires that our nature is very, very malleable. Whether or not that is true is debatable. One of the flaws of the book is that the reader isn't the one who gets to question Frazier (the guy running Walden 2). B. F. Skinner gets to question Frazier and that makes the whole book very biased. If the guy who feels a certain way writes a book proving his point and the book happens to be fiction, then there is a very high chance that the person is wrong and needs to make a fake bias story to prove his point. But like I said earlier, lots of good ideas too. Either way I enjoyed the book and I would advise any person interested in philosophy, different forms of society, or just progressive ideas, to read this book.
The book also comes with an interesting preface written by Skinner many years after he wrote Walden 2. He talks about how common society is horrible and how we should convert the world into a humongous Walden 2. Quite a stretch if I may say so myself. This is because he forgets to mention the thing that Karl Marx always talked about, the between stage. Marx talks about Socialism and the violent revolution and how to reach Communism, while Walden 2 is just supposed to happen. The book isn't intended to have the same purpose as the Communist Manifesto or anything of that sort. The book as a whole shouldn't be looked upon as a good idea for a society; it should be viewed as a group of different ideas about different things that can be placed relevantly into our modern society.

A totalitarian "Utopia"?.......2006-01-15

Having no great fondness for B. F. to begin with, from the little I know of him and his work, I thought I'd give this a try just to see what the Grand Old Man of conditioned rats and pigeons had to say about Utopias. What kind of Utopia would be imagined by some guy who saw no essential behavioral difference (and presumably no other important difference) between rats and humans? As I had expected, I had a distinctly uneasy feeling about it well before finishing it-by about p. 60, in fact-but I couldn't clearly define or articulate it. So, like anyone looking for easy answers, I Googled the book, and the first citation on the page was "A critical review of B.F. Skinner's philosophy, with focus on _Walden Two_", by Edward Rozycki (1999, based on a 1995 article for the journal _Educational Studies_). And Rozycki made amply clear a few points which seem to have escaped all the raving enthusiasts of the book, such as:

(1) Skinner was a lousy scientist, who explicitly rejected some of the fundamental tenets of the scientific method, such as considering all the observed data. In the book, Frazier says, "To go to all the trouble of running controls would be to make a fetish of scientific method." Although Skinner kept telling everyone he was an empiricist and not a theorist, most of his work is basically theory based on what he chose to consider the world to be.

(2) His "vision" is fundamentally totalitarian (Roz tactfully avoids the term "fascist," but I would not be that polite). As Frazier says, "Each of us has interests which conflict with the interests of everybody else. ... Now, `everybody else' we call `society.' It's a powerful opponent and it always wins." Substitute "State" for "society" and that's pretty clear totalitarianism.

(3) The reason everybody in the community is so blissfully happy is that anyone who is not blissfully happy is made to feel unwelcome by the community and subtly cold-shouldered out. About anyone who is "incorrigible," Frazier says that "it's more likely that he would long since have gone of his own accord." As Rosycki dryly notes, "The point is not elaborated on." I don't think it needs to be.

So, given my impression that Skinner's starry-eyed Utopian vision of a "culturally engineered" bliss of humanoid pigeons is one of the most terrifying things I've read since the daily news, I fail to see why everyone seems to think it's so wonderful. I think it's a dreadful vision, just as dystopic, in its sinister way, as _Brave New World_. And it's a boring read to boot.

Henry David Thoreau : A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers / Walden; Or, Life in the Woods / The Maine Woods / Cape Cod (Library of America)

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Influential writings whose beauty you will see differently at different stages in life
The Library of America's Thoreau
A Fine Collection of Great Works
I respect no one more than I do Henry David Thoreau
I would like to publicly thank Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau : A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers / Walden; Or, Life in the Woods / The Maine Woods / Cape Cod (Library of America)
Henry David Thoreau
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0940450275

Book Description

Henry David Thoreau wrote four full-length works, collected here for the first time in a single volume. Subtly interweaving natural observation, personal experience, and historical lore, they reveal his brilliance not only as a writer, but as a naturalist, scholar, historian, poet, and philosopher. "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" is based on a boat trip taken with his brother from Concord, Massachusetts to Concord, New Hampshire. "Walden," one of America's great books, is at once a personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, manual of self-reliance, and masterpiece of style. "The Maine Woods" and "Cape Cod" portray landscapes changing irreversibly even as he wrote. The first combines close observation of the unexplored Maine wilderness with a far-sighted plea for conservation; the second is a brilliant and unsentimental account of survival on a barren peninsula in the face of hostile elements, historical change, and natural decay.

Customer Reviews:

Influential writings whose beauty you will see differently at different stages in life.......2006-10-26

While every artist is tied to their time and place, this is especially true of Henry David Thoreau. To me, Thoreau has always seemed like a beautiful and tender plant that could only exist in a specific time and place. His world was rich enough to allow him to enjoy nature rather than see it as something to tame. Yet it was also rural enough to leave him natural space to enjoy as if it were wild.

It also seems to me that Thoreau's writing is more beautiful and observant than penetrating and intelligent. It is more about the senses than analysis. I think this is why it appeals so much to young people of so many generations and why he became such a symbol for the Back-to-Nature portion of the Boomer generation.

This volume contains his most influential works (the essays and poems are collected in a companion volume also from the wonderful Library of America): A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, The Main Woods, and Cape Cod. So much has been written about these works that I can't think of anything specific to add except to encourage their being read. However, I would encourage adults who remember reading them in their youth with such enthusiasm to read them again from the vantage point of mid-life. I think they will find somewhat less to be enamored of in the content, but they will appreciate his sheer power of writing more.

The total collection is more than a 1,000 pages and includes a chronology of Thoreau's life, notes on the text, relevant maps of the areas covered in the book, more notes, and an index.

The Library of America's Thoreau.......2006-08-09

While reading the four books of Henry David Thoreau (1817 -- 1862) included in this volume, I was reminded of the piano sonata no. 2, the "Concord" sonata by the American composer Charles Ives (1874 -- 1954) and decided to listen to it again to complement my reading. The Concord is a monumental work in which Ives tried to capture the "spirit of transcendentalism" associated with Concord, Massachusetts. Its four large movements bear the names of Emerson, Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott, and Thoreau. The "Thoreau" movement of the Concord captured in music for me what I had been reading in Thoreau's texts, with its reflective arpeggios, long hymnlike introspective passages, distant sounds of bells, and quiet close. Ives wrote the movement, he said, to reveal the "vibration of the universal lyre" to which Thoreau had alluded in the chapter of Walden titled "Sounds". Those who love Thoreau or the American Transcendentalists should explore Ives's great musical tribute to them and their thought.

This volume is the first of two in the Library of America devoted to Thoreau, with the second book consisting of essays and poems. It includes the two books published during his lifetime, "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" and "Walden" together with two books published shortly after his death, "The Maine Woods" and "Cape Cod". The former two books are philosophical and introspective in tone, even though they include much of the descriptive writing about nature for which Thoreau is famous. They are the writings of Thoreau the Transcendentalist, the Thoreau of Ives's Concord Sonata. The second two books are describes Thoreau's travels. They originated the American practice of writing about nature.

Thoreau's most famous book, "Walden" describes the two years he spent living at Walden Pond, near Concord, from 1845 -- 1847 on a tract owned by Emerson. Walden is deservedly an American classic, as Thoreau reflects upon and attempts to simplify his life, to appreciate it for itself and for the everyday, without the strains of commerce or the pursuit of wealth. It is an eloquent study of learning to be alone with and content with oneself.

Thoreau wrote the first draft of "Walden" while he resided there and also wrote "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" which in 1849 became his first published book, enjoying little success at the time. This book describes a trip Thoreau took with his brother and there are many detailed observations of people, places, and plants and animals. But the book is full of detailed digressions on literature, philosophy, the Greek Classics, friendship, and Thoreau's religious beliefs. This book shows the large influence of Eastern thought on Thoreau. It is filled with allusions and quotations from poetry on virtually every page. It is a joy to read.

There is little overt philosophising in Thoreau's latter two books. But both these books made me want to leave, at least for a short time, my life in the city and to run and visit the wild places Thoreau described. In "The Maine Woods" Thoreau describes three trips he took to Nortwest Maine -- its forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains, in 1843, 1853, and 1857. It includes detailed descriptions of rugged camping, in the rain and sun, on water and on land. The higlight for me was Thoreau's discussion in the first essay of the book of his climb on Mount Ktaadn, with Thoreau's description replete with both actual description and ancient Greek and American Indian symbolism.

Thoreau's final book, "Cape Cod" describes three visits in 1849, 1850, and 1853 (A fourth, later visit to the Cape is not included in the book.) This is Thoreau's only book which features the ocean and the seashore. It describes a rugged place, but the tone is leisurely and humorous in many places as Thoreau takes his reader on a thirty-mile "ramble" over the Cape. Thoreau introduces a memorable character in his chapter "The Wellsfleet Oysterman" and draws a picture of a lighthouse, no longer standing, on the Cape, "The Highland Light." Reading this book made me want to walk the sands and dunes that Thoreau walked and described over 150 years ago.

As with all volumes in the LOA series, this volume is lightly annotated but includes a valuable chronology of Thoreau's life which helps in approaching the texts. Transcendentalism and naturalism both have played critical roles in the development of American thought and you will find them both here. And if you enjoy Thoreau, I encourage you again to approach Ives's masterpiece, the "Concord Sonata" and meet Thoreau realized in sound.

Robin Friedman

A Fine Collection of Great Works.......2006-04-19

Henry David Thoreau is one of America's greatest literary treasures, and this Library of America compilation of his four complete, full-length books is an excellent purchase for any Thoreau fan. It includes possibly Thoreau's most famous work, Walden, as well as lesser-known (but still immensely inspired and entertaining)works. I would highly recommend this purchase to any interested Thoreau reader, as I am yet to find a comparable compilation for nearly as good a deal as this.

I respect no one more than I do Henry David Thoreau.......2004-10-15

It was Thoreau who made me understand that writing had everything to do with one's sum total and worth as a human being, and everything to do with one's passion and sense of purpose in life. It was while reading from an anthology of his work that I first made contact with a superior being. I recognized a mind that I could be intimate with, a mind and soul of someone with whom I could spend endless hours and never cease to learn from.

Thoreau's style is cumbersome. He can be terribly dry, and his paragraphs run way too long. But who cares when passages ignite the page with brilliance, flame from the black and white of paper into the depths of one's being. 'Walden' has more profound and relevant quotes than any other book I've read. They're the purest gems to be found in the rough of a larger work. A work that I wouldn't dare to diminish, but forewarn the reader so that they have the patience and perseverance to continue.

I would like to mention a superb biography written on the life and mind of Thoreau, a biography that exceeds and exceeds in going deeper into the life and mind of this great and humane and very misunderstood man, it is called: 'Henry Thoreau -- A Life Of The Mind,' by Robert D. Richardson Jr. Mr. Richardson not only wrote a biography, he was on a mission, for he knew and believed in what his subject was about. As comprehensive, insightful and exhilerating as any biography can or should be.

The price and quality of this anthology can't be beat. Beautiful to read and beautiful to see on my book shelf. Buy it! Get to know this man of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

I would like to publicly thank Henry David Thoreau.......2004-03-31

I would like to publicly thank Henry David Thoreau for teaching me this:

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." -Henry David Thoreau

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

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