Walden, series of 18 essays by Henry David Thoreau, published in 1854 and considered his masterwork. An important contribution to New England Transcendentalism, the book was a record of Thoreau’s experiment in simple living on Walden Pond in Massachusetts (1845–47).
After more than two years, Thoreau leaves Walden transformed by the experience. He urges each man to explore the uncharted territories within him, to obey only the laws of his own being, and to devote his life to the work he cares about, no matter how poor he is.
Walden; or, Life in the Woods is a nonfiction book about Thoreau's experience at Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts, from July 1845 to September 1847.
This essay was written in 1995 for an exhibit commemorating the 150th anniversary of Thoreau's move to Walden Pond and his writing of the American classic, Walden; it has been updated for inclusion here.
Thoreau's Survey of Walden Pond in 1846 Related Texts J. Lyndon Shanley's Transcription of the First Version of Walden
CBS News: How scientists are using Henry Thoreau's book "Walden" to study Massachusetts' climate
CONCORD - American literary icon Henry David Thoreau spent two years, two months, and two days at Walden Pond, writing what would later be published as his book "Walden." Now, nearly 180 years later, ...
How scientists are using Henry Thoreau's book "Walden" to study Massachusetts' climate
CONCORD, Mass. (AP) — Henry David Thoreau went to the woods because, as he famously put it, “I wished to live deliberately.” Two centuries after the “Walden” author’s birth, people are still ...
A three-part documentary on Henry David Thoreau is set to premiere Monday night on PBS. The series is produced by Ken Burns and Don Henley, who founded the nonprofit The Walden Woods Project — and was ...