Customer Reviews

Walden : An Annotated Edition

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Walter Harding was one of the greatest Thoreau scholars. His annotations include explanations of puns I hadn't understood, sources of quotes and references in the text, and information about Thoreau's time. I also learned that one of my favorite places in Concord was referred to by Thoreau as Fairyland Pond.

The book also includes a map of the area in Thoreau's time, reproductions of HDT's manuscript pages, drawings and excerpts from his journal, and his map of Walden Pond with water depths he determined.

I wouldn't say the book is perfect--there are still a few obscure references without notes, and some notes for points that are obvious--but it's as close as anyone is likely to come.

Be sure to also read Harding's The Days of Henry Thoreau, a great biography.

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.

Walden is a plea for self reliance and political understanding by a writer eager to get his reader to see that political and personal freedom in a democracy is gained through self knowledge and a recognition of what the individual owes to himself and the political state he finds himself in. Threau warns against the powers of media, money and government to run over the individual. He counsels self-knowledge and civil disobedience. He also writes with clarity and humour and the book is one that re-pays an alert reader with much to think about. This is not an autobiography or a nature essay but a meditation on how to be your own person in a mechanized world

A Thoreauvian for many years and a passionate reader of Walden, I grabbed Harding's annotated volume soon after it was published. It really changed my reading of the book. Previously unnoticed subtleties were revealed!(thank you Mr. Harding). This, as all Walden editions, really is a text for better living.

Also, a beautiful and well-crafted volume (thank you Houghton-Mifflin), a pleasure to hold and read.

Get this book!!!! Savor this book! Study this book! Love this book!

I am one of those people who has read Walden over and over again over a period of decades, and have owned several editions. This is by far the best I have seen. It is quite helpful in the explanations it provides for some of the more obscure passages, is beautifully put together, and is simply a pleasure to read.

Thoreau was part contrarian crank and part visionary, like a crazy uncle. I am glad to have known him through his books. Taken with a grain of salt, his perspectives are refreshing and often illuminating. He helps his readers see there are indeed different ways to look at the world.

For two years and two months, Thoreau decided to live in the Concord Wilderness near Walden Pond, as an experiment. He wanted to see if complete self-reliance was possible, and perhaps get a little closer to Mother Nature. As an experiment in pure solitary living, unaided by the trapping and encumberances of society, Thoreau failed miserably. But as a book of profound insight and beauty, Waldon ranks supreme in the history of American literature, and the bulk of his insights and observations stand even today. I say failed, because Thoreau often spent evenings at the town pub, drinking and talking until late at night, wherefrom he would stumble home drunk without the aid of lamp light. Moreover, aside from a doting mother who would often bring him homemade victuals as a break from mountain berries and unlevened homemade bread, he often stayed over with the Emersons when the pangs of loneliness were particularly biting. Not of word of this will you find mentioned in Waldon, though, for it would go against what Thoreau has to say about charity: namely, that no deserves it. So clearly Thoreau was never as detached from society as he would have us believe, and yet that is neither here nor there. An amazing writer, an observant naturalist, a brilliant social critic, and perhaps the most singular individual America has ever known - Thoreau cannot be beat. And this edition of Waldon is particularly good, in that Hardin has done exactly what all editors should do: In keeping with the Thoreauvian motto, he has made the text "simple, simple, simple" and accessable, clarifying points when necessary with annotated footnotes. After reading Waldon, you might also want to check Harding's biography of Thoreau, which I highly recommend. Among other things, you will learn about his trouble with women. (Interestingly, like many philospohers, Thoreau died a virgin.)

Just as Alexander carried a copy of the Iliad in a precious cask, I have cherished a dog-eared and well marked copy of Walden for a quarter of a century. Now at last we have a binding worthy of one of the greatest books of all time. The embossed cover, the lavishly illustrated endpapers and page footers, the vast number of drawings from Thoreau's pen, and the detailed Masorah-like marginalia elucidate the familiar text and enrich the reading experience. The many references in the notes to Thoreau's Journal have lead me far afield into the various editions of the Journal (at least those I can afford). This is a first rate edition which I hope to carry with me the rest of my life.

The physicality of this edition feels as though Thoreau himself has put it together by hand - from the unusual scrap-book inspired approach to the cover to the reproductions of drawings and notations Thoreau had made in his own copy, it is a complete experience.

Henry David Thoreau gives up his life and most of his posessions and decides to live in a bare necessities cabin in the woods for two years to examine his life. Lucky for us - he brought a pen and paper with him to write it all down! His main focus in this book is to remind you over and over again that the things that you own and the money that you make are not the things in life that define you. He tries to teach us how to seperate ourselves from the hustle and bustle of every day life, stating that the less that we own and the simpler we make our lives, the happier we will be. "Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!"
Everyone I know who has read this book has walked away having learned something. It is a classic. A must have for any book collector - and a must read for EVERYONE!
This edition of the book is simply beautiful, too. Well crafted and binded, it adds the perfect complement to such literary perfection.

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.