Walden and Resistance to Civil Government (Norton Critical Editions) [Paperback]

Henry David Thoreau (Author), William Rossi (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393959058 | ISBN-13: 978-0393959055 | Publication Date: August 19, 1992 | Edition: 2

The texts of these two works have been revised to bring them to the forefront of current Thoreau scholarship. Changes to this edition include an expanded background section, with selections from Thoreau's journal, and reviews and essays added to a section on criticism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton; 2 edition (August 19, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393959058
• ISBN-13: 978-0393959055
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars scholarly oversight of Thoreau, September 7, 2000

By 

Grace (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walden and Resistance to Civil Government (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed Walden, it's a very deep philosophical book. Thoreau is very insightful, and he is also very intelligent. I admire his capability to digress on different subjects and expand on the topics. His profound statments make an individual contemplate and search his inner soul for his true identity. This book, if read carefully and with much thought, can really impact one's life. It can help one search themselves and think differently about life in general. I would encourage people to read this book if they have a good grasp on their life because it could be confusing and somewhat depressing at times, depending on the maturity level of the individual. If one has an interest to read this, it can be very enjoyable, and challenging at the same time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest American prose stylists., January 5, 2001

By 

John G. Mcarthur "python.bibliophile" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Walden and Resistance to Civil Government (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

Mind you, this isn't idle worship - this book is a masterpiece of American Literature, and along with 'Civil Disobedience', represents one of the greatest literary minds America has ever known. Thoreau stands with Dickinson, Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman as one of the greats of his era. Indeed, in the 1850's when 'Walden' was originally published, it occasionally sat beside 'Moby-Dick' and 'Song of Myself' on book shop shelves. In reading Thoreau, one comes to understand the scholar and the naturalist that have so profoundly come together next to Walden Pond; their combination seems to express some of the most basic underpinnings of American life. More than that however, their intertwining through insight and spiritualism evokes a thoughtful reverence for life in its entirety. Thoreau's ruminations are striking, not merely for their deep beauty and sentiment, but for their delving examination of the human soul. The way in which he blends the substantive and the sublime, bringing the reader to Walden Pond in mind, body, and soul, deserves praise as one of the highest forms of art. One cannot help but wonder at the depth - of Thoreau, of the spirit, and of Walden Pond.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars scholarly oversight of Thoreau, September 7, 2000

By 

Grace (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walden and Resistance to Civil Government (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed Walden, it's a very deep philosophical book. Thoreau is very insightful, and he is also very intelligent. I admire his capability to digress on different subjects and expand on the topics. His profound statments make an individual contemplate and search his inner soul for his true identity. This book, if read carefully and with much thought, can really impact one's life. It can help one search themselves and think differently about life in general. I would encourage people to read this book if they have a good grasp on their life because it could be confusing and somewhat depressing at times, depending on the maturity level of the individual. If one has an interest to read this, it can be very enjoyable, and challenging at the same time.