Walden; Or, Life in the Woods (Dover Thrift Editions) [Paperback]

Henry David Thoreau (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Thrift Editions | Publication Date: April 12, 1995

One of the great books of American letters and a masterpiece of reflective philosophizing. Accounts of Thoreau's daily life on the shores of Walden Pond outside Concord, Massachusetts, are interwoven with musings on the virtues of self-reliance and individual freedom, on society, government, and other topics.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Unabridged edition (April 12, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486284956
• ISBN-13: 978-0486284958
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Outdoors & Nature > Nature Writing
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > United States > Collections & Readers
  • #2 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Essays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!, November 22, 2003

By 

merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walden; Or, Life in the Woods (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

I had not read this growing up but wish I had. This is such a wonderful book. There are not many pictures in here - just a hand drawn map in one part of the book. Its excerpts from Thoreau's journal over the two year period when he lived on Walden's pond. He did not live like a recluse (he went in to Concord almost every day) so its not a book about living alone per se. Its more about reflecting on life, considering why one "is" and recognizing the beauty and mystery of nature around us every day, everywhere. Thoreau talks of regular daily things too like what it costs him to farm, or having cider, or building a chimney. The writing style is conversational, open, honest. He doesn't try to get tricky with words, he just tells it like he sees it. It's so beautiful. For anyone (like me) who indeed sees nature as their "religion" or sees the Great Spirit in every leaf, tree and bug, this book will be adored. So many wonderful messages, thoughts, woven throughout this book. Its an incredible work.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime, January 23, 2006

By 

Ludix (Upton, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Walden; Or, Life in the Woods (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

Read it when you are eighteen, and it will fire your imagination with the possibility of excellence.

Read it again at thirty-five, and it will break your heart.

Read it at fifty, and it will bring you to peace.

Don't overlook its less famous predecessor, A WEEK ON THE CONCORD AND MERRIMACK RIVERS (the book he actually wrote while living at the pond). The seeds of what make WALDEN great are to be found there.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LIfe Changing Experience, November 4, 2006

By 

David Eaton "DiverDKE" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Walden; Or, Life in the Woods (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

At the age of 50, I, like many adults struggled with the meaning of what I had been doing for the past 50 years. Most of it spent in pursuit of my generation thought of as the "American" dream. Thoreau, in the classic work, answers many of those questions. Less is actually more. No review can do justice to this work; it must be read, and preferably in some wilderness location, away from the bustle of "city life". ENJOY!!