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Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

Henry David Thoreau,

Michael McCurdy

3.78 · Rating details · 166,416 ratings · 5,712 reviews

In July 1845, Henry David Thoreau built a small cottage in the woods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. During the two years and two months he spent there, he began to write Walden, his most important work, a chronicle of his communion with nature that became one of the most influential and compelling books in American literature. Since its first publication on Au ...more

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Hardcover, 288 pages

Published February 10th 2004 by Shambhala (first published August 9th 1854)

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Jul 14, 2011 Riku Sayuj rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, r-r-rs, favorites, ecology

The first half is written by Thoreau, the accomplished philosopher and soars much above my humble powers of comprehension; the second half is written by Thoreau, the amateur naturalist and swims much below my capacity for interest.

After reading about the influence the book had on Gandhi, I had attempted reading Walden many (roughly four) times before and each time had to give up before the tenth page due to the onrush of new ideas that enveloped me. I put away the book each time with lots of fo
The first half is written by Thoreau, the accomplished philosopher and soars much above my humble powers of comprehension; the second half is written by Thoreau, the amateur naturalist and swims much below my capacity for interest.

After reading about the influence the book had on Gandhi, I had attempted reading Walden many (roughly four) times before and each time had to give up before the tenth page due to the onrush of new ideas that enveloped me. I put away the book each time with lots of food for thought and always hoped to finish it one day.

Now after finally finishing the book, while I was elated and elevated by the book, I just wish that Thoreau had stuck to telling about the affairs of men and their degraded ways of living and about his alternate views. Maybe even a detailed account of his days and how it affected him would have been fine but when he decided to write whole chapters about how to do bean cultivation and how to measure the depth of a pond with rudimentary methods and theorizing about the reason for the unusual depth of walden and about the habits of wild hens, sadly, I lost interest. I trudged through the last chapters and managed to finish it out of a sense of obligation built up over years of awe about the book.

The concluding chapter, to an extent, rewarded me for my persistence and toil. In this final chapter, he comes back to the real purpose of the book: to drill home a simple idea - "I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws will be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings."

This I think was the core philosophy of the book - if you pursue the ideal direction/vision you have of how your life should be, and not how convention dictates it should be, then you will find success and satisfaction on a scale unimaginable through those conventional routes or to those conventional minds.

I will of course be re-reading the book at some point and thankfully I will know which parts to skip without any remorse. ...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Amanda rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I will go against the grain of society here and say that this was not worth it. There are a few gems of wisdom in here, maybe the Cliffs Notes or a HEAVILY abridged version would be more tolerable. Here's what I didn't like: Thoreau went off to "live by himself", when in actuality he was a mere 2 miles away from town and could hear the train whistle daily. Not exactly out there roughing it. He lived in a shack on land that a friend of his owned so he was basically a squatter. Most of the food he ...more

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Jun 13, 2007 Jeremy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, essays, read-for-school

Or "The Guy Who Liked to Go Outside and Do Stuff". If Thoreau were alive today, I bet he'd be one of those guys who won't shut up about how he "doesn't even own" a television. Curiously, however, I don't think he'd smell bad. And he'd find Radiohead neither overrated nor God's gift to modern music. Just a talented band with a few fairly interesting ideas. ...more

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Jul 26, 2007 Clare rated it liked it · review of another edition

Reading Walden was kind of like eating bran flakes: You know it's good for you, and to some degree you enjoy the wholesomeness of it, but it's not always particularly exciting. The parts of this book that I loved (the philosophy, which always held my interest even though I sometimes didn't agree with Thoreau), I really loved, and the parts that I hated (the ten pages where he waxes poetic about his bean fields, for instance), I really hated.

I also got the impression that Thoreau was the kind of ...more

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Mar 08, 2019 Henry Avila rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The never quite understood philosophy of a man who swam against the current of mainstream beliefs. Sorry I borrowed these words from comments about another review, a good friend, not stealing though, these are my own scribbles, repeating the impressions here. Henry David Thoreau a native of Concord, Massachusetts, a pencil maker, the family business which financed his expensive Harvard education and published the at first neglected books. A disciple of Ralph Waldo Emerson and at his urging in 18 The never quite understood philosophy of a man who swam against the current of mainstream beliefs. Sorry I borrowed these words from comments about another review, a good friend, not stealing though, these are my own scribbles, repeating the impressions here. Henry David Thoreau a native of Concord, Massachusetts, a pencil maker, the family business which financed his expensive Harvard education and published the at first neglected books. A disciple of Ralph Waldo Emerson and at his urging in 1845, built a log cabin that he lived in for two years on the shore of Walden Pond ( it was his friend's land). Thoreau first day the 4th of July a good omen, future generations will be greatly influenced by his writings "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation", " Perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer", " All good things are wild, and free". The beauty of the lake, its peacefulness, the surrounding forest, plants, animals, birds in the sky , fish in the water all contribute to the enchanting magic, such thoughts by Mr. Thoreau were formed in a large part by his stay in paradise here. Curiosity his greatest strength and worse enemy, fellow citizens considered the unconventional person odd and maybe unhinged. However the gentleman by himself erected a very comfortable home, small but cozy, kept him warm in the winter and cool in summer, and during the very heavy , fearsome, rather frightening to say the least,
rains storms... not a drop fell inside; even keeping furniture dry for his modest needs. In the frigid winter when the pond freezes he walks to the middle and measures its depth by dropping a rock tied to a string after punching a hole in the ice...102 feet deep . He was never lonely, friends and acquaintances frequently came to see the strange man to his annoyance, too much, he felt happiest alone looking at the blue and sometimes green lake always changing color. Viewing a hawk in the air diving and rising, repeatedly just joyful to be alive, this was what he believed also, nature is glorious, nothing better on Earth. A solitary figure looms,
inside a little boat floating on the water's surface, contended, not caring if he Thoreau caught any fish, watching hour after hour dazzling birds on trees, animals searching for food some put outside by him for them to eat, observing the wild untamed creatures, writing down
their habits , on paper, fascinated. Nonetheless a newfangled contraption, a train roars nearby, so-called civilization creeps closer. This book celebrates the magnificence of the world, and man's destroying its beauty, this must not occur, prevent this crime and preserve nature, Mr. Thoreau believes and the Legend began with a single man in the woods...Still people want to make money, they will try by any means to do, the constant dilemma...beauty or profit? An important work for those interested and should be read. Besides Henry David Thoreau was a fine writer and terrific onlooker...who preferred to sniff a flower, than stomping on it. ...more

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Oct 05, 2007 Janet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone interested in ecology and/or personal growth

I've read Walden many times now since that first time in high school. I will always love this book, and it reveals itself anew with each reading.

When I first encountered Thoreau in high school, his words rang in my soul like a prophet's manifesto. I admired what seemed to be his unique courage and absolute integrity. He inspired me to want to "live deliberately," but I knew that a solitary life in a cabin was beyond my abilities. His will seemed so much more resolute than anything I could ever I've read Walden many times now since that first time in high school. I will always love this book, and it reveals itself anew with each reading.

When I first encountered Thoreau in high school, his words rang in my soul like a prophet's manifesto. I admired what seemed to be his unique courage and absolute integrity. He inspired me to want to "live deliberately," but I knew that a solitary life in a cabin was beyond my abilities. His will seemed so much more resolute than anything I could ever be capable of.

That was a couple of decades ago. What struck on this latest recent reading is just how much this is a young man's book. The voice is that of an idealist, a passionate and lonely misfit who longs for a better way to live and for more authentic relationships with others as well as with himself. I know now that Thoreau lived more like an energetic slacker than a true renunciate. He was too principled to work as a schoolmaster (he refused to beat his charges), and there wasn't much he cared to do apart from reading, writing, and observing nature closely. He didn't have a family to take care of, and his parents were indulgent of his wishes.

His life at Walden was bracing, but it wasn't filled with hardships. His cabin was just a short walk from Concord, and Thoreau went home for Sunday dinners and stayed at the Emersons' place when it got too cold. His folks took care of his laundry. His life of simplicity was strictly voluntary, and he had numerous safety nets. While these facts make Henry David a bit less intimidating, they also make him more recognizable as a human being.

I like this young man, with his snobbery and his idealism, but I know that as a flesh-and-blood person he would have been hard to get to know, and even harder to love. He was probably afraid of intimacy, and even more afraid of failing to live up to his exacting standards. Thoreau was fascinated with purity. His disgust for "brute" appetites is something that we now think we understand as related to a fear of sexuality. He was deeply interested in Hindu dietary laws, and had an aversion to all forms of consumption. For him, the ideal was to become so pure that a few drops of nectar would be sufficient sustenance. Like Thoreau, I'm an ethical vegetarian, so I understand somewhat that urge toward purity. But my appetites are huge, and my life is in many ways a big, sloppy, comfortable mess. In contrast, Thoreau wanted to be free of all social constraints, free of the taint of commerce, free to be "wild." But his vision of wildness was of a clean, solitary life. He didn't want to merge or mingle with anything or anyone.

The descriptions of Walden and the surrounding landscapes are sublime. They will never get stale, and I enjoy them even more now that I live a few miles from Concord and have visited the pond in different seasons.

I look forward to reading this beautiful book again in a few years. I wonder what I'll notice next time?

...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Emily May rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 2016

If you find yourself having difficulty sleeping, this book is a fantastic cure for insomnia. Just writing a review about it makes me want to lie my head down and close my eyes.

That being said, I suppose Thoreau's pretentious, self-righteous douchebaggery was extremely revolutionary for the time it was written. He went to live in a shack in the woods and decided that gave him the right to impart truisms about life. Some of them are almost interesting, too, except that Thoreau's prose is so overwr ...more

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Jun 01, 2008 Chris Bradshaw rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

When Henry Thoreau went to Walden Pond in 1845, I wonder what he really thought he was doing there. I wonder if he had second thoughts about the whole idea; although when he began it was July, and July is a good month to be outdoors, whatever the weather. The man, and what he did and how he lived and what he lived for have always been a source of inspiration to me, and to many others... Walden is much more than one man's account of the years he spent in the woods communing with nature; it is a s
When Henry Thoreau went to Walden Pond in 1845, I wonder what he really thought he was doing there. I wonder if he had second thoughts about the whole idea; although when he began it was July, and July is a good month to be outdoors, whatever the weather. The man, and what he did and how he lived and what he lived for have always been a source of inspiration to me, and to many others... Walden is much more than one man's account of the years he spent in the woods communing with nature; it is a statement of defiance. Thoreau was educated at Harvard, and spent some time as a teacher where he despaired of the idea of classroom learning. He had a great respect for the Native Americans, admiring their hardiness and skill. He couldn't understand why people thought of them as inferior. To him, they were wise and strong and more in tune with reality than the farmer with his insulated life. He loved wisdom, and spoke of an enlightened society based on compassion and simplicity. He did not align himself explicitly with any religious view...he was a philosophical person. Solitude was what he valued, not just because he was a thinker, but also because he believed it made you a better person, a more independent mind. These ideas, and the kind of existence they represent, are important for me because I think that we're losing something very crucial...not just in the physical loss of the natural environment, but also in the spiritual environment, which is reliant upon it. If it was obvious 150 years ago, it is now the de facto reality, and the question is: what will it be like 150 years from now?

So...what are we supposed to do about it? You can see how huge the problem is: global warming, overpopulation, poverty, corporate hegemony... You look at it all, and it floors you; you can't see the edges of it because it's all around you, everywhere. It's just how things are...it's what you're used to seeing. And it's horrible, but that's also accepted to a certain degree...the wrongness of it is tolerated because people feel powerless, or bogged down, or maybe they're just tired of trying...all valid points and very understandable ones. I think Henry would look at it as a consequence of a compulsively complicated culture, and once you look at the massiveness of what we have done, the sheer size of our footprint, maybe you can see it too. Going to the woods ain't gonna cut it... But for the people who feel the way Henry felt, who see what he saw in the deep waters of Walden Pond, the option of inaction is no option at all. The real power of his words is in the actions of those they inspire...the good people doing the hard work of trying to make this culture a less complicated one, and maybe they'll succeed and maybe they won't...the value is in the attempt.

It begins with an idea; ideas are the seeds of change, they are what our culture rests upon. But, like a seed, they will become nothing without the proper attention and care. The best one's change the world, the worst one's bring the world to it's knees...which is where we are now. Is it a good idea to continue polluting the planet when we know that it will kill us in the end? No, but that continues. Is it a good idea to pamper the wealthy and tax the poor? No, but that continues. People see these things and forget about Walden Pond because it seems small and ineffectual. It says something about the spirit of a society when the best ideas are purposefully abandoned for shiny, complicated, bad one's. But the people who benefit most from the bad ideas are the people who are effectively running the show. And so they dress them up and give them interesting titles and wrap them in exciting packages and peddle them as good one's. Henry built his home with the trees he took from the forest surrounding the pond at Walden. He built it with tools he borrowed from his neighbors, in good faith, and used recycled materials for what he couldn't get from the woods. It was a good house and it kept him warm in the winter, cool in the summer and dry when it rained. The great wisdom of his life was in how he lived it, with care and appreciation and respect for what was in his environment. Is it a good idea to live as a student, no matter your age? Yes, and also to be a teacher of good ideas, as Henry was.

Thoreau stayed at Walden Pond for two years, wrote extensively in his journal, then left. He could have stayed, I suppose, but solitude is not something which benefits forever. I think he says as much, though I'm not sure. He stayed long enough to learn what he needed to, then he moved on. There is wisdom in that, too. Take what you need and leave the rest. Things are changing, despite how it seems sometimes. People are angry. They're tired of being scared. Maybe they won't go to the woods; maybe that's not even an option anymore. The "woods" now are more a state of mind, a world view. Whatever happens, Walden will be there, as full of good ideas as it ever was...because a truly good idea will always be good, no matter what the censors say. ...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Lyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Poetic prose or prosaic poetry?

Either way a beautiful work. It has the social commentary of a husbandry lesson and the spiritual depth of a prayer.

It's also apparently timeless. Thoreau's ideas about simplicity and spiritual cleanliness are as relevant today as they were in the 1840s.

I cannot help but mention a college English professor's description of him: "he lived in a shack out on the outskirts of town - he was a bum". Still makes laugh.

...more

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Mar 01, 2009 John Wiswell rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Woefully overwritten to the point where most modern readers who might be moved by Thoreau’s transcendentalism will be put off by the prose alone. If that doesn’t get them, his elitist attitude probably will. Thoreau took Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideals of choosing for yourself and added, “but you’re an idiot if you don’t choose mine.” Too many of his asides are condescending views of society or normal people, evidencing that Thoreau was stuck on other people even if he claimed to be independent or ...more

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Oct 06, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century, non-fiction, classics, literature, philosophy, united-states

Life in the Woods = Walden, Henry David Thoreau

Walden is a book by Henry David Thoreau, First published in 1854. The text is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings.

The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and a manual for self-reliance. Walden details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond amidst woodland owned by his friend and ment Life in the Woods = Walden, Henry David Thoreau

Walden is a book by Henry David Thoreau, First published in 1854. The text is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings.

The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and a manual for self-reliance. Walden details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هفتم ماه اکتبر سال 2017 میلادی

عنوان: والدن؛ نویسنده: هنری دیوید ثورو؛ مترجم: علیرضا بهشتی؛ تهران: روزنه، 1395؛ در 570ص؛ شابک 9789643345914؛ موضوع صحرا و بیابان - ایالات متحده امریکا - ماساچوست - والدن وود - سده 19م

عنوان: والدن؛ نویسنده: هنری دیوید تارو (ثورو)؛ مترجم: علی‌رضا طاق‌دره؛ تهران: دیار، ‏‫1395؛ در 464 ص؛ شابک 9786006712147؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، شهرآب، آینده سازان، ‏‫‏‏‏1396؛ 471ص؛ شابک: 9789643143275؛

والدن، نخستین بار با عنوان: «والدن؛ یا زندگی در جنگل» با نگارگری «هنری دیوید ثورو»، در سال 1854میلادی، منتشر شد؛ «ثورو» به مدت دو سال و دو ماه و دو روز، در کلبه‌ ای چوبی، کنار دریاچه ی «والدن»، در «کنکورد، ماساچوست»، زندگی کرد؛ او این کلبه را بدست خود در زمین‌های دوستش «رالف والدو امرسون»، ساخت؛ «ثورو» در کتابش، از این دو سال و دو ماه و دو روز می‌گویند، و اینکه چگونه با الهام‌ گرفتن از طبیعت، به اندیشیدن درباره ی اجتماع، و روابط میان انسان‌ها پرداخته‌ است؛ رسیدن به زندگی ساده، و خودکفایی، از دیگر اهداف «ثورو»، در انجام این آزمایش بوده‌ است؛ این تجربه ی «ثورو»، از فلسفه ی تعالی‌گرایی سرچشمه گرفته، که از موضوعات بنیادین دوران «رومانتیسم آمریکایی» بوده‌؛ همانگونه که «ثورو» در کتابش بیان کرده، این کلبه در سه مایلی شهر زادگاهش قرار داشته‌ است؛ دوستداران آثار «ثورو»، برای بهره‌ بردن از طبع لطیف و نگاه موشکافانه ی ایشان نسبت به پدیده‌هاست، که آثار ایشان را می‌خوانند؛ «ثورو» شیوه‌ هایی از زندگی سعادتمند، و سرپناهی برای رستگاری از عصر سرسام‌زد ی دوره ی خود (و پس از خود) را برای خوانشگر پیشنهاد می‌کند؛

کتاب در هجده فصل تنظیم شده، که هر کدام به موضوعی اختصاص دارد؛ همانند «مزرعه ی لوبیا»، «برکه‌ ها»، «همسایگانی از وحوش» که توصیفی هستند، و دیگر فصلها همانند «اقتصاد» و «قوانین متعالی‌تر» ساختاری بیانی و استدلالی دارند

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Apr 28, 2009 Jason Koivu rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, biography

I love Thoreau's ideals. Taking care of nature is of paramount importance, especially these days as technology flings us farther and faster into the future than we've ever gone before.

I also love Walden because I grew up near the pond and would pass it on my way into Boston back in the days when I was a young English major in college. Back then I looked upon this book and its ethos as a rallying banner for people who gave a shit about Mother Earth.

Given a bit of reflection after a more recent r ...more

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Mar 11, 2017 James rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-written-pre-20th-century, 1-non-fiction

Book Review
Walden, an American classic...few of us have likely read all 350+ pages, unless you were an English major. For most, perhaps 10-15 pages in high school or a college literature course introduced you to Thoreau and Walden. Famed philosopher and thinker, it's a book that transports you to nature and the simplicities of life... helping to discover who you are, what you want and where things are going. A bit of an existential crisis, so to speak. It's a good book. I have nothin Book Review
Walden, an American classic...few of us have likely read all 350+ pages, unless you were an English major. For most, perhaps 10-15 pages in high school or a college literature course introduced you to Thoreau and Walden. Famed philosopher and thinker, it's a book that transports you to nature and the simplicities of life... helping to discover who you are, what you want and where things are going. A bit of an existential crisis, so to speak. It's a good book. I have nothing against it, but it didn't resonate with me as much as I'd have liked.

I tend to be character and plot-based, when it comes to literature I enjoy. The main character, besides Thoreau, was passion/life/searching... it's not a work of fiction, tho some may take it that way. Perhaps a collection of essays, early journal writing. Blogging?

All in all, beautiful language. Great images. Lots to think about. Worth reading those 10 to 15 pages. But unless you are into philosophy, it'll be a hard read. I'm a thinker, but not in this way. I'm glad I read the full text... and a few pages several times for comparative purposes in different courses. Take a little on for yourself.

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Aug 03, 2014 Alex rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014, rth-lifetime

Thoreau and I have an essential difference of philosophy: I am an Epicurean, and he's an asshole.

A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not that food which entereth into the mouth defileth a man, but the appetite with which it is eaten. It is neither the quality nor the quantity, but the devotion to sensual savors.

Walden has some great moments. I appreciate that Thoreau was not just the original hippie, but the original of a par ...more

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Apr 11, 2017 Diane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, nature, simplicity, nonfiction, outdoors, mindfulness

What a beautiful meditation on nature and simple living!

It's been about 25 years since I picked up Thoreau, and paging through Walden this time I realized I had never read the entire book before. Instead, I had only read excerpts that were included in a literature anthology. While a lot of this book's famous quotes come from early chapters, to fully appreciate Walden you need to read the whole text. Besides his thoughts about trying to live a more meaningful and deliberate life, there are some b ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Amor Towles rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

FIVE EXPANSIVE BOOKS SET IN CLOSE QUARTERS (#4)

This summer, the Wall Street Journal asked me to pick five books I admired that were somehow reminiscent of A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. To that end, I wrote on five works in which the action is confined to a small space, but in which the reader somehow experiences the world. Here is #4:

Ironically, one of the most timely pieces of close-quarters literature is a work written over 150 years ago in which the author voluntarily commits himself to a one-room c ...more

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Oct 11, 2016 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, political-theory, american-19th-c, novels, philosophy

This utopian text by Thoreau is absolutely beautiful and something to read when you are in those sloughs of life. It will pick you up and transport you as if you, as I have done, were standing on the edge of Walden Pond (near Concord, Mass) and observing its beautiful circular shape before wading in and swimming across this natural monument (saved from developers in the 90s by a group of environmentalists including Robbie Robertson if memory serves). The prose is limpid and perfectly balanced an ...more

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Jan 13, 2017 Amanda rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

I had high hopes for this book written by a self-imposed hermit living in the woods. However, this is actually just the thoughts of an ignorantly privileged dude who thinks there's only one correct way to live your life and won't shut up about it. Whilst Thoreau had many ideas that horrifyingly still apply to our lives today, 170 years later, he presents them with a defensive and pompous tone. It was probably to the detriment of Walden that Thoreau published his thoughts almost 10 years after li ...more

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Mar 07, 2008 Mister Jones rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Mature, open minded readers

The very first time I read Walden my immediate response was to begin torching its pages one by one and sacrificing each page as literary cow paddies written by a pompous celibate pretentious boob who masqueraded as self-appointed demigogue for the collective conscience of the gods; and of course, when read this way it certainly fits at times Thoreau's rhetoric.

Many years later, I took my paperback copy off my shelf and was ready to pack it up to be dropped off at the nearest thrift shop, but the ...more

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Oct 02, 2018 Whitney Atkinson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: for-class, read-in-2018, memoir

If I hadn't been reading this for class and skim reading it at 4 AM in a panic to find lines to talk about during class, this would definitely be five stars. But of all the classics I've read--especially essay collections that are usually dry--this one was actually immensely enjoyable! Thoreau created such a complex and interesting blend of social commentary, memoir, and call to action. It revealed a lot about myself that I need to improve on, and it also brought new perspectives of appreciating ...more

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Jan 24, 2021 Luís rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, favorites, philosophy, usa-and-canada, biography, sociology

Walden is indeed a rather atypical and indefinable book: between autobiography, philosophy and poetry, Thoreau tackles very varied themes in the account of his original “experience” of life. Indeed, for two years, he lived isolated in a cabin near Walden Pond, to detach himself from material goods and have only the essentials for human life - namely food, shelter, clothes and heat. The story combines very concrete descriptions of his life in Walden (construction of his hut, planting of his field ...more

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Jun 18, 2013 booklady rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: 2013, adventure, classic, autobiography, education, favorites, health, nature, food, history

Walden has really slowed me down. I love how Thoreau makes me see things. It takes time to see, to hear, and to use the senses properly. Usually, I’m in too much of a hurry to really look, listen, smell and savor. When I able to now, I’m looking at the little things around me and thinking about a certain pond...

While reading Walden you can expect to enter another realm. During my recent journey there I developed an appreciation of so much which I might otherwise have discounted as detail or back Walden has really slowed me down. I love how Thoreau makes me see things. It takes time to see, to hear, and to use the senses properly. Usually, I’m in too much of a hurry to really look, listen, smell and savor. When I able to now, I’m looking at the little things around me and thinking about a certain pond...

While reading Walden you can expect to enter another realm. During my recent journey there I developed an appreciation of so much which I might otherwise have discounted as detail or background, except it isn’t. It’s the stuff of this beautiful world we live in ... but what is so easy to overlook in our single-minded rush to the next meeting, appointment or ‘have-to-do’.

With these Walden-washed eyes and ears I’ve discovered a new joy in reading, in just being and in knowing how much does not depend on me. The author has shared a perspective on the variations of visitors, bird songs and the true value of solitude. Thoreau’s meditations draw me into memories of playing hooky on warm sunny days ... or maybe just dreams of doing so. He describes scenes, little furry creatures and the battlefields of ants, and in the next breath philosophizes about Time and Nature. His rules on culinary simplicity would send Julia Child into apoplexy! While the romantic side of my nature is drawn to his loaf of crusty bread and cold spring water, I don’t think I could long adhere to his monk-like menu of no coffee, tea, wine or meat.

Thoreau can wander from one topic to another and back again, frequently seeming off track and irrelevant except that I suspect he might claim relevancy is overrated and not relevant itself. As such, chapter titles are misleading, topics overlapping and meandering, some portions being better than others. And yet—for me at least—even the chapters with uninteresting titles contain quiet little gems of delight. Reading Walden is often like a long visit with an old friend, old as in age and old as in known for a long time. Because this relationship is both deep and durable, you anticipate lengthy visits without fixed agendas, and yet the unpredictable quirkiness of the shared conversation is its greatest recommendation.

Thoreau was the original naturalist, environmentalist and proponent of the motto, ‘Live simply so that others may simply live.’ He was a poet, philosopher, dreamer and observer of life. He was all these things but I think mostly he was someone who wanted to drink life to the very last drop—in the very best sense.

I read and listened to most chapters of this book, returning to favorites even three times. Gord Mackenzie did a superb job reading this for LibriVox, making me feel as if Mr. Thoreau was addressing me in person.

The wonder of Walden is that we can travel there any time by opening this book. No need for Trojan Horses (trains) or any of those other modern machines which would despoil the natural beauty of this sacred place. ...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Darwin8u rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, 1001-ante-mortem

I rarely read books twice, but I already feel the need to come sit by the shores of this book again and again. Expansive and infinitely quotable, Walden is one of those books that shakes not just the ground you are standing on, but seems to shake the Sun as well. Certainly there are parts of this book that are unrealistic, a little bit crankish, and even a little too self-aware. However, it is also beautiful, magnificent, and compelling in Thoreau's desire to see man seek the greater, more compe ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Igrowastreesgrow rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, library

This book is not long at all but took me forever to get through.

This may be a short book but was a long runoff of thoughts that I would have thought more appropriate for a private journal rather than a book for the public. It felt torturous at times to get through it. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had been shorter with the points he was trying to get across being more concentrated. However, over all it had good thoughts and information. I'm glad I've read it but I do not think I will ...more

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May 06, 2018 • Lindsey Dahling • rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: its-a-no-from-me-dawg

YEAH, YOU WERE A TOTAL MOUNTAIN MAN HIPPIE LIVING IN EMERSON’S YARD WHILE YOUR MOM DID YOUR LAUNDRY AND YOUR FRIENDS CAME OVER FOR TEA, THOREAU.

AND I AM 100% POSITIVE MY RESENTMENT STEMS FROM A LIT COURSE I TOOK IN COLLEGE WHERE I WAS FORCED TO READ THOREAU’S ESSAYS AND LISTEN TO MY PEERS DISCUSS HOW BRILLIANTLY AUTHENTIC THIS WAS AND HOW THEY COULD NOT WAIT TO READ MOBY DICK NEXT WEEK.

NO ONE IS EXCITED TO READ MOBY DICK, OKAY.*

NO ONE.

*Matilda and Ms. Honey are excited to read Moby Dick at the e ...more

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Jul 22, 2019 Swaroop rated it really liked it · review of another edition

First Published: August 9, 1854

Thoreau's Walden is a masterpiece and timeless... a mandatory read in today's world..

A voyage of self-discovery and manual for self-reliance.

I don't even know how to describe, but there is that peace and calmth in Thoreau's words. It is so important to have peace of mind, in order to remain in one piece...

Wishing you all warmth, peace and fulfillment. You need to read Walden at least once.

Thoreau's words:

"Direct your eye right inward, and
you'll find
A thousand re ...more

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Apr 10, 2018 Sarah Booth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Review to come.

I’ve already started to reread this because it is a book to be studied. I want to once again feel like I am coming from the cabin and moving about the lake with him as he describes everything in such poetic detail and brings me by his side to show me what he means and to think about the ideas he is thinking about.

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Aug 27, 2008 Jim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, 1paper, 2non-fiction

His whole 'back to nature' & simplistic look at life do have their appeal. I don't subscribe to transcendentalism, but did find his musings broken up by the seasons to be interesting. Like most philosophers, his view on life tends to ignore minor details (like reality) that don't fit into his worldview, but he does stay in the real world most of the time. Luckily, he had some money, good health & people he could borrow from.

I don't particularly like the man, though. His comments on marriage bei His whole 'back to nature' & simplistic look at life do have their appeal. I don't subscribe to transcendentalism, but did find his musings broken up by the seasons to be interesting. Like most philosophers, his view on life tends to ignore minor details (like reality) that don't fit into his worldview, but he does stay in the real world most of the time. Luckily, he had some money, good health & people he could borrow from.

I don't particularly like the man, though. His comments on marriage being "a ball & chain" for the man were absolutely offensive. It's no wonder he never married or had kids. His self-centered nature wouldn't allow for such distractions.

Even more offensive was the way he treated the axe he borrowed. I don't care much for tool borrowers anyway, having had too many people borrow mine over the years & then 'treat them as if they were their own'. That means they beat them up or never return them. That's exactly what Thoreau did, ruined a fine axe as if it was of no consequence.

An axe in 1845 was a useful & fairly expensive tool. Generally, handles were handmade by the owner to their pattern. Often the axe head was handmade by the local smith. It required folding one piece of softer steel or iron to create the hole for the handle & then welding the ends back together. Then a higher quality piece of steel was forged on to the blade end. Different tempering was required for the two pieces.

Thoreau used his borrowed axe to both build his cabin & grub roots out with. Usually only a very old axe was used for the latter since hitting rocks & dirt dulled it quickly & shortened its life. After breaking the handle, he BURNED the old handle out of the head, which ruined any temper it had. His ill-fitting replacement handle required him to soak it in water, which expands the wood to fit, but does so only briefly. Once dry, the fit is even looser since the expanding wood fibers are crushed by the iron head. Yuck!

Anyway, this is why I was often distracted from his discourse on nature - I wanted to throttle him too often. ...more

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Dec 06, 2018 Christine Boyer rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one. Seriously.

This book was so disappointing. I'll try to approach this review on two levels here.

First, the actual writing itself. Ugh - awful!! When I was getting my Elementary Education degree I had a choice of a literature class - post Civil War or pre Civil War. I picked post, but after reading this, maybe I should have picked pre- and I would have understood more of what Thoreau was saying! The sentences were SO LONG, with so many PARENTHETICALS, god, man, just get to the point! I know it was written in This book was so disappointing. I'll try to approach this review on two levels here.

First, the actual writing itself. Ugh - awful!! When I was getting my Elementary Education degree I had a choice of a literature class - post Civil War or pre Civil War. I picked post, but after reading this, maybe I should have picked pre- and I would have understood more of what Thoreau was saying! The sentences were SO LONG, with so many PARENTHETICALS, god, man, just get to the point! I know it was written in 1854, and that was part of the style, but even so, there were only a few moments of unique prose. Very few.

Now - second level problem - the content. For the few sections that I DID understand - BLEAHHHH. What a POMPOUS ASS this guy was! So preachy! Sorry, Henry, but I'm not listening to a 37 year old, with NO WIFE, NO CHILDREN, tell me that I should be living a certain way. Nope, nope. In fact, side note, it has been said that Thoreau never was known to be with a woman or man. So much easier to just "do your own thing" when you are not responsible to anyone else!! I found myself constantly yelling at him. The only part of his book that I kind of liked was the nature. But seriously, he was only 2 miles from town! In fact, he walked back to have meals with friends! He was, what we call today, a classic MOOCHER! I kept imagining him as my neighbor there in Concord. Constantly standing at my fence, eating the apples off my tree, asking me if he could come over AGAIN for dinner and CRITICIZING me for owning two rakes, instead of one! Go away, Henry! Arrogant, rambling, boring. He was unfairly judgmental. I kept thinking, hey, I'm frugal, I'm not much of a consumer, I love being out in nature, in fact, I think I've actually been in REAL remote areas, not his little pretend remoteness - Henry, you'd love me! However, how dare you judge your neighbors for wanting to achieve "more" (whatever more is) with their hard-earned money.

As far as people putting this book "up there" through the years, I almost wonder if they only read it in high school or college and someone said, yea, we think this is an important book, kid, so you should too? Or, perhaps, as some people really do enjoy the "self-help, how-to" genre, which is where this book fell for me - the 1850s Tony Robbins or Stephen Covey - bleah - they liked it? I read the 2004 edition and the best thing about it was the Introduction by environmentalist, Bill McKibben. Maybe McKibben set me up to not like this guy. McKibben mentions that Thoreau didn't really believe in "community" - a very strong and important component in making positive environmental changes in our country.

Side note: I'm so happy I'm on the Goodreads site! If I had read this pre-Goodreads, I probably would have thought there was something wrong with me, as this book is so famous and Thoreau so well-known. However, after I read it I read some reviews that were SO articulate in reflecting these same problems that I had with the book! Other people also noticed that this guy was a bit of a con-artist, know-it-all. There are so many other, better authors who wrote wonderful reflections and memoirs on their experiences in nature. I'll seek out those treasures next time. ...more

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Sep 16, 2015 Patience K Phillips added it · review of another edition

Recommended to Patience K by: Found this book while searching for information concering RV living

As a gift my son gave me $100 ’just because’.

I'd been eyeballing Annotated Waldens. Researched four available. 1970, 1992, 1995, and 2004.

The first edition I’d found we're super pricey. Then, as fate would have it found an original first edition from 1970. In awesome condition with a dust cover for $18.

Despite some copies being an exuberant amount managed to get all four copies for less than my gift and still some leftover to use for another present.

Why go through all this for virtually the s ...more

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About Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau

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Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, philosopher, and abolitionist who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

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“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” — 8063 likes

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” — 4967 likes

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