What do you think?
Rate this book
The Guide To Walden Pond: An Exploration of the History, Nature, Landscape, and Literature of One of America’s Most Iconic Places – The First Illustrated Walking Tour with Thoreau
An exploration of the history, nature, landscape, and literature of one of America’s most iconic places
This is the first guidebook to Henry David Thoreau’s most defining place, visited by half a million people each year and widely known as the fountainhead of America's environmental consciousness.
Using this guide, both armchair readers and trail-walkers alike can amble around the pond’s shoreline, pausing at fifteen special places to learn about people, historic events, and the natural world. Thoreau will be a constant companion via quotes from Walden. Stop by stop, the place of his book will merge with the book of his place.
Abundantly illustrated with photographs, drawings, and maps, this guide is a must-have for a meaningful, engaging tour of Walden Pond as well as a souvenir of a visit.
Special Thanks
Concord Free Public Library
Concord Museum
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Thoreau Farm Trust
Thoreau Society
Walden Woods Project
This is the first guidebook to Henry David Thoreau’s most defining place, visited by half a million people each year and widely known as the fountainhead of America's environmental consciousness.
Using this guide, both armchair readers and trail-walkers alike can amble around the pond’s shoreline, pausing at fifteen special places to learn about people, historic events, and the natural world. Thoreau will be a constant companion via quotes from Walden. Stop by stop, the place of his book will merge with the book of his place.
Abundantly illustrated with photographs, drawings, and maps, this guide is a must-have for a meaningful, engaging tour of Walden Pond as well as a souvenir of a visit.
Special Thanks
Concord Free Public Library
Concord Museum
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Thoreau Farm Trust
Thoreau Society
Walden Woods Project
272 pages, Paperback
Published March 13, 2018
6 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 10, 2018
Walden Pond is a magical place, as this book's title states, for history, nature, landscape and literature. Robert "Thor" Thorson is a multi-discipline scholar uniquely qualified to address all of Walden's aspects. He also has a history of running tours of the site.
This book is both a guide of the physical space, which the book takes you through, but also gives detailed background in the features and background. Because of that it is a great guide for those who visit Walden and for those armchair visitors who want to know more about the place & its special features.
This book is both a guide of the physical space, which the book takes you through, but also gives detailed background in the features and background. Because of that it is a great guide for those who visit Walden and for those armchair visitors who want to know more about the place & its special features.
October 27, 2022
A book this slight can't really be a great book, but this book is as good as it could be, so I gave it five stars. In fact, I may have given it an extra star for not telling me more than I wanted to know about this subject - always an unexpected pleasure.
It is a succinct introduction to Walden, the book, Walden the pond and Thoreau, the man. It has a very thoughtful organization with informative sidebars and wonderful photos. Living only twenty minutes from Walden Pond, I have been there many times, but this book has given me a new appreciation.
It is a succinct introduction to Walden, the book, Walden the pond and Thoreau, the man. It has a very thoughtful organization with informative sidebars and wonderful photos. Living only twenty minutes from Walden Pond, I have been there many times, but this book has given me a new appreciation.
March 7, 2018
Whether you've visited in the past or are planning a trip (even by Google maps), this guide will take you around Thoreau's beloved Walden Pond. The guide clearly sets out where Thoreau lived and walked and explains what has changed since his sojourn. I also liked how Thorson acknowledged the history of the place outside of its association with Thoreau, from the site's geological formation to 20th-century recreation.
November 26, 2018
Loved this book and all the geological, historical, and literary context it provided. I got to meet the author and go on a special guided tour of Walden with him which was such an amazing experience. I just got his next book Walden's Shore and I'm excited to learn more about the geological history of the region and the evolution of different intellectual currents in Thoreau's work.
July 25, 2025
Helpful resource with beautiful pictures.
May 4, 2018
The Guide to Walden Pond was like a guide home for me. I grew up in Massachusetts and knew who Henry David Thoreau was even when I was very young. I enjoyed revisiting a familiar, loved place and think that Robert Thorson did an amazingly phenomenal job writing his book....
May 27, 2018
An illuminating armchair read connecting Walden (the Pond) with Walden (the Book) and Henry David Thoreau. An appealing design and colorful photos.
Besides former, current or future visitors to Walden Pond itself, readers or teachers of WALDEN and/or Thoreau will also find much of value.
Besides former, current or future visitors to Walden Pond itself, readers or teachers of WALDEN and/or Thoreau will also find much of value.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews