WALDEN or, Life in the Woods, by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, 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 manual for self-reliance. First published in 1854, it 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. The book compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human development. By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period. As Thoreau made clear in his book, his cabin was not in wilderness but at the edge of town, about two miles (3 km) from his family home.

Henry David Thoreau built his small cabin on Walden Pond in 1845 and, for two years, lived there as simply as possible, eliminating the unnecessary material and spiritual details that intrude upon human happiness. Thoreau described his experiences in Walden, using vivid, forceful prose that transforms his reflections on nature into richly evocative metaphors. This beautiful illustrated edition brings a rarely seen visual dimension to Thoreau's philosophical masterpiece.

On July 4, 1845, Henry David Thoreau moved into the cabin he had built on the shore of Walden Pond. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is proud to publish an exceptional new edition of what is perhaps the most important book in our history as a publisher. Walden: An Annotated Edition features the definitive text of the book with extensive notes on Thoreau's life and times by the distinguished biographer and critic Walter Harding. In the third chapter, Thoreau writes, "How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book?" For many readers, Walden is that book. Written a century and a half ago, it grows more meaningful every day, and whether you are reading it for the first time or the hundredth, Walter Harding's insightful comments will open your eyes to the true depths of this masterpiece.

The classic chronicle of a communion with nature at Walden Pond offers a message of living simply and in harmony with nature

In 1845, Thoreau embarked on a sort of social experiment to live separate from civilization without the traditional luxuries of culture. He was a renowned transcendentalist who believed that simplicity and living within nature could lead him to achieve true happiness and spiritual peace. He constructed a small cabin in the woods on the shore of Walden Pond just outside of Concord, Mass. Ralph Waldo Emerson, his friend, mentor and owner of the property, allowed Thoreau to stay as long as he would do some work on the land. Over the course of about two years, Thoreau recorded his activities, observations and meetings with visitors. He published his writings in an 1854 work titled "Walden." The book was relatively successful but did not achieve its widespread influence and notoriety until after Thoreau?s death. Today, it is considered to be a masterpiece of American literature and philosophy and is indispensable in the study of Thoreau and transcendentalism.

Walden (first published as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is an American book written by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. First published in 1854, it 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. The book compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human development. this version contains new illustrations