Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Seminal - everyone should own a copy, 09 Dec 1999
Recounting Thoreau's time spent in Walden woods, this text will force you to redefine your world view completely. It is a homage to the power of the self, emphasising what we can be if we were not tied down to external superfluities. In the consumer culture of the modern age, the book is made all the more powerful. The most important text I have ever read.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Seminal - everyone should own a copy, 09 Dec 1999
Recounting Thoreau's time spent in Walden woods, this text will force you to redefine your world view completely. It is a homage to the power of the self, emphasising what we can be if we were not tied down to external superfluities. In the consumer culture of the modern age, the book is made all the more powerful. The most important text I have ever read.

'We must look a long time before we can see', 19 May 2005
I'll be honest: I picked this up because I wanted a copy of WALDEN, and getting a selection of Thoreau's other writings was icing on the cake, so if all you want is to confirm that this contains the uncut text of _Walden_, I assure you that it does. For completeness, though, I'll mention everything else in the book as well, with a few quotes to let Thoreau speak for himself.

"Natural History of Massachusetts", 1842 - This isn't what the title might suggest, still less the official subject (given the usual dryness of scientific papers). Like G K Chesterton's Father Brown, Thoreau takes the view that science is a grand thing when you can get it, but that the true scientist should be able to know nature better, and to have more experience of it by noticing fine detail without losing the big picture. "I would keep some book of natural history always by me as a sort of elixir, the reading of which should restore the tone of the system."

"A Winter Walk", 1843 - Exactly that, seen through Thoreau's eyes. "There is a slumbering subterranean fire in nature which never goes out, and which no cold can chill."

"The Maine Woods", 1848 - A year after retiring to Walden Pond, Thoreau took a trip to Maine, recorded herein. Some of the word-pictures drawn include those of the pines before logging - and afterward, when rendered down to matches. But once away from the areas near Bangor, much of the country was still wilderness. "And the whole of that solid and interminable forest is doomed to be gradually devoured thus by fire, like shavings, and no man be warmed by it."

"Civil Disobedience", 1849 - Very influential on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and quite capable of making a reader squirm even today - if one isn't prepared to back up one's principles with action.

"A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers", 1849 - Not just a travelogue; this is Thoreau, after all, so extra layers of historical discussion and a little poetry are here too. This is a revised and somewhat trimmed version from the original - Thoreau's own later text.

"A Yankee in Canada", 1853 - The beginning of Thoreau's tale of his first journey to Quebec, with a bit of culture shock at his first exposure to a Roman Catholic society.

"Walden", 1854 This would be worth reading if only for 'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...', re-popularized in these latter days because of its prominence in the film DEAD POETS' SOCIETY, I expect.

"Journal", 1858 - Not Thoreau's entire journal for 1858, but a selection. The complete journal was his collecting-point of raw material - everything from first drafts of letters, essays, and lectures, to a review of every natural detail the trained surveyor had seen that day.

"The Last Days of John Brown", 1860 - Thoreau didn't attend John Brown's memorial service, but wrote this essay, which was read for him. "Now he has not laid aside the sword of the spirit, for he is pure spirit himself, and his sword is pure spirit also."

"Walking", 1862 - "I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks..."

"Life without Principle", 1863 - "We may well be ashamed to tell what things we have read or heard in our day. I do not know why my news should be so trivial - considering what one's dreams and expectations are, why the developments should be so paltry."

"Cape Cod", 1864 - "The Wellfleet Oysterman" - Thoreau's chat with the elderly oysterman (being asked in after a walk) proves his observation works for human beings as well as the rest of nature - and that he has sense enough to ask somebody who ought to know about nature in the area. "I was fourteen year old at the time of Concord Fight- and where were you then?"

A miscellaneous selection of Thoreau's poems is also included, along with a chronology, bibliography, introduction and epilogue by the editor.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Seminal - everyone should own a copy, 09 Dec 1999
Recounting Thoreau's time spent in Walden woods, this text will force you to redefine your world view completely. It is a homage to the power of the self, emphasising what we can be if we were not tied down to external superfluities. In the consumer culture of the modern age, the book is made all the more powerful. The most important text I have ever read.

'We must look a long time before we can see', 19 May 2005
I'll be honest: I picked this up because I wanted a copy of WALDEN, and getting a selection of Thoreau's other writings was icing on the cake, so if all you want is to confirm that this contains the uncut text of _Walden_, I assure you that it does. For completeness, though, I'll mention everything else in the book as well, with a few quotes to let Thoreau speak for himself.

"Natural History of Massachusetts", 1842 - This isn't what the title might suggest, still less the official subject (given the usual dryness of scientific papers). Like G K Chesterton's Father Brown, Thoreau takes the view that science is a grand thing when you can get it, but that the true scientist should be able to know nature better, and to have more experience of it by noticing fine detail without losing the big picture. "I would keep some book of natural history always by me as a sort of elixir, the reading of which should restore the tone of the system."

"A Winter Walk", 1843 - Exactly that, seen through Thoreau's eyes. "There is a slumbering subterranean fire in nature which never goes out, and which no cold can chill."

"The Maine Woods", 1848 - A year after retiring to Walden Pond, Thoreau took a trip to Maine, recorded herein. Some of the word-pictures drawn include those of the pines before logging - and afterward, when rendered down to matches. But once away from the areas near Bangor, much of the country was still wilderness. "And the whole of that solid and interminable forest is doomed to be gradually devoured thus by fire, like shavings, and no man be warmed by it."

"Civil Disobedience", 1849 - Very influential on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and quite capable of making a reader squirm even today - if one isn't prepared to back up one's principles with action.

"A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers", 1849 - Not just a travelogue; this is Thoreau, after all, so extra layers of historical discussion and a little poetry are here too. This is a revised and somewhat trimmed version from the original - Thoreau's own later text.

"A Yankee in Canada", 1853 - The beginning of Thoreau's tale of his first journey to Quebec, with a bit of culture shock at his first exposure to a Roman Catholic society.

"Walden", 1854 This would be worth reading if only for 'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...', re-popularized in these latter days because of its prominence in the film DEAD POETS' SOCIETY, I expect.

"Journal", 1858 - Not Thoreau's entire journal for 1858, but a selection. The complete journal was his collecting-point of raw material - everything from first drafts of letters, essays, and lectures, to a review of every natural detail the trained surveyor had seen that day.

"The Last Days of John Brown", 1860 - Thoreau didn't attend John Brown's memorial service, but wrote this essay, which was read for him. "Now he has not laid aside the sword of the spirit, for he is pure spirit himself, and his sword is pure spirit also."

"Walking", 1862 - "I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks..."

"Life without Principle", 1863 - "We may well be ashamed to tell what things we have read or heard in our day. I do not know why my news should be so trivial - considering what one's dreams and expectations are, why the developments should be so paltry."

"Cape Cod", 1864 - "The Wellfleet Oysterman" - Thoreau's chat with the elderly oysterman (being asked in after a walk) proves his observation works for human beings as well as the rest of nature - and that he has sense enough to ask somebody who ought to know about nature in the area. "I was fourteen year old at the time of Concord Fight- and where were you then?"

A miscellaneous selection of Thoreau's poems is also included, along with a chronology, bibliography, introduction and epilogue by the editor.

Leave your brain at the door., 24 Jun 1999
You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Seminal - everyone should own a copy, 09 Dec 1999
Recounting Thoreau's time spent in Walden woods, this text will force you to redefine your world view completely. It is a homage to the power of the self, emphasising what we can be if we were not tied down to external superfluities. In the consumer culture of the modern age, the book is made all the more powerful. The most important text I have ever read.

'We must look a long time before we can see', 19 May 2005
I'll be honest: I picked this up because I wanted a copy of WALDEN, and getting a selection of Thoreau's other writings was icing on the cake, so if all you want is to confirm that this contains the uncut text of _Walden_, I assure you that it does. For completeness, though, I'll mention everything else in the book as well, with a few quotes to let Thoreau speak for himself.

"Natural History of Massachusetts", 1842 - This isn't what the title might suggest, still less the official subject (given the usual dryness of scientific papers). Like G K Chesterton's Father Brown, Thoreau takes the view that science is a grand thing when you can get it, but that the true scientist should be able to know nature better, and to have more experience of it by noticing fine detail without losing the big picture. "I would keep some book of natural history always by me as a sort of elixir, the reading of which should restore the tone of the system."

"A Winter Walk", 1843 - Exactly that, seen through Thoreau's eyes. "There is a slumbering subterranean fire in nature which never goes out, and which no cold can chill."

"The Maine Woods", 1848 - A year after retiring to Walden Pond, Thoreau took a trip to Maine, recorded herein. Some of the word-pictures drawn include those of the pines before logging - and afterward, when rendered down to matches. But once away from the areas near Bangor, much of the country was still wilderness. "And the whole of that solid and interminable forest is doomed to be gradually devoured thus by fire, like shavings, and no man be warmed by it."

"Civil Disobedience", 1849 - Very influential on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and quite capable of making a reader squirm even today - if one isn't prepared to back up one's principles with action.

"A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers", 1849 - Not just a travelogue; this is Thoreau, after all, so extra layers of historical discussion and a little poetry are here too. This is a revised and somewhat trimmed version from the original - Thoreau's own later text.

"A Yankee in Canada", 1853 - The beginning of Thoreau's tale of his first journey to Quebec, with a bit of culture shock at his first exposure to a Roman Catholic society.

"Walden", 1854 This would be worth reading if only for 'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...', re-popularized in these latter days because of its prominence in the film DEAD POETS' SOCIETY, I expect.

"Journal", 1858 - Not Thoreau's entire journal for 1858, but a selection. The complete journal was his collecting-point of raw material - everything from first drafts of letters, essays, and lectures, to a review of every natural detail the trained surveyor had seen that day.

"The Last Days of John Brown", 1860 - Thoreau didn't attend John Brown's memorial service, but wrote this essay, which was read for him. "Now he has not laid aside the sword of the spirit, for he is pure spirit himself, and his sword is pure spirit also."

"Walking", 1862 - "I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks..."

"Life without Principle", 1863 - "We may well be ashamed to tell what things we have read or heard in our day. I do not know why my news should be so trivial - considering what one's dreams and expectations are, why the developments should be so paltry."

"Cape Cod", 1864 - "The Wellfleet Oysterman" - Thoreau's chat with the elderly oysterman (being asked in after a walk) proves his observation works for human beings as well as the rest of nature - and that he has sense enough to ask somebody who ought to know about nature in the area. "I was fourteen year old at the time of Concord Fight- and where were you then?"

A miscellaneous selection of Thoreau's poems is also included, along with a chronology, bibliography, introduction and epilogue by the editor.

Leave your brain at the door., 24 Jun 1999
You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Seminal - everyone should own a copy, 09 Dec 1999
Recounting Thoreau's time spent in Walden woods, this text will force you to redefine your world view completely. It is a homage to the power of the self, emphasising what we can be if we were not tied down to external superfluities. In the consumer culture of the modern age, the book is made all the more powerful. The most important text I have ever read.

'We must look a long time before we can see', 19 May 2005
I'll be honest: I picked this up because I wanted a copy of WALDEN, and getting a selection of Thoreau's other writings was icing on the cake, so if all you want is to confirm that this contains the uncut text of _Walden_, I assure you that it does. For completeness, though, I'll mention everything else in the book as well, with a few quotes to let Thoreau speak for himself.

"Natural History of Massachusetts", 1842 - This isn't what the title might suggest, still less the official subject (given the usual dryness of scientific papers). Like G K Chesterton's Father Brown, Thoreau takes the view that science is a grand thing when you can get it, but that the true scientist should be able to know nature better, and to have more experience of it by noticing fine detail without losing the big picture. "I would keep some book of natural history always by me as a sort of elixir, the reading of which should restore the tone of the system."

"A Winter Walk", 1843 - Exactly that, seen through Thoreau's eyes. "There is a slumbering subterranean fire in nature which never goes out, and which no cold can chill."

"The Maine Woods", 1848 - A year after retiring to Walden Pond, Thoreau took a trip to Maine, recorded herein. Some of the word-pictures drawn include those of the pines before logging - and afterward, when rendered down to matches. But once away from the areas near Bangor, much of the country was still wilderness. "And the whole of that solid and interminable forest is doomed to be gradually devoured thus by fire, like shavings, and no man be warmed by it."

"Civil Disobedience", 1849 - Very influential on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and quite capable of making a reader squirm even today - if one isn't prepared to back up one's principles with action.

"A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers", 1849 - Not just a travelogue; this is Thoreau, after all, so extra layers of historical discussion and a little poetry are here too. This is a revised and somewhat trimmed version from the original - Thoreau's own later text.

"A Yankee in Canada", 1853 - The beginning of Thoreau's tale of his first journey to Quebec, with a bit of culture shock at his first exposure to a Roman Catholic society.

"Walden", 1854 This would be worth reading if only for 'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...', re-popularized in these latter days because of its prominence in the film DEAD POETS' SOCIETY, I expect.

"Journal", 1858 - Not Thoreau's entire journal for 1858, but a selection. The complete journal was his collecting-point of raw material - everything from first drafts of letters, essays, and lectures, to a review of every natural detail the trained surveyor had seen that day.

"The Last Days of John Brown", 1860 - Thoreau didn't attend John Brown's memorial service, but wrote this essay, which was read for him. "Now he has not laid aside the sword of the spirit, for he is pure spirit himself, and his sword is pure spirit also."

"Walking", 1862 - "I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks..."

"Life without Principle", 1863 - "We may well be ashamed to tell what things we have read or heard in our day. I do not know why my news should be so trivial - considering what one's dreams and expectations are, why the developments should be so paltry."

"Cape Cod", 1864 - "The Wellfleet Oysterman" - Thoreau's chat with the elderly oysterman (being asked in after a walk) proves his observation works for human beings as well as the rest of nature - and that he has sense enough to ask somebody who ought to know about nature in the area. "I was fourteen year old at the time of Concord Fight- and where were you then?"

A miscellaneous selection of Thoreau's poems is also included, along with a chronology, bibliography, introduction and epilogue by the editor.

Leave your brain at the door., 24 Jun 1999
You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

Leave your brain at the door., 24 Jun 1999
You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Seminal - everyone should own a copy, 09 Dec 1999
Recounting Thoreau's time spent in Walden woods, this text will force you to redefine your world view completely. It is a homage to the power of the self, emphasising what we can be if we were not tied down to external superfluities. In the consumer culture of the modern age, the book is made all the more powerful. The most important text I have ever read.

'We must look a long time before we can see', 19 May 2005
I'll be honest: I picked this up because I wanted a copy of WALDEN, and getting a selection of Thoreau's other writings was icing on the cake, so if all you want is to confirm that this contains the uncut text of _Walden_, I assure you that it does. For completeness, though, I'll mention everything else in the book as well, with a few quotes to let Thoreau speak for himself.

"Natural History of Massachusetts", 1842 - This isn't what the title might suggest, still less the official subject (given the usual dryness of scientific papers). Like G K Chesterton's Father Brown, Thoreau takes the view that science is a grand thing when you can get it, but that the true scientist should be able to know nature better, and to have more experience of it by noticing fine detail without losing the big picture. "I would keep some book of natural history always by me as a sort of elixir, the reading of which should restore the tone of the system."

"A Winter Walk", 1843 - Exactly that, seen through Thoreau's eyes. "There is a slumbering subterranean fire in nature which never goes out, and which no cold can chill."

"The Maine Woods", 1848 - A year after retiring to Walden Pond, Thoreau took a trip to Maine, recorded herein. Some of the word-pictures drawn include those of the pines before logging - and afterward, when rendered down to matches. But once away from the areas near Bangor, much of the country was still wilderness. "And the whole of that solid and interminable forest is doomed to be gradually devoured thus by fire, like shavings, and no man be warmed by it."

"Civil Disobedience", 1849 - Very influential on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and quite capable of making a reader squirm even today - if one isn't prepared to back up one's principles with action.

"A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers", 1849 - Not just a travelogue; this is Thoreau, after all, so extra layers of historical discussion and a little poetry are here too. This is a revised and somewhat trimmed version from the original - Thoreau's own later text.

"A Yankee in Canada", 1853 - The beginning of Thoreau's tale of his first journey to Quebec, with a bit of culture shock at his first exposure to a Roman Catholic society.

"Walden", 1854 This would be worth reading if only for 'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...', re-popularized in these latter days because of its prominence in the film DEAD POETS' SOCIETY, I expect.

"Journal", 1858 - Not Thoreau's entire journal for 1858, but a selection. The complete journal was his collecting-point of raw material - everything from first drafts of letters, essays, and lectures, to a review of every natural detail the trained surveyor had seen that day.

"The Last Days of John Brown", 1860 - Thoreau didn't attend John Brown's memorial service, but wrote this essay, which was read for him. "Now he has not laid aside the sword of the spirit, for he is pure spirit himself, and his sword is pure spirit also."

"Walking", 1862 - "I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks..."

"Life without Principle", 1863 - "We may well be ashamed to tell what things we have read or heard in our day. I do not know why my news should be so trivial - considering what one's dreams and expectations are, why the developments should be so paltry."

"Cape Cod", 1864 - "The Wellfleet Oysterman" - Thoreau's chat with the elderly oysterman (being asked in after a walk) proves his observation works for human beings as well as the rest of nature - and that he has sense enough to ask somebody who ought to know about nature in the area. "I was fourteen year old at the time of Concord Fight- and where were you then?"

A miscellaneous selection of Thoreau's poems is also included, along with a chronology, bibliography, introduction and epilogue by the editor.

Leave your brain at the door., 24 Jun 1999
You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

Leave your brain at the door., 24 Jun 1999
You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Ray of Hope, 13 Jan 2008
In a topsy-turvy world where madness, greed, and evil are now the perceived normailty and "common sense", books like Walden are confirmation that it is better to be different to the majority.

Thoreau elaborately discusses the wisdom which some of us may at times have pondered on. Many future denizens of Hell, jealously target human beings who are earning more Heaven with each passing moment, and attack them to try and weaken their soul. But a well-read and discerning individual perseveres with ease, and remains authentic.

A wonderful example is where Thoreau speaks of the utter futility of those who profess to be charitable, but are in actual fact a part of the problem. Thoreau gives an analogy of a slave breeder, who donates the proceeds of every tenth slave, to buy a month of free Sundays for the first nine slaves he sold.

Walden is a rare combination of beauty and magic, shining light on todays hypocritical society, and helping genuine human beings who understand the true meaning of life, to evolve.

Truly a world classic. Great writing. A life-changing read. , 13 Nov 2007
This is a book to be pondered, to be read slowly, a book worth the effort to read in order to understand what Thoreau is saying, and to see the application to him- or herself, now, today. As happens with great writing, the reader is changed by this book. Even in reading the first few pages, the reader has a profound experience. Multiply that by reading Walden in entirety and the reader emerges a different person. However, the reader must be willing to enter into Thoreau's world and his experience. Readers who find such writing tedious are, one suspects, too used to reading fast-paced novels. For those with an interest in history, philosophy, the human condition, truth in reality, and simply in having an educated mind, there is no greater work. Walden is truly a world classic.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!, 26 May 2006
One of the best books I have ever studied. Hidden gems await inside for anyone who reads this classic. If literature can be seen as a medium to express our thoughts in the deepest yet most lucid ways, then Walden must be in the top quartile of the best of them.

And all of this for a couple of quid? Buy it!

Obsession with Beans, 11 Jul 2005
As an addendum to the earlier reviews posted here I'd like to suggest that the obsession thoreau has with the price of beans is, like the cetology chapters in Moby Dick, or the compulsive list making of Robinson Crusoe, as much a device for creating a mood as a dry stocktaking exercise. Thoreau is demonstrating the ritualism of a solitary existence - if you lived alone in a hut in the woods, wouldn't you become obsessed with the fruits of your daily toil? It amounts to more than a hill of beans.

A Jewel, 11 Dec 2003
I find it hard to believe that the above reviewers are talking about the same book. This book is one of my personal treasures. Thoreau seems to embody the intelligence and wit of a great thinker with a childlike enthusiasm and excitement about the beauty of the natural world. When you combine that with his desire to live life and his respect for even the most humble of his fellow men you are in for some profound literature. This is not a book to be scan read or rushed through. Savour it, I don't see how you could be disappointed.

It helped to open my eyes to the world around me!, 14 Mar 1999
It is a perfect little book to carry with you for inspiration. It makes me want to take a walk... and the beautiful thing about this book is that it allows me to take a walk in my mind without ever leaving my office or room. I have and will continue to read it over and over.

Seminal - everyone should own a copy, 09 Dec 1999
Recounting Thoreau's time spent in Walden woods, this text will force you to redefine your world view completely. It is a homage to the power of the self, emphasising what we can be if we were not tied down to external superfluities. In the consumer culture of the modern age, the book is made all the more powerful. The most important text I have ever read.

'We must look a long time before we can see', 19 May 2005
I'll be honest: I picked this up because I wanted a copy of WALDEN, and getting a selection of Thoreau's other writings was icing on the cake, so if all you want is to confirm that this contains the uncut text of _Walden_, I assure you that it does. For completeness, though, I'll mention everything else in the book as well, with a few quotes to let Thoreau speak for himself.

"Natural History of Massachusetts", 1842 - This isn't what the title might suggest, still less the official subject (given the usual dryness of scientific papers). Like G K Chesterton's Father Brown, Thoreau takes the view that science is a grand thing when you can get it, but that the true scientist should be able to know nature better, and to have more experience of it by noticing fine detail without losing the big picture. "I would keep some book of natural history always by me as a sort of elixir, the reading of which should restore the tone of the system."

"A Winter Walk", 1843 - Exactly that, seen through Thoreau's eyes. "There is a slumbering subterranean fire in nature which never goes out, and which no cold can chill."

"The Maine Woods", 1848 - A year after retiring to Walden Pond, Thoreau took a trip to Maine, recorded herein. Some of the word-pictures drawn include those of the pines before logging - and afterward, when rendered down to matches. But once away from the areas near Bangor, much of the country was still wilderness. "And the whole of that solid and interminable forest is doomed to be gradually devoured thus by fire, like shavings, and no man be warmed by it."

"Civil Disobedience", 1849 - Very influential on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and quite capable of making a reader squirm even today - if one isn't prepared to back up one's principles with action.

"A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers", 1849 - Not just a travelogue; this is