Walden

By Henry David Thoreau,

Book cover of Walden: Life in the Woods

Book description

Henry David Thoreau is considered one of the leading figures in early American literature, and Walden is without doubt his most influential book.

Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are booksā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

7 authors picked Walden as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Sometimes, I need reminding that the greatest discoveries can be close at hand and that simply living alertly is a sublime source of joy. When I read this book, which I have done again and again, I feel my perceptions sharpen, my sense of humor renew, and my hunger, both to read and to write, begin to stir.

As youth is sometimes wasted on the young, so is this book, which is too often assigned to people who arenā€™t ready for it. Thoreauā€™s mind is like a fire I never tire of sitting beside. Heā€™s a rebel, a curmudgeon, aā€¦

From William's list on journeys of inner and outer discovery.

This is the book I give as a present to friends. Despite its thinnessā€“ideal to take walking!ā€“the text is dense and can be read over and over. Much of Thoreauā€™s memoir, his yearlong experiment to see if he can live by himself next to Walden Pond in Massachusetts, is lyrical, poetic, and lives long in the memory. I have quoted it frequently in articles and conversations.

It is perfect for a walking holiday when there are snatches of time to read a few pages followed by plenty of time to mull the content. I guarantee reading Walden will change yourā€¦

From James' list on to take on a walking holiday.

I first read this book at M.I.T., and it changed my outlook on life and its meaning. On odd weekends, I would drive out to his pond and stare at the lake to restore my own natural balance.

It is true that Thoreau was not as self-sufficient as he wished us to believe, but his lesson of mindfulness is a gift of Zen. I have emulated him my whole life and live on my own pond, Westwood Lake, where Iā€™ve written my own chronicles of the seasons.

From Lawrence's list on becoming the hero of your own myth.

If you love Walden...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctorā€”and only womanā€”on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route upā€¦

The classic book on what happens when we dare to live differently: ā€œI wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life.ā€

Thoreau takes on the ordinary traps of daily life that humans so often fall into, and explores the spiritual costs of becoming human havings rather than human beings. This book contains everything: nature, philosophy, economics, a heady dose of DIY energy, and a reminder of how little it takes to live a very good life.

From Elisabeth's list on living big in small spaces.

We backyard veggie growers owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Native Americans who passed on to us their protein-rich maize, squash, potatoes, and beans. One beneficiary was that great contemplative gardener Henry David Thoreau who tended a bean field on the shores of Walden Pond at Concord, Massachusetts. "What shall I learn of beans or beans of me? I cherish them, I hoe them, early and late I have an eye to them and this is my days work," he wrote. He still does not disappoint ā€“ even after 160 years. 

From Bill's list on backyard veg.

In 1845 Thoreau built a small cabin on land owned by his friend, the philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, and conducted a two-year experiment in simple living. Walden is his account of this experiment. It's a hard book to summarize since, although quite short, it combines memoir, philosophical reflection, natural history, and social commentary. But it is beautifully written, and it has been an inspiration to countless readers who, like Thoreau, believe that we can deepen our experience of life by drawing closer to what is natural and elemental, reducing our dependency on things and, at least for aā€¦

From Emrys' list on simple living and the good life.

If you love Henry David Thoreau...

Ad

Book cover of The Truth About Unringing Phones

The Truth About Unringing Phones by Lara Lillibridge,

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.

Now that he isā€¦

Walden is the story of one manā€™s return to simplicity and connectedness with nature when he leaves the trappings of 1845 civilization behind to build a cabin and live beside a lake in the woods of Massachusetts. In doing so, he discovers the beauty of quiet contemplation and true necessities of life. It has been called, ā€œone of the most influential books in American literary history".

If you love Walden...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctorā€”and only womanā€”on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route upā€¦

Want books like Walden?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 90 books like Walden.

Browse books like Walden

Book cover of Siddhartha
Book cover of Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words
Book cover of The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,009

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

šŸ“š If you like Walden, you might also like...

Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. BrenƩ Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,ā€¦

Book cover of Norvel: An American Hero

Norvel by Kenneth F. Conklin,

NORVEL: An American Hero chronicles the remarkable life of Norvel Lee, a civil rights pioneer and Olympic athlete who challenged segregation in 1948 Virginia. Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains to working-class parents who valued education, Lee overcame Jim Crow laws and a speech impediment to achieve extraordinary success.

Heā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Massachusetts, home, and Henry David Thoreau?

Massachusetts 150 books
Home 84 books