Walden, and Civil Disobedience

Written by Henry David Thoreau

Narrated by Rupert Degas

In 1845 Henry David Thoreau, one of the principal New England Transcendentalists, left the small town of Concord for the country. Beside the lake of Walden he built himself a log cabin and returned to nature, to observe and reflect – while surviving on eight dollars a year. From this experience emerged Walden, one of the great classics of American literature, and a deeply personal reaction against the commercialism and materialism that Thoreau saw as the main impulses of mid-19th-century America. Here also is Civil Disobedience, Thoreau’s essay on just resistance to government which not only challenged the establishment of his day but has been used as a flag for later campaigners from Mahatma Ghandi to Dr Martin Luther King.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Jul 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9789629549442

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (1861-1872) fu tra i massimi interpreti del pensiero trascendentalista. La sua opera più celebre è Walden, ovvero la vita nei boschi, resoconto biografico di un'esperienza di vita solitaria immersa nella natura. Il suo pensiero, anticipatore dell’ambientalismo, la sua insofferenza alla massificazione e allo sfrenato consumismo ha anticipato la nascita della "Beat Generation", ispirando il pensiero di Tolstoj, Gandhi e Martin Luther King.

Reviews for Walden, and Civil Disobedience

[nx74defiant · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A series of essays by Henry David Thoreau. He has a beautiful writing style. You can really see his love of nature. I don't enjoy all of his ideas.

[ladycato · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had never before read Walden & Civil Disobedience in their entirety. Walden is something of a slog and slow to get going, but I enjoyed the rapturous way he writes about nature. It's easy to see why this is a classic for those passages alone. Civil Disobedience is more engaging than the social commentary within Walden, and quite fascinating in light of how it continues to influence activism today. I'm glad I read these works but I won't ever willingly read through them again.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…”


I am reading this at Scout Camp in the Sierra Mountains. We are in Emigrant Gap in California, at an elevation of 5,389 feet, and Chubb Lake is standing in for Walden Pond. And it’s 2022, not 1845. It was a bit dry, but extremely impactful! And I was in the perfect setting to absorb it! I loved so many quotes in the book and wrote down my most favorites below. After finishing the book, I really believe it should be a requirement for everyone on planet Earth to read. That's how important I think it is.

“The evil that men do lives after them.”

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
“Birds do not sing in caves…”
“But lo! men have become the tools of their tools.”
“There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted.”
“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root…”
“Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.”
“How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book!”
“…but nothing can deter a poet, for he is actuated by love.”
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”
“Enjoy the land, but own it not.”
“We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us, like the grass which confesses the influence of the slightest dew that falls on it; and did not spend our time in atoning for the neglect of past opportunities, which we call doing our duty. We loiter in winter while it is already spring.”
“Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
“We can never have enough of nature.”
“…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.”
“The faultfinder will find faults even in paradise.”
“Patriotism is a maggot in their heads.”

“For my part, I could easily do without the post office.” - (this is a particular favorite of mine, as I am a USPS letter carrier!)

[064-699196 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem."
Thoreau has to be one of the most complex and most insightful authors I have ever read. Compared to most of us in today's rat race, Thoreau seemed, even back then, to have a great dislike for the hustle and bustle his townsfolk were enveloped in, and sought refuge in a cabin of his construction near Walden Pond for about 2 years. He eagerly describes his surroundings and observations, from a seemingly epic battle between ants, to the different hues of colors he observes in Walden Pond throughout the seasons.

It was one of the most challenging reads of my life, but one book I am so glad to have read. Thoreau had a lot of wisdom for someone of his time. What threw me off at times were his references to things like ancient history when he discusses his narrative of whatever he happens to be talking about at that time, which seems kind of random at times. It can be fairly easy to get lost at times, but keep in mind, this was written in the mid 1800's. Sometimes, it felt like reading this book was a lengthy homework assignment. Even still, it was a pleasure to have read this masterpiece. I suggest giving this a read if you have the patience for a deep and enlightening read.

[librolindsay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

During high school, I loved Emerson, read him in depth, but I couldn't for the life of me get into Thoreau, and so I winged it (luckily the teacher didn't test us on it). But when the two were assigned side by side in college, it was all I could do to trudge through Emerson. Instead, I delighted sitting out on my fire escape on a cool late summer evening turning page after page of Thoreau. Yes, I know the real story behind his "live deliberately" ethos wasn't quite so romantic, and yes, I've heard a whole lot about his less-than-savory personality traits, but this is thrilling idealism! I wish I had a tiny version of this book to tote around with me for snippets of empowerment.

[fulner · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The incoherent ramblings of a pompous old man you think she knows better than everyone else and is too lazy to work.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Meh. I have never been able to buy Walden. I think a primary reason is I've read too much background context and all sorts of details surrounding Thoreau's life prior to writing this, at the time of writing it, and immediately after and as a result, I long ago concluded that this is virtually fraud. Sadly, simply total bullshit and bizarrely vastly overrated. Not recommended under any circumstance.

[dantarlin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So I thought I should read this Classic, which I had never done. It was exciting to come to a familiar line "Most men live lives of quiet desperation" near the start, but alas no other lines stirred my memory.

I was struck by how preachy the book was- reading now as a man in his 50s, Walden struck me as the ramblings of a smart 20-something guy who thinks he knows everything. A long first chapter denotes his brilliant (yet so easy and obvious!) economy in striking out on his own in the woods, living cheaply and simply. He preaches that any of us could give up the foolish trappings of civilization and live the simpler life. (And yet he returns to civilization after 2 years there- maybe there's something to that after all).

Much of the book rambles on about the wonders of nature, including many references to specific animals and plants about which I know little and have little interest. For those interested in such things, it might be a better read.

[jscape2000 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I couldn’t finish it. I just don’t care about this dead white guy’s opinion on how people should live or be educated. I just don’t care.

[skyeval · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I almost found the book at odds with the famous quotes that are gleaned from it. Not sure why, but I thought this was going to be an easy read about nature! Wrong. It is a very complex read, and although fairly short, it takes a long time to read. Also, I found Thoreau a bit stodgy and judgmental. I kept giving him a lot of leeway because of the time period it was written. Although some very good ideas and quotes come from this book, I am not so sure it would be considered a classic today. In all honesty, I haven't read Civil Disobedience yet and understand that it is much more relevant for our times.

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had to read this text when I was in undergrad for English lit. While I absolutely hated my American lit class, I did enjoy Thoreau (for the most part) and especially his Civil Disobedience which is more applicable these days than not.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful in places and shows an appreciation of nature but as with many books like this I feel a little like the thinking is that the natural way is best whereas I feel like we should attempt to build from this.

[jnmwheels · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I trudged through about half and gave up.

[dpevers_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While it can be a bit of a tough or boring read at times, well worth the effort. While not everyone will have the luxury of 'escaping' in the woods to try and be self-sufficient, all can learn about themselves, their beliefs, their political leanings, the environment, and how to be a better observer by reading Walden.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the entire book but it was a hard struggle. I think part of the problem may have been the narrator but part was also how Thoreau organized his chapters. I really found that it was hard to be interested in how much he spent to build his hut or what he ate day to day. On the other hand his descriptions of the wildlife and the different seasons were almost poetic.

However, now I can tick Walden off my list of books that I have always meant to read.

[ericfitz08 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great manifesto on nature/living/faith/philosophy. At times thoreau approaches the pretentious. Speaking as a male college graduate in his early twenties-as Thoreau was during his time at Walden-I get living the simple life. We've all cut down the luxeries (relatively) living off ramen, strarbucks Wifi, and Pabst Blue Ribbon, but when hes passing judgement on a poor family for working to hard for the sake of silly luxeries like meet and good clothes it seems much. Those critiques aside, Thoreau's masterpiece is a great read and only more relevent as our lives become more indoor-oriented, more connected, constantly stimulated, and never alone. And Civil Disobedience is a fine take on American democracy, possibly the last honest political document in this country. I don't agree with all of it, which only makes me appreciate it more as it can never be hijacked by either political party.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thoreau wrote this infamous book after deciding he was sick and tired of his busy city life in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1845 he left the city and moved to an isolated cabin on Walden Pond. He spent two years there, farming and living off the land. When he returned home he decided to write about his experience and this book is the results.

The book is a mixed bag of literary gems, pontification, wise advice and tedious daily chores. I kept stumbling across so many famous quotes that I didn’t realize originated in this text. I also grew tired of his exhausting catalogue of his daily labors.

Thoreau was around 30 when he wrote the book and there are bits that are insufferably cocky. I’m younger than he was then, but I can still understand that older generations have wisdom to offer us. At one point he goes on a rant about the fact that just because people have lived longer than him doesn’t make them expert in life and they shouldn’t be trying to give him advice. I wonder if Thoreau ever re-read those words when he was older and regretted his hubris.

Yet there were also lessons that resonated with me 150 years after they were originally written. The main one was the importance he placed on giving yourself time to reflect in solitude. We need to take breaks from society (especially from social media) to put our lives in perspective and make sure we have our priorities straight. That’s even more important today than it was then. Thoreau talks about us filling our lives to the brim and leaving no room for reflection; imagine what he would say if he heard about facebook and twitter and the nonstop stream of television that fills our every waking hour!

BOTTOM LINE: There are parts of this book I just loved to pieces, and those were absolutely 5 star sections for me. But there are also a lot of bits that talk in detail about what he did each day (fishing, gardening, etc.) and those parts really dragged. It’s definitely worth reading for all of the gems you stumble upon, but don’t expect a quick, light read.

“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. Every man is tasked to make his life, even in its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour.”

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.”

“A written word is the choicest of relics. It is something at once more intimate with us and more universal than any other work of art. It is the work of art nearest to life itself. It may be translated into every language, and not only be read but actually breathed from all human lips; -- not be represented on canvas or in marble only, but be carved out of the breath of life itself.”

“I 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, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.”

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shoot me...shoot me now.
I went into Walden thoroughly expecting to abhor it. In fact, I did for the first chapter or so. I found Thoreau to be narrow sighted and judgemental. He claimed not to begrudge anyone their own choice of living style, but spent over two hours telling everyone why their way of living was wrong and why his was the best. The life he had carved for himself seemed to be dedicated to simply living (not just living simply) instead of actually finding enjoyment out of those things not available to us in nature.

[renderedtruth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was recommended to me by a sociology professor at a junior college. I read it and give the book a very high mark for providing me with a plan in life.

Thoreau taught me that 'every journey begins with a single step.' There is more to this lovely work but that is the part that most impressed me at the first reading.

[bexaplex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Walden is an American masterpiece: a story of renewal, and a statement of the individual's responsibility to himself, to society and to the world at large. The seasonal cycle of the book sort of drills down into contemplation, so that you are eased into winter, and deeper thought.

Whenever I pick up Walden, I always expect an ecstatic tract a la Muir, and forget how humorous Thoreau is. He uses awful puns, he jibes at his own lack of commercial success, he makes fun of his fellow Concordians. What a wonderful dinner guest he must have been — stubborn and entertaining.

[polaris4_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A deserved classic.

[borg6mx5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think Walden is overrated. While Thoreau was waxing poetic, I never felt he lived what he said. After all, he usually wandered into town and into the pub to do his writing.

[dele2451 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A timeless classic that is as relevant today as it was when it was written -- possibly even more so. If you haven't read it already, stop looking at this review and go find a copy right now!

[fredsmeegle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I started reading this book years ago. I found it a difficult read, because I've always had trouble concentrating on books with a great deal of description. But it's well worth the effort.

In many ways, it's a sort of long prose-poem that gets us to experience the life of the earth and the change of the seasons, which we tend to ignore in our own lives, through the author's eyes. But I'm also interested in the New England transcendentalists, and so found Thoreau's philosophical reflections fantastic as well.

[schmerguls · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3623. Walden or, A Life in the Woods and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau (read Sept 2, 2002) I came into possession of this, and since I had never read such famed works I read the entire book, though I confess without consuming interest. I cannot qualify as a naturalist, and I remember when I read books like The Sea Around Us (3 Aug. 1990) and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (13 Apr 1996) I could not get interested, and while Walden is much more than an account of viewing nature, this lack of interest was present while I read it. The book on civil disobedience would be enjoyable by an anarchist, but I am not that either, and the course he describes is obviously usually impractical. I suppose I shortchanged Thoreau in not devoting more study to this book.

[pepys_3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

By far my worst-worn book: it was soaked in sea water at a time I took it with me in a supposed waterproof bag which I dragged floating behind me as I swam to reach a lonely rock one summer day in the Bonifacio Straights, South Corsica (phew!)... When I discovered the damage, pages were glued together with saltwater. But drying it finally allowed me to end my reading. I think Thoreau, even soaked through, would have liked being read in a completely secluded place, with only the sea, the sun and the wind to keep me company.

Not an easy book to read for me: many unknown words, sometimes more than one in the same sentence...