Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    WALDEN or Life in the Woods (Wisehouse Classics Edition)
    WALDEN or Life in the Woods (Wisehouse Classics Edition)
    WALDEN or Life in the Woods (Wisehouse Classics Edition)
    Ebook349 pages6 hours

    WALDEN or Life in the Woods (Wisehouse Classics Edition)

    By Henry David Thoreau

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    WALDEN or, Life in the Woods, by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. First published in 1854, it details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts. The book compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human development.

    By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period. As Thoreau made clear in his book, his cabin was not in wilderness but at the edge of town, about two miles (3 km) from his family home. (more on: www.wisehouse-classics.com)
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWisehouse Classics
    Release dateJan 23, 2016
    ISBN9789176371312
    Author

    Henry David Thoreau

    Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer, thinker, naturalist, and leading transcendental philosopher. Graduating from Harvard, Thoreau’s academic fortitude inspired much of his political thought and lead to him being an early and unequivocal adopter of the abolition movement. This ideology inspired his writing of Civil Disobedience and countless other works that contributed to his influence on society. Inspired by the principals of transcendental philosophy and desiring to experience spiritual awakening and enlightenment through nature, Thoreau worked hard at reforming his previous self into a man of immeasurable self-sufficiency and contentment. It was through Thoreau’s dedicated pursuit of knowledge that some of the most iconic works on transcendentalism were created.

    Read more from Henry David Thoreau

    Related to WALDEN or Life in the Woods (Wisehouse Classics Edition)

    Related ebooks

    Philosophy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Nurture Community

      Apr 27, 2021

      1 Imagine someone you are having some difficulty with. Take a breath and allow yourself to look into the eyes of this person. Picture them as a little child, maybe four years old. Can you delight in the sparkle and beauty and uniqueness of this wondr

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Feast, Plain And Simple

      Nov 26, 2020

      WHEN IT COMES TO cookbooks, it’s the hardest thing of all to write about simple food. Jane Grigson gave a recipe for cooking kippers which involved putting hot water on a kipper in a jug. Simple, but all you need. Elizabeth David’s Summer Cooking is

      5 min read

    • Article

      Marhaba, Istanbul!

      Nov 8, 2019

      Marhaba, Istanbul!
      4 min read

    • Article

      Hello

      May 19, 2022

      What does being creative mean to you? Perhaps it’s innovating a recipe, rearranging the furniture in your living room, planting a bed of fresh flowers, or traditional crafts like sewing or painting. The new-look Mollie is here to inspire you to live

      1 min read

    • Article

      Three Lines Is All It Takes

      Dec 21, 2021

      “Journalling and expressive writing can be playful as well as resourcing, so this month let’s focus on the poetic Japanese practice of haiku. Traditional haikus are short poems originally designed to reference nature or the seasons, blending in an el

      1 min read

    • Article

      Financial Wellbeing

      Oct 6, 2021

      Financial Wellbeing
      2 min read

    • Article

      Life Hacks From History

      Aug 3, 2023

      Life Hacks From History
      3 min read

    • Article

      WellBeing Brain Boosters

      May 4, 2022

      WellBeing Brain Boosters
      1 min read

    • Article

      The PRIDE

      May 1, 2023

      The PRIDE
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mindful Wellness

      Aug 3, 2021

      Mindful Wellness
      5 min read

    • Article

      Harvest Delights

      Aug 9, 2023

      Harvest Delights
      2 min read

    • Article

      Pieces From The Past

      Nov 18, 2021

      Pieces From The Past
      6 min read

    • Article

      High Five

      Oct 1, 2021

      High Five
      1 min read

    • Article

      Curio

      Nov 22, 2021

      Curio
      1 min read

    • Article

      Four New Friendship Novels and the Ties That May Not Bind

      Apr 3, 2019

      We grow into our friendships as we grow into our books—the ideals crack, what is lost can be more powerful than what is gained, and what is gained is never absolute. The post Four New Friendship Novels and the Ties That May Not Bind appeared first on

      5 min read

    • Article

      Draw Me

      Dec 7, 2022

      Draw here the person who makes you laugh the most. Draw here the food that brings you most joy. Draw here the happiest pet on Earth. Draw your happy place. ■

      1 min read

    • Article

      All This Blood and Love

      Nov 22, 2017

      All This Blood and Love
      6 min read

    • Article

      Smells Fishy

      Jul 13, 2020

      Smells Fishy
      3 min read

    • Article

      Forgive Us Our Trespasses

      Jun 3, 2021

      Forgive Us Our Trespasses
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Second Home Is Where The Heart Is

      Jul 27, 2022

      The prospect of remaining in Wiltshire for the four-day Jubilee celebrations was denied me at a stroke by the arrival of a pamphlet through the cottage letter box. Sterner critics might accuse me of lacking community spirit. I confess I had been drea

      3 min read

    • Article

      from BLACK PASTORAL

      Nov 1, 2023

      somewheres, some lifetimes ago I have run so far, so long.There is nowhere I haven’t beenBut here, in this field, a bodyLength from the ragged brinkThat gives way to forest.I collapsed here, the thin, hard slipOf me whittled at both ends.I want badly

      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for WALDEN or Life in the Woods (Wisehouse Classics Edition)

    4/5

    2,125 ratings72 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A classic and inspiring book about living a simple life.
    • 2/5
      Admittedly, I pretty much gave up on this after the first (very lengthy) chapter. I stopped focusing on it and eventually just skipped to the last chapter. It was an audiobook version, and I think part of the problem was the reader (slow, too many annoying and un-needed pauses, almost breathy - just bad to listen to). But, I've read about the book and the importance of the book many times, so I decided that I knew enough and that it was ok to call it quits.
    • 3/5
      Book received from Edelweiss.While this is the same Walden that has been in print forever, I really liked reading this re-print of it. The annotations in the book added to Thoreau's writing and helped me to understand some of the things he wrote about that have always slightly confused me.
    • 3/5
      Here's a timeless treasure to be revisited time and again. I always find something new in this book. It is very thought-provoking and inspirational.
    • 2/5
      I am having a very hard time getting through this book. A lot of the text is very boring. I love finding an inspiration or uplifting quote but they are few and far between.. So many descriptions, so many judgments on his part. Thoreau comes across as a very independent, self sustaining person but it seemed to me that he had to rely on many people who were living their lives the 'mainstreamed' way. I agree with a lot of his views but not to the extreme as he talked. The trouble, IMHO, is that man can't live in moderation. I'll keep plugging away at this book. Hopefully I can finish it.
    • 3/5
      For the purposes of this review, I want to review not Walden, but this particular edition (ed. by McKibben and published by Beacon in 2017), which I received through LibraryThing's "Early Reviewer" programme. The literary merits and influence of Thoreau more generally are already rather well acknowledged, hence (presumably) the reason this edition exists. First, the book itself is very attractive. The typeface is pleasant, the paper is good quality, and the margins are not crowded. I did not read the full text of body of Walden again, but the chapters I re-read were physically easy to read. Though paperback, the cover is a nice creamy matte in a medium card stock weight, pleasant to touch and hold. McKibben notes that there are three types of "annotations" in this volume: definitions and citations for Thoreau's language and literary allusions, and also McKibben's "own occasional passing comments." He explains that the first two types of annotations are largely taken from other, previous critical editions, and, indeed, I did not think these differed at all from any of the other texts of Walden I have read, including versions in anthologies (such as the Norton). McKibben's own reflections I will address later.McKibben's introduction is reflective and not scholarly: he does not refer to any prevailing criticism of Thoreau, and instead previews the book by explaining his own experiences with the natural world and Thoreau, and trying to explain why Thoreau is still relevant to the modern reader. He makes a lot of claims about people who live today (c.p. "We've been suckled since birth on an endless elaboration of consumer fantasies, so that it is nearly hopeless for us to figure out what is our and what is the enchanter's suggestion," p.xviii). As the quotation I've just included will show, McKibben very much enjoys his figurative language and metaphors; both the bulk of the introduction and his own footnotes reflect similar stylistic choices. The introduction feels like a defense of reading Walden in today's world, but it did not illuminate my own understanding of Thoreau's text. Similarly, the "annotations" [really footnotes] of McKibben's own point out passages that he found interesting, and thoughts that he had while reading the book, but did not substantially illuminate the text or contribute to my enjoyment thereof. For instance, McKibben footnotes a reference to the locomotive by noting that "It is a sign of how much the times have changed that the railroad whistle now sounds like a quaint echo of the past--like the chorus of a country-western song" (109f). Not only do I not find this to be particularly true, but it does not actually benefit me as a reader, and there are many such annotations. They are not bad or wrong; they just did not really benefit me as a reader. I am an English teacher, and have taught Walden to students in both secondary school and at college/university. At $10.95 retail, I think this edition offers good value for money: it is readable, nicely formatted, and has a number of useful footnotes in addition to the discursive ones. However, I expect that it would break down under repeated use (I would not encourage my former high school, which re-issues texts to students from year to year, to buy it), and it does not include the depth of criticism that I would want as a university teacher. There are many good scholarly editions available under $20. However, this would probably be a nice gift for a friend who was unacquainted with Thoreau and enjoyed reading and/or the outdoors, especially as the tone of McKibben's footnotes is very discursive, friendly, and almost like a conversation ("what did you think? I was just pondering how . . .")In short, this isn't my favourite edition of Walden, but it has some very pleasant qualities.
    • 4/5
      Devastatingly wonderful. I had read parts of this at uni, of course, but never the whole work. I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, or perhaps many, but it is the heart of a movement which I hold very dear.
    • 2/5
      The first chapter, Economy, is mildly interesting and I enjoyed it in a haze of self-congratulatory glee. From then onwards, Thoreau's urge to preach via forced metaphors becomes increasingly tiresome. Half way through I gave up and skipped to Conclusion.
    • 1/5
      Walden is perhaps the most self-indulgent piece of tripe I've ever had the displeasure of reading.
    • 3/5
      Thoreau set aside all worldly things and spent time in a small self-made home along the large pond known as Walden. Here he wrote down his musings on the natural world and everything else after spending so much time in near solitude.This book is a classic and one of the titles on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, so it was only a matter of time before I finally got around to it. I had been looking forward to it as well, and perhaps that was my downfall. Quickly I learned that this wasn't really the book for me. Thoreau does make some excellent points about living a simpler life and being more concerned about a person's character than their clothing (and other worldly trappings). However, he goes a great deal further than I think most of us would agree with -- for instance, he seems to think furniture and coffee are among the needless luxuries we all indulge in far too much. True, these aren't strictly necessities, but I don't think many of us really want to part with them unless we absolutely had to do so. In a similar vein, he sneers at the education provided by colleges and pretty much dismisses them as useless; while I agree that practical skills are needed as well, I don't think we need to get rid of education all together!In fact, it was too difficult for me to not get frustrated by Thoreau's perceived superiority in doing this little experiment. He struck me as someone who would fit in perfectly today as the stereotypical hipster mansplaining why his lifestyle is the best and only way. Not everyone is able to just squat on another's land without getting shot by the police; not everyone is physically able to build their own home or live in relative isolation away from access to doctors among other things; and while Thoreau claims he could be left alone with just his thoughts forever (a point which I highly doubt or he would never have returned to society), there are few people who could get by without other human interaction. At one point, Thoreau essentially mocks the builders of the pyramids for being slaves who obeyed their masters rather than revolted -- as if things were as simply cut and dry as all that.The audio version of the book I had was read by Mel Foster who did an adequate job -- nothing to write home about, but not bad either.
    • 3/5
      I'm a bit ambivalent on this one. Though I really liked pieces and I think Thoreau has a great writing style, I did also find it rather lengthy at times. The descriptions of the environment of Walden pond are beautiful, but they can become a bit much, for instance when he writes several times, multiple pages about how clear the water in the pond is... Though the novel has been an important inspiration for some philosophers, and I appreciate it's importance and the novelty of Thoreau's ideas at the time the book was written, I have to say I don't find his ideas very convincing. I think Thoreau doesn't realise that he might live a 'primitive' life quite easily when he has a civilized world surrounding him, but that this would not be possible if everybody would follow the lifestyle he promotes. For instance, he hires oxen and a plough to plough his fields, he borrows tools, he gets his clothing from the village... If everybody would live like he does though, these things wouldn't be possible. Also, he feels that poor people should be happy to live a simple life, but he doesn't seem to understand that poverty means hardship and despair, and that a simple life isn't much fun when you're starving. Likewise, he doesn't take into account that some people have wives and children they need to provide for.Besides, Thoreau comes across as an incredibly arrogant and patronizing man, who seems to think he is the only person whose intellect is advanced enough to see the truth and to really understand the world. He just looks down upon everybody, and I found this really annoying and insulting.The copy I have also contained the essay 'Civil Disobedience', which leaves me with the same feeling. It's rather easy to boast of not paying your taxes, if you don't actually need to spend time in jail for it because your family pays up for you. And it's also rather easy to say you don't need the state and are therefore not going to pay, if you can benefit from the state by living in it, even without paying. I am presuming that Thoreau does appreciate having roads and railroads, a police force and firemen, and all other commodities the State provides; if everybody would act the way he does, then all these things would disappear, and I wonder if that really is what he wants...
    • 5/5
      A great contemplative book, I would consider this a fine example of a self help book for those who want to take a step back from the hustle of modern America.
    • 2/5
      eBook

      I feel guilty for not liking this. I managed to avoid reading this during school, but it still seems like one of those books that high schoolers are forced to read, yet never appreciate. SIt always embarrasses me to agree with the high schoolers, but I can't help but find Walden vastly overrated, both as a book, and as an exploration of the American character.

      Certainly, there were lines, ideas, and passages that I enjoyed, and I'm not necessarily willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater just because the narrator is such a self-righteous prick. Maybe it's just because of what I've been reading recently, but it was hard to get past the flimsy nature of the man's entire worldview. A lot of my recent books have revolved around the theme of bullshit, and I can't say that I'm willing to exclude this one. Thoreau's pronouncements sound pretty enough, in the same way that the ramblings of a stoner can seem to uncover hidden truths, but after a while, context takes over. The difference between his self-perception and reality is just too wide to take him seriously.
    • 5/5
      Reading Walden makes you live only the present time. It's as dough you were at the lake's shore, seated, contemplating its vastness trough Thoreau's eyes.
    • 5/5
      Some years ago I walked around Waldens Pond just outside Concord. A nice and sunny autumn day - imagining how it must have been for Thoreau back in 1845 to move into his tiny house he built with his own hands.He stayed there for two years - a self-imposed "exile" - leaving the bustling city behind, dedicated to a life of simplicity and solitude. This book is an exploration of his experiences and his many thoughts on life in general. It's more relevant than ever - thinking how much stress and unnecessary things that fill our lives and gives us constant worries.Rereading his book I feel much more alive again. It's brimming with curiosity, enthusiasm, individuality and the wish 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".A mixture of philosophy, observations about nature, wildlife and crops, guidance on how to live life to the fullest, not following the crowd but being yourself, living in the present. This book has so much to offer - and completely deserves it's status as some of the finest american literature ever. Thoreau's unusual attention to ordinary things in life fills me with joy - just the pleasure he gains from a cold bath in the lake each morning and his way of putting it in a wider context of living is remarkable. As with so many other things. From the food on his table, to the birds in the air. Nothing escapes his keen eye for details we so often just ignore.I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
    • 4/5
      I really did like this book. Thoreau's way of describing his solitude and the nature around him those two years is a poetical and philosophical masterpiece. The book must be read in a slow pace, but if you do that you will really feel as though you are there in the woods with Thoreau.
    • 5/5
      Henry David Thoreau begins Walden with an explanation, this was a brief respite from his "civilized life" that had taken up two years at some time in the past. Now he is once again a "sojourner in civilized life." Using the word sojourner suggests the association of material with civilization and provides a contrast with the natural life that he had experienced at Walden Pond. But the presence of nature does not prevent Thoreau from quickly turning his narrative to a discourse on his personal life and internal thoughts leading to the comment about philosophers quoted above. His life at Walden Pond appeared to provide simplicity and independence, two of the criteria listed, but the emphasis in "Economy"--the first chapter of Walden--is on the practical aspects of the life of the philosopher.These aspects are laid out in an orderly manner that begins with several pages about the "when", "what", and "how" of his life at Walden Pond. His simple life was one that included only the "necessities", noting that , "the wisest have ever led a more simple and meager life that the poor. The ancient philosophers, Chinese, Hindoo, Persian, and Greek, were a class than which none has been poorer in outward riches, non so rich in inward." (p 14)While what he did, in addition to writing, included: "To anticipate, not the sunrise and the dawn merely, but, if possible, Nature herself!" . . . "trying to hear what was in the wind, to hear and carry it express!"(p 17)His paean to nature passes and he continues an orderly disquisition on building his house, its design, his income and outgo, and baking bread. He describes making his furniture, once again with emphasis on simplicity: "a bed, a table, a desk, three chairs". Later, in the "Visitors" chapter, he will explain that his three chairs include "one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society." (p 140) Multiple visitors were invited to stand while they shared Thoreau's abode.The "Economy" section is by far the longest in the book and, while Thoreau discusses many more details of his life at the pond, he concludes with a meditation on philanthropy which he decides "that it does not agree with my constitution." The dismissal of philanthropy, at least for himself, seems curious for one who portrays himself as a philosopher. Philanthropy originates from the Latin "philanthropia", and originally from the Greek word "philanthropia", meaning "humanity, benevolence," from philanthropos (adj.) "loving mankind, useful to man," from phil- "loving" + anthropos "mankind". But perhaps Thoreau did not perceive the practice of philanthropy in Concord to coincide with this derivation. As he says "There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted." (p 74) He goes on to discuss the issue at length with a concluding and consistent (with his thought) riposte that seems apropos for the end of this first note on Walden."If, then, we would indeed restore mankind by truly Indian, botanic, magnetic, or natural means, let us first be as simple and well as nature ourselves, dispel the clouds which hang over our brows, and take up a little life into our pores. Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor, but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world."( pp 78-79)This then seems to bring together the simplicity and practice of the philosopher to be "well as nature ourselves."
    • 3/5
      so long ago. Was Henry as difficult a person as I think I remember that he appears in his writing?
    • 4/5
      There's no doubt about it, Henry David Thoreau was a very interesting man. An artist, a philosopher, an intellectual. I mean, he went into the woods and lived in a cabin for two years. He built the cabin himself. He just said "screw you, society" and left for a while, then came back and wrote a beautiful tome about it.He goes into excruciating detail about nature many, many times. Sometimes it's pretty, sometimes it's just painful. He also goes into great detail about accounts and history and numbers and a bunch of stuff that I don't really care about, but he found important. He finds a lot of things very important, but he finds a lot of other things very unimportant. At times I would nod my head in agreement, but other times screw up my face in disbelief.Thoreau's a little full of it. But he's also pretty cool.
    • 5/5
      Love this book. Over the years I have read and re-read this book numerous times. This book is what inspired author Anne LaBastille's lifestyle and her Woodswoman series. It has been the foundation work for the ecology movement for many years.
    • 5/5
      One of my all-time favorites that I have revisited many, many times.
    • 3/5
      For Christmas, I ordered an mp3 player (Library of Classics) that was pre-loaded with 100 works of classic literature in an audio format. Each work is in the public domain and is read by amateurs, so the quality of the presentation is hit or miss. Walden is the highly acclaimed 19th century work of Henry David Thoreau, wherein he turns his back on civilization, builds a simple habitation on the shores of Walden Pond near Cambridge, Massachusetts, and lives off the land, keeping his contact with others to a minimum. The book contains his musings on a number of subjects, some more interesting than others. I didn’t expect to particularly enjoy this reading (listening) experience, as philosophy is not my target genre, and it was pretty much as I expected, though it was tolerable enough that I saw it through to conclusion. No surprises.
    • 3/5
      I can understand & appreciate why this book is considered a masterpiece, although quite honestly, to me, it just seems like the ramblings of an old man who has been vastly disappointed by his life in the "normal" world, during the 2 years he spent in solitude in the woods. Some of the things he had to say were still relevant today, & some weren't, even though they were highly relevant at his time of life. Interesting, yes, boring in a LOT of places, long winded & overly wordy for my personal taste. Guess I should have read the Cliff Notes :) I probably would have appreciated it more. I found this one a REAL struggle.
    • 2/5
      I didn’t know what I was getting into with this one. I expected an easygoing, Walt Whitman-y kind of vibe. I didn't realize Thoreau was going to be such a boring, priggish braggart. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have a conversation with the man and be lectured and scolded all evening.

      The book is at its best when Thoreau is describing his observations of the natural world, and at its very worst when he's philosophizing and prescribing.

      There are plenty of good lines, but I think most of the best are widely circulated, so you don't need to read the book to hear them. One that was new to me: "I love the wild not less than the good."
    • 4/5
      A classic work that still inspires. I shall enjoy reading this and passing it along to others.
    • 5/5
      I received this from Early Reviewers, and it's taken me months to read and review. [Walden] is a favorite book of mine, always five stars, but it takes a while to read, because I have to stop to think every few pages, sometimes every few paragraphs. I really enjoy Thoreau's prose, and his thinking. For example:"One inconvenience I sometimes experienced in so small a house, the difficulty of getting to a sufficient distance from my guest when we began to utter the big thoughts in big words. You want room for your thoughts to get into sailing trim and run a course or two before they make their port. The bullet of your thought must have overcome its lateral and ricochet motion and fallen into its last and steady course before it reaches the ear of the hearer, else it may plough out again through the side of his head. Also our sentences wanted room to unfold and form their columns in the interval. I was excited to have this copy, because I thought that the introduction and the annotations by McKibben would enhance my reading. The introduction was interesting, and I think it did change the way I read the book. Usually I read the book as a personal manifesto, and thing mostly of how it applies to me individually, With McKibben's introduction, I thought of the book as more of a statement about our national character, and was able to put the book in a different context, for example thinking of the small house movement today as an outgrowth of Thoreau's philosophy. Also, this made me see that Thoreau was brilliant, but also a bit of a crank, which made him more interesting.The annotations, however, were a disappointment. They were random, and short, and did not really add to my experience.
    • 4/5
      "What nature provides is scale and context, ways to figure out who and how big we are and what we want. It provides silence, solitude, darkness: the rarest commodities we know. It provides reality, in place of the endless electronic images and illusions that we consider the miracle of the moment."___Bill McKibben from the Introduction to Thoreau’s WaldenSimply put, I am humbled by the reading experience. Not only was Thoreau a smart and gifted writer, but he had enough courage to experiment and live alone, in the woods, and off the land. Even though the span of two years does seem brief, it was long enough for Thoreau to accumulate wisdom to share. And it seems we all could use a bit of that these days."…Moreover, with wisdom we shall learn liberality…"There were chapters extremely difficult to stay interested in. At times I doubted the book’s ascribed greatness. But the conclusion found in the last chapter was worth the trouble and the time it took to get me there. "If one listens to the faintest but constant suggestions of his genius, which are certainly true, he sees not to what extremes, or even insanity, it may lead him; yet that way, as he grows more resolute and faithful, his road lies…If the day and night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal,—that is your success."A relaxed reading of four to six pages each morning was my practice and my meditation. Rewards, though never frequent, did surprise me and gave me much to think about on any given day."…We can never have enough of Nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor…We need to see our own limits transgressed, and some life pasturing freely where we never wander…Compassion is a very untenable ground."No one can accuse me of exhibiting too much compassion. I am guilty of other transgressions, far too numerous to list on this page. But Thoreau offers us a yardstick from which we might measure our growth as individuals. "I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one…I learned this, at least, by my experiment that 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…"Here, here. I concur and continue to go boldly for my grave.
    • 4/5
      Indeholder "Jacob Paludan: Om Thoreau", "Økonomi", "Hvor jeg levede, og hvad jeg levede for", "Læsning", "Lyde", "Ensomhed", "Gæster", "Bønnemarken", "Landsbyen", "Søerne", "Baker Farm", "Højere Love", "Dyrene som Naboer", "Indflyttergæstebud", "Tidligere Beboere og Vintergæster", "Vinterdyr", "Søen om Vinteren", "Foraar", "Slutning", "Ole Jacobsen: Noter"."Jacob Paludan: Om Thoreau" handler om ???"Økonomi" handler om ???"Hvor jeg levede, og hvad jeg levede for" handler om ???"Læsning" handler om ???"Lyde" handler om ???"Ensomhed" handler om ???"Gæster" handler om ???"Bønnemarken" handler om ???"Landsbyen" handler om ???"Søerne" handler om ???"Baker Farm" handler om ???"Højere Love" handler om ???"Dyrene som Naboer" handler om ???"Indflyttergæstebud" handler om ???"Tidligere Beboere og Vintergæster" handler om ???"Vinterdyr" handler om ???"Søen om Vinteren" handler om ???"Foraar" handler om ???"Slutning" handler om ???"Ole Jacobsen: Noter" handler om ???
    • 3/5
      In al zijn onvolkomenheid toch een werk dat je niet loslaat. Thoreau wilde niet zozeer weg van de beschaving, hij deed wel een spirituele zoektocht naar zichzelf, met innige contact via de natuur. De zwakheid van het werk is dat het eerder een compilatiewerk is, er is geen coherent grondplan, en soms onmogelijke metaforen. Desondanks intrigerend.
    • 2/5
      pretentious drivel

    Book preview

    WALDEN or Life in the Woods (Wisehouse Classics Edition) - Henry David Thoreau

    Oabook_preview_excerpt.html}ˮFPwnN=ǐ WeuKF #L4}?_<4?O7n5aHS<4,R 9ilto؟/4\Қqo/ҌӡI6X96.NOi4ŸԦr- ;uM ia_?] ` 32:p RsYcӘwKscӂ[kZSj;Sl96ʝCLiiq.rt ={U}}s ]5y󽹆Cc[Y[ȱ47/6߁8O|=Ns?Fgنah >`Vi=_8{%=*\'<}?xn1>Kk]ǼLMaY0hGN1z~¾.[ƳGɇmȕom9ݣ*͏O', DJHn.91G,Q= @2ş-mLr#H $qʫ'kXG7'zLݽdi7.?&䲂p?@ \#)39?cҽm ^:h'L;`#(!tQv:[6Njy!m q9</~ .&WK`w$` QUغdχa k7EƂN wi'y+V~ [Oqkv23diGCXd0xĮy)h/`RSĎUb;R%s K{ItG8APqi/cōuY(\]u .q:7T*Ѩz.);Y,fHq:tޅwʄ3q_??7}XitD#7a!+i# ? ,?GL&I_03*s#0PP t2*O]n>E@F tHf,^ȤHyioo"̐\O)I89F5ƐWݾA+ wWB9?q1FzZhxi<2N炆iU,AcN_[Bd{nUjI%A|11$h#dM5S CIgz?&? N|8l7)Ud܌g BwSÞkG8 G /">zhglw3?SI DJi(Z' gA+!N x#s${KωwlXL*v H3Ni1(NBZlL &H&A^,Ig=G^K}wX]?/糫z[s  cl!Ksn=GJ] RL"'׭uzlc=cI#8ڍ iy%1qT$N u Ɔ*8qFq2W8vq?C`Nez[[?&,.UT|M i_)[MC ;)CacHP$'وuS) oHw\H, &ld>"9i;ޅف}$P҂"XHPR1P;^)$ubn}G]P'kr/q&?gA$Ec#Ը;d/yS/K)f6AuB0dͿW0;'p|-U*JsaDsxNN 9 T| qMi& bc7BVZ(r;hCV~)c̆1y7}DʯAͻvYi6\(wML)Ct!Ƿt9>j1IH M|X+|,s!]MI2`W!q/6ucJΑX(}!1l0q]zaH 8Mpx2b$:2 ,&s-}Z3UbxFJVx+0pu樕  *lTHK=Vy{^c=bq dH߀ &\4*03+Em"wBᒪ.SN4bo&]8;?E`{9V+S0mgaYi tx撢"Oˢ}}=]f dfCJ5+#B/bk?߶[{C?!jbr:?dw:hģ|Ú;ظ@Q~(0ʩ;H2)!UD4*$0I ʕB =yكt#xǂxvJݽ /Oo.@C@j?fINw |'L- TO~W؏Sx&+6Nueczjt:ѹ2تNڋTyN9|'՟S _hu)=wEGh :z8ias:׾;jyWCBjqN 9XRa.k"' #dG,_r4>( C<!a.E4 d~x"n~twDv 5.x9B2H'`liqvK:A3'PQܐzyO^5IeuaE9; ƽEo D9h%!ȷYXD{6u缓}L/nx7"27nt/C{/RAKBxg,03:4 SGcajQ\l?H#ߢgPHy9WUc5ř$̰]\-U@Ԏ'Vz%c][ C {< Gp3-g$^lQh']Ծ7 ]nlpzGj߫PĠ=26X'dJ?Xͺ]Hq܌dgkǹ ѡ1fӡ =b'g fL2x dM7xowYNȋ| ;%͛(<b~,s/OoB Oظ!9-Qu- <5O2 8Ta WFL.[4h'c{,7vJ؅j& S$/qAvR&csajѓ:%+%Tv}JtNTg FMdV]͒aMv&t+Tf^RMU93G̝L|vSx޵ Aͽgl=m"C (I4n$YYzk1`L-4@ qLX s'b.ŧV,N?G{9x4OŮ=qʹr[u([$/lͷZ,$Q*=[ oqj2=3<ۣ5҇gkA,82)?2U[;v}l|Wc8Mk뿖 A? 2u{=_}&9yׅ`{Ii52}/ m=jXB emmSɓ 6** 7GmLۡ{HܒDI) Le &nr J=+ I0|b #9{/z1Prjg/tq9VNԱÛ+DGZw0|42.-G3j®Sѣ^}1vF C1-våSU|-TxKK15~6濙IB}ZdCu(տf%(Z ]mr,5J>-?-[W/ SA[&Yn:5ZqI I’&R9 {jN(ݘhg.s @6 3FAW%v7,ό`%wI dd#JfAr/B8RBpR9s:c<̮Ę=s 6a2;H'u%arTen+/ [NshrT졈>oi]z1.xM_3FT )1jU_ս%nz1VJ9\+qe` Bj~%qZx@G#) Yq @@Ubs gKh_238S!dj%%+hU [U/₁ӥhS-< h%uvӸ"KL#W6a%n=wV(Сc?kԍ4K%áLy;Y`Zb nLY˥&;ZTwktl,λdنk۪F{Wv2 [ET);X^qAI.U^zNl6M%J/ hUXRnx3*sJ$g$xE"Wy86l`;Z}{acCb"``+VR y"CT-|)Rګ$8.*'95[Ɛ'cJ^AS:[TQ&eA$/M <6̃W|gpg7eswyP9\so2'1hBs[h< rvȂuv/liTr yn]l<-ۄ1[7~̾5JO!8Vo|tUVDIRTix7uh(`Jy?nM<8D ~ғT i_hfJZJYJžo TG ?π{^7`ܻwa ®^ *'@%'i5C>z*KhӅ9ebϡ1 TCg]q8ˋKPelC+[zb0wh-ruWnk*ُW\8T`NoQ9lI`UL  mKsʚT7"?*5)*8{N~J2#RVٝ-xꅯ bS1<; :tKyKOWTxx';FOY$o*sƭEŋ=%zI)+ t3[sc ޜOʷ@LSkv~*p~IdQlXr8)VEzųl1D(' euBLsxEi`UdcҜt;[x/]sJP|f|f&TA*Uţ嗡$ zE)2A#5KuSi9R 5f*V9Xy*tbBZ'{8BLy~Z5OEjE9b6bzPxf"⃩J6FZ,>|ULWR5J=-pեxN=axT[:; mӵ_b 1v/dsJmq/Y%8*&WV^F'OJ| ,J ؕOKaC,͵Į|O-t1`$f% *1%X`PV87gs^ ؤjࡶ&j }m+ 'Q"d]ly/;C{Z>)*oJJe2EV((u+VǞ<e " YU<#@Pl\"&; ։޻ du}>ќYS!|V5b3I=]P *3_nyЏ&_>^5(|O3%e1uo;UdĢ5+6wϗD^5L{N6rRy6?~d,k{rvEk*I>diAefj>5vgŤǦZl\c(ᓭ [l_+~<ňڠ/j,VCՔhm.CAi6kgYZ1.E+ֲ2=-m [·'V$:NJtV&,S=yE+&6Kv`)Իjϣ'%&5YЍ)h^'TAbc TML}*֮byZ縗 CL?.5r%0NgZbaWuK ݵ8ۚ/9ZK[i[ jH*w>n\;!xkc*2m>'} `0IVyJi~PhF2Ѫ?)WZQkry+MYHyVTK[*}3r5k&TT2=fInB jlƌa-{y{6FbvV2JcoIa gP%jמw/PyNQ"mIB.Yyܤ~{Cju|3ebg\i@Tjoif$yXk.eb Ai]>s!|MO/_[!c$ ޢ,=i* sɅ\Du\|Cp>ZETم9z9?KD =/ߩ*JT8tYFop-*p £Ee S\K^ʂ'̡b%j %Xղ"I];P1$Hh(ydV\.hzM ;6eR(ujJ=d),PA?Gefaf4XhWX^%6edR`eM6W,a6Bҟr}/{rh8w-@hN5s9\/63_B{ (`-uZk D j7hrnww]YHUچ[6n -ff>R&z([AxKsZzIVd!U <'Z͕Fbd]Pbq]1=Fsexo/\ǻެfMT_2D<|6b4WfH Γ=a|J:W@X+lIz}5b@GmT.*؁ @ 2+lW*U ْ˾Pu2 &E[;j`L+o47c4[pSUZ x7f+]V 3)M)174[TY+Q2%{ы `|{&J.k?m(8g.Q%vR%Li` &M>al3bp˝jA߮ٴnC"+SuqxK+|b}b T6W)3{8LMEBI^¬A|wiߖ]ld2/]/׆wYGo+h0t;XRDk%#8xn S QUgwͻd0GoyOH<%ws Q/Jad݇e-խVS~ >%tNݬ~ЅP.^B?:jf3,[;Y[K)kkV+5Q,zm+ɋ~;C)V${J=%*xpۃ;yҪt޵\L0jw{5l34UeRKt
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1