Henry David Thoreau

Two new books attempt to grasp Thoreau’s seeming contradictions without reconciling them too easily.

Thoreau’s loafing and the purpose of life.

On the necessary “deep sincerity” of dark humor.

Thoreau-themed goods, designed for mindfulness, are the marketplace’s remedies for a problem which, according to Thoreau, was created by the marketplace itself.

The writer had a deep bond with his mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson. But he also had a profound connection with Emerson’s wife.

A literary examination of Henry David Thoreau's life and legacy today.

Who made sure Henry David Thoreau's works came out after his death? His sister.

Thoreau’s life is a lesson not in self-reliance, but in discerning whom and what to rely on, whether you’re one person or a state of 29 million.

Generations of readers have chosen to emphasize Thoreau's spiritual communion with Nature, but Walden begins with trenchant critique of “progress.”

In his 2-million-word journal, the transcendentalist balanced poetic wonder and scientific rigor as he explored the natural world.

A review on the many publications about Henry David Thoreau's life for the bicentennial anniversary of his birthday.

Freeing Thoreau from layers of caricature that have long distorted his legacy.

Snobbish elitism will hurt their cause.

The surprising persistence of Henry David Thoreau.

One of the country’s greatest rhetorical traditions still has the power to remind us of our founding principles.

The reflections of Emerson, Thoreau, and William James one finds a characteristically nineteenth-century American sense of resilience and regeneration.

Literary history is packed into Concord’s “Old Manse,” but the tiny abode of Walden’s author proves the highlight of our New England trip.

Thoreau's time at Walden Pond has provided substantial data for scientists monitoring the effects of a warming climate on the area's plant life.

The transcendentalists thought all human inspiration was divine, all nature a miracle.

Why do the Transcendentalists still have an outsize influence on American culture?