Most people who care about nature cannot help but use religious language to describe their experience. We can trace many of these conceptions of nature and holiness directly to influential nineteenth-century writers, especially Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). In Walden, he writes that "God himself culminates in the present moment," and that in nature we encounter, "the workman whose work we are." But what were the sources of his religious convictions about the meaning of nature in human life?

Most people who care about nature cannot help but use religious language to describe their experience. We can trace many of these conceptions of nature and holiness directly to influential nineteenth-century writers, especially Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). In Walden, he writes that "God himself culminates in the present moment," and that in nature we encounter, "the workman whose work we are." But what were the sources of his religious convictions about the meaning of nature in human life?

Thoreau's journal of 1851 reveals profound ideas and observations in the making, including wonderful writing on the natural history of Concord. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The writing of Henry David Thoreau is as full of life today as it was when he published Walden one hundred years ago. In seeking to understand nature, Thoreau sought to "lead a fresh, simple life with God." In 1848 a seeker named Harrison Blake, yearning for a spiritual life of his own, asked the then-fledgling writer for guidance. The fifty letters that ensued, collected here for the first time in their own volume by Thoreau specialist Bradley P. Dean, are by turns earnest, oracular, witty, playful, practical— and deeply insightful and inspiring, as one would expect from America's best prose stylist and great moral philosopher.

Henry David Thoreau’s Journal was his life’s work: the daily practice of writing that accompanied his daily walks, the workshop where he developed his books and essays, and a project in its own right—one of the most intensive explorations ever made of the everyday environment, the revolving seasons, and the changing self. It is a treasure trove of some of the finest prose in English and, for those acquainted with it, its prismatic pages exercise a hypnotic fascination. Yet at roughly seven thousand pages, or two million words, it remains Thoreau’s least-known work. This reader’s edition, the largest one-volume edition of Thoreau’s Journal ever published, is the first to capture the scope, rhythms, and variety of the work as a whole. Ranging freely over the world at large, the Journal is no less devoted to the life within. As Thoreau says, “It is in vain to write on the seasons unless you have the seasons in you.”

This beautifully produced gift edition of Thoreaus journal has been carefullyselected and annotated by Jeffrey S. Cramer.

"Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), embodies classic features of the American spirit--nonconformity, the impulse to seek renewal in nature, and the will to stand firm by his convictions. Famous for his retreat to Walden Pond and his night in jail (described in The Duty of Civil Disobedience), he was a profoundly religious man, though he remained unaffiliated with any organized religion. He might well serve as a patron saint for today's spiritual but not religious seekers. Thoreau experienced mystical ecstasies in his youth; he followed an almost monastic discipline of contemplation; he was an early pioneer in the exploration of Hinduism and eastern religion, which he integrated with his deep immersion in nature and his highly refined social conscience. This anthology, which focuses specific attention on Thoreau's spiritual and prophetic writings, draws on his voluminous journals, correspondence, essays, and selection from Walden and his other key works."--Publisher description

The largest one-volume edition of Thoreau’s 25-year journal, with “some of the most vigorous and original prose in English” and insights into the origins of Walden and other works (Washington Post). Henry David Thoreau’s Journal was his life’s work: the daily practice of writing that accompanied his daily walks, the workshop where he developed his books and essays, and a project in its own right. This is one of the most intensive explorations ever made of the everyday environment, the revolving seasons, and the changing self. It is a treasure trove of some of the finest prose in English and, for those acquainted with it, its prismatic pages exercise a hypnotic fascination. Yet at roughly seven thousand pages, or two million words, it remains Thoreau’s least-known work. This reader’s edition, the largest one-volume edition of Thoreau’s Journal ever published, is the first to capture the scope, rhythms, and variety of the work as a whole. Ranging freely over the world at large, the Journal is no less devoted to the life within. As Thoreau says, “It is in vain to write on the seasons unless you have the seasons in you.” “ . . . a superb and uniquely accessible edition of an essential American masterpiece.” —Booklist