The Portable Thoreau (Penguin Classics)

I have been reading a hard cover edition of this great book for many years, over and over. It is a collection of some of Thoreau's best work. I left my hard copy in the mid-west by accident, so I just ordered up this one and already have broken the binding. I have been reading Thoreaus so long I do not remember if he had a great impact on my life or if he just speaks to already existing values. Either way, I believe he was one of our three greatest 19th century writers, along with Twain and Lincoln.

This 700 page compendium of Thoreau's works contains a couple "must haves", in "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience". These two works by Thoreau have stood the test of time with their readability, influence and insight into the man and his philosophies. The other works in the book, including excerpts from his Journals, "A Yankee in Canada", "Walking" and his poetry provide the reader with the breadth and intricate detail in Thoreau's writing style - especially as it pertained to his interactions with Nature. The brilliance of his descriptions bring the images to life, and allow the reader insights into a Massachusetts countryside of 175 years ago as if it were yesterday. The message is beautiful, timeless, and vivid. If you have never been exposed to Thoreau, the writings here are the critical introduction, and the editor's commentaries are excellent background and insights. A good addition to your reading list.

I read Walden as a kid in the seventies, and it has instilled in me a streak of hippie that I cherish. As I get older and reread his works, I understand how much his ideas are a part of our American identity. He would be very comfortable in today's libertarian political environment, I think, with his "that government is best which governs least" beliefs. His love of nature is inspiring, and his faith in the power of determination has either empowered me or made me insufferable, depending on where you stand. I love Emerson, too, but Thoreau speaks to me.

This book is a collection of essays, poems, and chapters of books written by Thoreau. It includes:Essays:--Natural History of Massachusetts--A Winter Walk--Civil Disobedience--Walking--Life Without Principle--The Last Days of John BrownBook excerpts:--The Wilds of Penobscot (from The Maine Woods)--Life in the Wilderness (from The Main Woods)--Concord to Montreal (A Yankee in Canada, Excursions)--Selections from 1858 (Journal)--The Wellfleet Oysterman (Cape Cod)A sampling of 18 poems is also included, as well as the full text of Walden. Supplementing this material by Thoreau are an introduction and epilogue by the editor, a short chronology of the main events of Thoreau's life, and a short bibliography. There is no index.For a book that tries to capture the essence and variety of Thoreau's work in one volume, the choice of essays is quite decent. "Civil Disobedience" and "The Last Days of John Brown" represent some of the best and most well known of Thoreau's political works. "Life Without Principle" is perhaps the most well-known essay describing Thoreau's economic philosophy. The remaining essays are classics of his naturalist writing. If there were more space, it would have been great to include "Autumnal Tints," "Wild Apples," or "The Succession of Forest Trees," as well. The book excerpts also present a decent selection of highlights. Certainly, Walden is Thoreau's most well-known book, and it contains material on many of his characteristic topics, so it makes sense to print the entire text. Due to space constraints, material from the other books can only be excerpted, so only the most outstanding or popular sections of the other books appear in this volume.Carl Bode, the editor, includes a short biographical sketch of Thoreau in the introduction, and provides brief notes that describe the context for each of the items included in the book. In the biographical sketch, Bode follows the biographer Canby for the most part, and doesn't seem very impressed by Thoreau's writing on nature, terming him "merely an amateur botanizer." In the epilogue, Bode summarizes a 1957 unpublished doctoral dissertation by Raymond Gozzi, in which Gozzi does an extended Freudian psycho-analysis of Thoreau, based on his writings and known biographical details. Gozzi's findings, at least as reported by Bode, are bizarre, as for instance, when it is claimed Thoreau's affinity for swamps as being sexual in nature, or when it is proposed that Thoreau had an Oedipus complex and his relationship with John Brown was colored by his identification with Brown as a father-figure. In sum, this book provides a decent taste of many of Thoreau's more famous works. The biographical sketch can also be useful for students of Thoreau, but the epilogue is more useful as an example of the oddities of Freudian analysis than a serious account of Thoreau and his work.

Really just wanted to turn back time to when I read Civil Disobedience and Waldens Pond back in high school. Wound up getting a wonderful anthology of Thoreau that has taken a prominent place in my life again. The "portable" part should come with a disclaimer; I can barely cram it into my coat pocket and it lQQks rather odd tucked into my waistband.He still makes so much sense, and yet, the mainstream folks will never buy into his straight forward sensibility. He threatens their power structure built on taxes and politics, so his ideas will never fly.Damn glad to have the book though!It's a keeper!

I ordered this collection, a bit apprehensive that somewhere they cut corners to all these Thoreau writings in one, affordable book. However, I was presently surprised that the binding, paper, print and font are all top quality. A great addition to one's library and a very quick way to add multiple Thoreau works without breaking the bank or giving up quality. Kudos to the publisher.

The product was fine. I just did not enjoy reading Thoreau. The publisher did a fine job of making the book. My son was forced to read this book for high school and I found Henry David Thoreau frustrating. He meanders. I am not anti classics. I fact i am a professor. Hearing him whine about why anyone would ever need to travel at 20 miles per hour made him loose credibilyt to my eyes. He thinks he is so much better and smarter that all the other folks that live in Concord. Henry David Thoreau is just not worth it!

This was part of a core "library" that I've given each of my children as they go off to college. They may not read it this week or this year, but someday it might provide valuable perspective, as it has me.

I thought this guy was really far ahead of his time. I think he was born sometime in the 1800's.This collection is great value for money as it has his most popular works like "Walking" and "Civil Disobedience". I think that essay "Walking" had an influence on Chris McCandles(The guy Sean Penn made that "Into the Wild" movie about) and "Civil Disobedience" had a big influence on the likes of Ghandhi and Martin Luther King.Definitely good value. If you like thinking about stuff and you feel like a bit of a missfit sometimes and feel society is a bit bizarre and hard to fathom, if you love escaping into the diminishing woodlands and tramping through mountains and fields and feeling soothed and content in the solitude of nature then you will really appreciate certain writings in this book.In fairness though, I think this guy must have had plenty of cash to be sitting around all day thinking about stuff and writing when others no doubt had to struggle to survive. Still though, some nice content here.Enjoy.

If you are considering buying this collection of Thoreau's writing you are most likely already familiar with the tone and literary style of the material included. Therefore just a quick word on the actual physical book. Just about small enough to considered truly portable, fairly robust card cover and binding to withstand being jostled in your backpack on route to your cabin retreat. Alas the paper quality, as with 99 percent of modern paperbacks is average. The contents however are still provoking and relevant in todays techno world and very well worth the modest cover price.

What can I say. I'm a follower of Henry David Thoreau. This is my bible.