Part of the Norton Library series

The Norton Library edition of Walden and Other Writings features the complete text of the 1906 edition of Walden and a selection of Thoreau's most famous antislavery writings: "Civil Disobedience," "Slavery in Massachusetts," and "A Plea for Captain John Brown." An introduction by Jedediah Britton-Purdy offers historical and biographical context for Thoreau's writings and prepares readers to engage with his spiritual and activist reflections on a modern life freely lived.

The Norton Library is a growing collection of high-quality texts and translations-influential works of literature and philosophy-introduced and edited by leading scholars. Norton Library editions prepare readers for their first encounter with the works that they'll re-read over a lifetime.

• Inviting introductions highlight the work's significance and influence, providing the historical and literary context students need to dive in with confidence.
• Endnotes and an easy-to-read design deliver an uninterrupted reading experience, encouraging students to read the text first and refer to endnotes for more information as needed.
• An affordable price (most $10 or less) encourages students to buy the book and to come to class with the assigned edition.

About the Editor: Jedediah Britton-Purdy is the Beinecke Professor at Columbia Law School and a scholar of environmental and constitutional law. His books on environmental themes include After Nature and This Land Is Our Land. He has also written about Henry David Thoreau in venues including The Atlantic, The Nation, and n+1.

About the Author
Henry David Thoreau spent almost his entire life in the village of Concord, Massachusetts, where he was born in 1817. After graduating from Harvard College in 1837, he developed a deep friendship with the writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, the foremost figure in the Transcendentalist movement. Emerson's emphasis on the cultivation of intuition and experience as keys to personal and social enlightenment profoundly influenced Thoreau. In 1845, Thoreau built a small cabin on a parcel of land Emerson owned near Walden Pond, where he lived for most of two years, seeking a new relationship to nature, society, and his own self. His experiences there are the raw material of his masterpiece, Walden, or Life in the Woods. Although he was first and last a writer and outdoorsman, Thoreau worked as a surveyor and handyman and was an active abolitionist and opponent of war and imperialism. He died in 1862 of tuberculosis. Jedediah Britton-Purdy is the Beinecke Professor at Columbia Law School and a scholar of environmental and constitutional law. His books on environmental themes include After Nature and This Land Is Our Land. He has also written about Henry David Thoreau in venues including The Atlantic, The Nation, and n+1. He grew up in West Virginia and now lives in New York City with his family.


Book Information
ISBN 9780393870701
Author Henry David Thoreau
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 268g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 20mm