Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau is possibly the most famous, beloved, and influential book about living in and close to nature. Which is what Thoreau did for two years, two months, and two days (1845-1847). From the book:
“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.”
Thoreau lived in a small cabin built by himself by Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts, where he spent his time in the woods reflecting upon human development and human nature while living according to simple living and self-sufficiency ideals.
Today, a parking lot is placed close to his cabin, and the pond is a popular – and quite beautiful – destination for the citizens of Concord to go swimming on hot summer days.
But the book itself appears as fresh and inspiring today as when written in the middle of the 19. century.
Download the free PDF e-book here:
