Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) anfäktar i denna gamla stridsskrift individens rätt att göra uppror mot massans totala brist på civilt kurage. I Thoreaus tid och rum rörde det sig om slaveri och det då pågående amerikanska anfallskriget mot Mexiko, men hans tankar och tänkesätt är naturligtvis möjliga att överföra till vår tid och vårt nordeuropeiska rum. Ingen har någonsin presenterat ett så kraftfullt försvar för mänsklig och individuell själsstyrka.

Few writers are more quotable than Henry David Thoreau. His books, essays, journals, poems, letters, and unpublished manuscripts contain an inexhaustible treasure of epigrams and witticisms, from the famous ("The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation") to the obscure ("Who are the estranged? Two friends explaining") and the surprising ("I would exchange my immortality for a glass of small beer this hot weather"). The Quotable Thoreau, the most comprehensive and authoritative collection of Thoreau quotations ever assembled, gathers more than 2,000 memorable passages from this iconoclastic American author, social reformer, environmentalist, and self-reliant thinker. Including Thoreau's thoughts on topics ranging from sex to solitude, manners to miracles, government to God, life to death, and everything in between, the book captures Thoreau's profundity as well as his humor ("If misery loves company, misery has company enough"). Drawing primarily on The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau, published by Princeton University Press, The Quotable Thoreau is thematically arranged, fully indexed, richly illustrated, and thoroughly documented. For the student of Thoreau, it will be invaluable. For those who think they know Thoreau, it will be a revelation. And for the reader seeking sheer pleasure, it will be a joy. * Over 2,000 quotations on more than 150 subjects * Richly illustrated with historic photographs and drawings * Thoreau on himself and his contemporaries * Thoreau's contemporaries on Thoreau * Biographical time line * Appendix of misquotations and misattributions * Fully indexed * Suggestions for further reading

“Near the end of March, 1845, I borrowed an axe and went down to the woods by Walden Pond, nearest to where I intended to build my house, and began to cut down some tall, arrowy white pines, still in their youth, for timber. It is difficult to begin without borrowing, but perhaps it is the most generous course thus to permit your fellow-men to have an interest in your enterprise. The owner of the axe, as he released his hold on it, said that it was the apple of his eye; but I returned it sharper than I received it.” (Thoreau, Walden) One of the most beloved books in American literature, Walden is must reading for any American or anyone interested in reading great literature. But for those who go there looking for reasons Thoreau became a recluse they are sure to be disappointed. Instead, reading Walden is more of a journey to the self and how that self can live in the world. This new edition has an insightful and lyrical essay introducing the text by Sam Pickering, the inspiration for the Dead Poets Society. His essay is the most provocative piece on Walden since e. B. White.

Walking is an essay which was presented in a lecture in 1861, and published posthumously. It is the source of the quote: " In wildness is the preservation of the world. "