Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond
Author: Terry Newhaven
Walden Pond is located in the center of the Walden Woods in Concord Massachusetts. Walden Woods encompass 2,680 acres of mostly undeveloped land that surrounds the pond. Walden Pond State Reservation occupies and preserves the 462 acres north of the pond. The pond's circumference is a little more than a mile and a half. At its deepest it reaches approximately 102 feet. Walden Pond is a kettle-hole pond which means it was formed by a receding glacier. Experts estimate it was formed around 10-12 thousand years ago.
Massachusetts' Department of Conservation and Recreation: The official government website for the geographical location that Walden Woods occupies.
National Historic Landmarks Program: Walden Pond: Information page for facts about Walden Pond and its significance as a national landmark.
Thoreau's Cabin at Walden Pond: An article that focuses on Thoreau's self-made cabin, including a breakdown of its materials and cost.
EPA History of Thoreau and Walden Pond: The United States Environmental Protection Agency provides a brief biography of Henry David Thoreau complete with a timeline of the author's milestones.
Thoreau's Cove: A picture of Henry David Thoreau's Cove on Walden Pond in Massachusetts.
In the summer of 1845 a writer and philosopher named Henry David Thoreau felt a great and urgent pull to immerse himself in nature, live simply, and write. With the help of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau was able to live and write next to Walden Pond, in exchange for performing chores at Emerson's property. In the first year at Walden Pond, Thoreau wrote the first draft of A Week, which was originally entitled A Chit-Chat with Nature. By the end of Thoreau's two-year excursion at Walden Pond, he had written two drafts of A Week, Life in the Woods, better known as Walden, a lecture about Thomas Carlyle, a Mount Ktaadn essay, and a journal entry of each day at Walden Pond.
Who is Henry David Thoreau?: This website is devoted to simply answering the question of who this profound author is and why he matters.
Profile: Henry David Thoreau: This website provides a written biography of the author interspersed with videos created by OPB's Thomas Hampson.
A Philosophical Look at Henry David Thoreau: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online provides a thorough examination of Thoreau's works and ideals.
NPR: Discusses Thoreau and Walden: NPR's website provides a brief synopsis of Thoreau's life and links to multimedia related with the author.
The Thoreau Reader: A comprehensive and informative list of links to Henry David's essays, books, and all other things Thoreau.
Library of Congress: Today in History: July 12: Henry David Thoreau's birthday is commemorated by celebrating his life, his works, and sharing links regarding the areas of New England he was most influenced by.
The Morgan Library & Museum - Collections: Here you can find a digital copy of an actual page from Thoreau's manuscript journal, complete with the author's signature.
In Walden, Henry David Thoreau defends his independence from the greater society by questioning the current accepted societal values. Thoreau sought to experience life in a more rudimentary sense, while indulging intellectually and spiritually through the wisdom forest living had to offer. Thoreau lived, watched, felt, and wrote all that he observed and experienced during these two years. In Walden he outlines his experience and cost of creating shelter for himself and developing a bean farm to sustain life. He wrote about spirituality, solitude, and his study of how wildlife existed and interacted around him. His life, legacy, and teachings are celebrated by a variety of organizations including Thoreau Society of America and the Walden Woods Project. Thoreau died in 1862 and is remembered as a prolific transcendentalist, credited as the founder of environmentalism.
Walden: A Brief Synopsis: This website sums up Thoreau's Walden using key quotes and phrases from the text.
Thoreau's Walden - An Annotated Edition: A comprehensive webpage on Thoreau's Walden that provides a full table of contents, photos, quotes and various related links.
Walden: The Complete Text: Here you can find the complete text of Walden available for online reading.
How to Read and Understand Thoreau's Walden: This collegiate level blog examines and explores the best way to approach reading this text.
Walden: A Transcendentalist Study: An insightful study of Walden presented by American Transcendentalism Web.
Henry D. Thoreau's Works: This website provides an interactive "wheel" of all Thoreau's works including but not limited to Walden.
How Many Times Has Walden Been Published?: This website provides information on matters related to the copyrighting and publishing of Thoreau's works.
Secondary Works on Henry David Thoreau: Bibliography of works based off of the study of Thoreau's writings.
The Henry David Thoreau Research and Reference Guide: This academic website provides information on the author and links to related research materials.
The Guardian Talks Henry Thoreau's classic Walden: John Updike discusses the author's life and legacy, while praising the continuing relevance of this "classic anti-establishment masterpiece.”
"The New Normal” How Walden Applies Today: Vancouver Peak Oil takes a stab at how the depletion of fossil fuels will affect humanity psychologically, while we all adjust to this "new normal."
Walden Pond is currently part of the Massachusetts Forest and Parks System and is preserved by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The Walden Woods Project was created in part to prevent development of the pond's surrounding areas that are not protected by the DCR. The Walden Park State Reservation remains open year round for visitors to hike, take photographs, and visit a replica of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin. In the summer months, visitors frequent Walden Pond to go swimming. Guided tours and information sessions are available through both the Walden Park State Reservation and the Walden Woods Project. There is also a gift shop, an art gallery, and a bookstore located on the reservation. People continue to come and pay homage to Thoreau and the land he cherished. Walden Pond is considered a National Historic Landmark and is celebrated as the origin of the conservation movement.
The Walden Woods Project: The Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods was created and exists to preserve Thoreau's legacy through education and the conservation of the land itself.
Thoreau Society: Established in 1941: Based in Concord, MA, the Thoreau Society is the largest and oldest organization devoted to this American author.
Walden Re-Lived: A young man discusses his pilgrimage to Walden Woods and how Thoreau's famous text has haunted him to this day.
Walden Relevant 150 Years Later in Alaska: A noted Kenai Wildlife Refuge explains, on this government website, how Thoreau's Walden remains relevant today.
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