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Title: Walden: Lessons for the New Millennium by Henry David Thoreau, Bill McKibben ISBN: 0-8070-1423-0 Publisher: Beacon Press Pub. Date: 17 December, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (13 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Good Author...Marginal Editor
Comment: I'm not super educated so take this for what it's worth. I read an excerpt of Walden in High School and ever since then I have wanted to read more. I finally got around to it and ordered this edited version. I like Thoreau's outlook even though his writing is a little much for me sometimes. McKibben does footnote some things to explain them. Most of those footnotes, though, are worthless. Some only refer to the other copyright information that Thoreau eludes to (or quotes). And worse even still is when McKibben puts in personal opinions and 'tree-hugger' facts to support what appears to be his agenda of conservation.
His editing footnotes really had a poor impact on the book. What would have been useful for a 'hick' from Wyoming would have been some more translations of French words and explanations of references and ideas. That would have made the story much easier to read/understand and enjoy.
Rating: 5
Summary: Among the Greatest Works in the History of Literature
Comment: 'Walden', or 'Life in the Woods', I would deem without hesitation as one of the pinnacle achievements in the history of literature. It possesses that inexplicable charm which walks gracefully hand-in-hand with Transcendentalism, and marks the height of that era's thought. But Thoreau is quite different from the likes of Emerson; as another reviewer poignantly commented, while primarily a master of the word Thoreau was equally capable as a thinker, and Walden is, quite simply, the perfect demonstration of that fact. It is brimming with careful observation, a certain care and compassion for life, and Transcendentalist thought which may not be so casually dismissed. Walden is a masterpiece, perhaps because Thoreau removed himself from the modern whimsy which pervaded society in his times, but most certainly because Thoreau himself was the epitome of the joyous, nature-loving spirit which is embodied by the entire movement of Transcendentalism.
Rating: 4
Summary: Mediocre Classic
Comment: As far as classics go, this is merely mediocre. Still, it is one that many people should read. At least read "Economy" and "Conclusion" (which is not really a conclusion, but more of a continuation).
Some have criticized Thoreau of being hypocritical. It is easy to see why. He chastises gossip, but then produces gossip on the printed page so that many will read it well after the fact. To be true to himself, it should have stayed within himself. He could have provided examples for our benefit without being quite so particular.
Another example is condemning the "corporate" life, but then he proceeds to closely detail his manner of how he could make a living off the land -- not merely eating what he sowed, but that he sowed enough to make money doing it. Although he disliked local farmers giving him advice, he still disperses equivalent advice to his readers -- not taking a look in the mirror.
I had expected more and it started out on a good note. This was written when he was 30. Although that would not be considered mid-life now, it probably was then. It certainly was in his case (he died of TB at 45). He starts with many things that one may learn during mid-life, which was encouraging, but then slowly turned it mostly into gripe sessions and simple anti-establishment diatribes. Although I agree with many of his points, too much bitterness was showing through.
However, the baby should not be thrown out with the bath. There is much good and it has a generally positive outlook for one's life. He did this as an experiment and because he did not continue it, one must ask if the experiment was a failure. I think therein lies the greatest thought provoked by this book.
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Title: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays by Henry David Thoreau ISBN: 0486275639 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 20 May, 1993 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Brooks Atkinson, Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver ISBN: 0679783229 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 12 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Self-Reliance and Other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson ISBN: 0486277909 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 13 October, 1993 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: Walking by Henry David Thoreau ISBN: 0062511130 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 18 June, 1994 List Price(USD): $9.00 |
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Title: Life Work by Donald Hall ISBN: 0807071331 Publisher: Beacon Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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