Walking

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Walking (1862) is a public domain work.

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About this book

For Henry David Thoreau, a walk begins when daily obligations loosen their hold on the mind. In this essay, he treats sauntering through woods, hills and fields as an exercise in freedom and attention. His own long afternoon walks lead into reflections on indoor work, the demands of society and the difference between reaching the woods with one's feet and arriving there in spirit.

The argument becomes especially vivid in his affection for swamps. Thoreau prefers their shrubs and unsettled ground to neat gardens, ornamental fences and carefully arranged front yards. These observations connect the health of a town with the wild places around it, and give his discussion of nature a practical edge. Readers interested in environmental thought or the habits of observation will find an essay that tests familiar ideas of comfort, order and useful activity against the experience of being outdoors.

About the author

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience", an argument in favor of citizen disobedience against an unjust state.