Review
"This book is like an invitation to life's dance."
--E. B. White


From the Trade Paperback edition.


Review
"This book is like an invitation to life's dance."
--E. B. White


From the Trade Paperback edition.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The writings of Henry David Thoreau continue to influence poets, philosphers, and thinkers one-hundred-and-forty years after his death. This lovely edition includes "Walden or Life in the Woods", Thoreau's exploration of life as lived on its most basic terms along with "Civil Disobedience," "Slavery in Massachusetts," "A Plea for Captain John Brown," and "Life without Principle". The beautiful green fabric jacket and bronze lettered cover are accented by a charming illustration of life in the woods.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The ultimate gift edition of Walden for bibliophiles, aficionados, and scholars.

Thoreau￯﾿ﾽs literary classic, an elegantly written record of his experiment in simple living, has engaged readers and thinkers for a century and a half. This edition of Walden is the first to set forth an authoritative text with generous annotations. Thoreau scholar Jeffrey S. Cramer has meticulously corrected errors and omissions from previous editions of Walden and here provides illuminating notes on the biographical, historical, and geographical contexts of Thoreau￯﾿ﾽs life.

Cramer￯﾿ﾽs newly edited text is based on the original 1854 edition of Walden, with emendations taken from Thoreau￯﾿ﾽs draft manuscripts, his own markings on the page proofs, and notes in his personal copy of the book. In the editor￯﾿ﾽs notes to the volume, Cramer quotes from sources Thoreau actually read, showing how he used, interpreted, and altered these sources. Cramer also glosses Walden with references to Thoreau￯﾿ﾽs essays, journals, and correspondence. With the wealth of material in this edition, readers will find an unprecedented opportunity to immerse themselves in the unique and fascinating world of Thoreau. Anyone who has read and loved Walden will want to own and treasure this gift edition. Those wishing to read Walden for the first time will not find a better guide than Jeffrey S. Cramer.

SYNOPSIS

Meditations on human existence, society, government and other topics.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Henry David Thoreau's classic, first published in 1854 and reporting on his experiences at the eponymous site where he lived in physical and social independence during the mid-1840's, receives refreshing treatment here. William Hope reads leisurely but with feeling, offering listeners the illusion that the author is speaking directly to them. The abridgements are not substantive, so listeners will feel that they have become acquainted with the complexities of a text that is both orderly and sprinkled with irony and other literary devices. The chapters are tastefully set off by musical interludes that complement Thoreau's own rhythms. Not only is this an excellent alternative for students assigned to read the text that is often offered in tiny print without benefit of margins, but it is also possible to suggest this to thoughtful teens who are seeking an intellectually engaging listening experience for their personal enjoyment. Hope's pacing invites readers with minimal skills to accompany their print foray with his narration. The careful editing here assures that they will not become lost between page and sound.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Walden is organized like a conversation. Thoreau moves from topic to topic in an easy flow, touching on politics, economics, and spirituality. William Hope's performance of the work brings out this quality wonderfully. Reading slowly, with regular pauses, as if engaged in a conversation with a close friend, Hope allows readers to hear the rhythms of Thoreau's prose. But however it rambles, WALDEN always returns to the loving descriptions of nature and insightful reflections on personal identity that Thoreau developed in his cabin by Walden Pond. This is an accessible adaptation of an American classic. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

AudioFile - Paul E. Ferrari

Thoreau￯﾿ﾽs famous account of his two years at Walden Pond is more a discourse on humanity than a ramble through the woods. It￯﾿ﾽs dense, tightly reasoned and magically poetic, and no audio version will be good road-reading in expressway traffic. Thoreau doesn￯﾿ﾽt tolerate interference. This production, while perfect in every other respect, doesn￯﾿ﾽt take into account this difficulty. Gardner is a fine reader of fiction, but his pace here is hurried. He has great sensitivity for Thoreau￯﾿ﾽs spleen, irony and other splashes of color, but no sympathy for the plight of his benighted listeners struggling to keep pace. So, to paraphrase Orwell￯﾿ﾽs Boxer, Seven cassettes good, eight cassettes better. P.E.F. ￯﾿ﾽAudioFile, Portland, Maine

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