Read Thoreau

Cape Cod manuscript leaf in the Walden Woods Project CollectionHere are a few short readings, with discussion or journaling questions, to introduce you to Thoreau's writing. You can also find them in the Activity Guide.

• I Went to the Woods
  Excerpt from Walden Chapter 2 “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”
• Walden is a Perfect Forest Mirror
  Excerpt from Walden Chapter 9 “The Ponds”
• I Learned this by My Experiment
  Excerpt from Walden Chapter 18 “Conclusion”
• The Same Sun
  Excerpt from Walden Chapter 1 “Economy”
• Thoreau Quotations

Thoroughly Thoreau - Advanced Readings

• Thoreau's Life and Writings
  Find a complete online collection of Thoreau's books, essays, poems, and letters on the main Thoreau Institute - Walden Woods Project website.

Other Suggested Environmental Reading

• "Letter to Henry David Thoreau” by E.O. Wilson, from his Forward to The Future of Life
• "Land Ethic” from A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
• Unbowed by Wangari Mathai
• Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• The End of Nature by Bill McKibben