This new selection of Thoreau's essays traces his trajectory as a writer for the outlets of his day – the periodical press, newspapers, and compendiums – and as a frequent presenter on the local lecture circuit. By arranging the writings chronologica...

It was his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, another inveterate journal keeper, who urged Thoreau to keep a record of his thoughts and observations. Begun in 1837, "Thoreau's Journal" spans a period of twenty-five years and runs to more than two million wo...