Walden
1856 daguerreotype of Thoreau. Replica of the cabin where Thoreau lived 1845-47.
Walden today.
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Print:
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Biography--Psychology
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Criticism and interpretation
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Diaries
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Homes and haunts--Massachusetts--Walden Woods
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Knowledge--Natural history
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Political and social views
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. Walden
ebrary online titles (log-in required):
Walden Pond: A History, Maynard, Oxford, 2004
Thoreau's Ecstatic Witness, Hodder, Yale, 2001
Our Common Dwelling: Henry Thoreau, Transcendentalism, and the Class Politics of Nature, Newman, MacMillan, 2005
Henry David Thoreau and the Moral Agency of Knowing, Tauber, UCal, 2005
Consciousness and Culture: Emerson and Thoreau Reviewed, Porte, Yale, 2004
Above Time: Emerson's and Thoreau's Temporal Revolutions, Guthrie, Missouri, 2001
Print:
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Biography--Psychology
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Criticism and interpretation
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Diaries
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Homes and haunts--Massachusetts--Walden Woods
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Knowledge--Natural history
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862--Political and social views
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. Walden
ebrary online titles (log-in required):
Walden Pond: A History, Maynard, Oxford, 2004
Thoreau's Ecstatic Witness, Hodder, Yale, 2001
Our Common Dwelling: Henry Thoreau, Transcendentalism, and the Class Politics of Nature, Newman, MacMillan, 2005
Henry David Thoreau and the Moral Agency of Knowing, Tauber, UCal, 2005
Consciousness and Culture: Emerson and Thoreau Reviewed, Porte, Yale, 2004
Above Time: Emerson's and Thoreau's Temporal Revolutions, Guthrie, Missouri, 2001
Print:
Walden, Civil disobedience, and other writings : authoritative texts, journal, reviews and posthumous assessments, criticism / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by William Rossi.
Walden : a fully annotated edition / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer
Annotated Walden: Walden; or, Life in the woods, by Henry D. Thoreau. Together with Civil disobedience, a detailed chronology and various pieces about its author, the writing and publishing of the book
Variorum Walden and the variorum Civil disobedience / Henry David Thoreau ; Annotated and with introductions by Walter Harding.
Making of Walden, with the text of the first version
Journal, 1837-1861 / Henry David Thoreau ; edited by Damion Searls
Journal. Edited by Bradford Torrey and Francis H. Allen. Foreword by Walter Harding (14 v.)
Consciousness in Concord; the text of Thoreau’s hitherto "lost journal," 1840-1841, together with notes and a commentary by Perry Miller
Early essays and miscellanies / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by Joseph J. Moldenhauer
Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers, by Henry David Thoreau
Maine woods. Edited by Joseph J. Moldenhauer
Cape Cod; arranged with notes by Dudley C. Lunt
Collected poems. Edited by Carl Bode
Faith in a seed: The dispersion of seeds and other late natural history writings / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by Bradley P. Dean
ebrary online editions (log-in required):
Walden and other writings of Henry David Thoreau [electronic resource] / Henry David Thoreau ; edited by Brooks Atkinson
Walden [electronic resource] ; and, Civil disobedience / by Henry David Thoreau ; with an introduction by Michael Meyer
Walden, Civil disobedience, and other writings : authoritative texts, journal, reviews and posthumous assessments, criticism / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by William Rossi.
Walden : a fully annotated edition / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer
Annotated Walden: Walden; or, Life in the woods, by Henry D. Thoreau. Together with Civil disobedience, a detailed chronology and various pieces about its author, the writing and publishing of the book
Variorum Walden and the variorum Civil disobedience / Henry David Thoreau ; Annotated and with introductions by Walter Harding.
Making of Walden, with the text of the first version
Journal, 1837-1861 / Henry David Thoreau ; edited by Damion Searls
Journal. Edited by Bradford Torrey and Francis H. Allen. Foreword by Walter Harding (14 v.)
Consciousness in Concord; the text of Thoreau’s hitherto "lost journal," 1840-1841, together with notes and a commentary by Perry Miller
Early essays and miscellanies / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by Joseph J. Moldenhauer
Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers, by Henry David Thoreau
Maine woods. Edited by Joseph J. Moldenhauer
Cape Cod; arranged with notes by Dudley C. Lunt
Collected poems. Edited by Carl Bode
Faith in a seed: The dispersion of seeds and other late natural history writings / Henry D. Thoreau ; edited by Bradley P. Dean
ebrary online editions (log-in required):
Walden and other writings of Henry David Thoreau [electronic resource] / Henry David Thoreau ; edited by Brooks Atkinson
Walden [electronic resource] ; and, Civil disobedience / by Henry David Thoreau ; with an introduction by Michael Meyer
American literature--1783-1850--History and criticism
American literature--19th century--History and criticismAmerican prose literature--19th century--History and criticism
American literature--New England--History and criticism
New England--In literature
Romanticism--United States
Transcendentalism in literature
United States--Intellectual life--1783-1865
United States--Intellectual life--19th century
New England--Intellectual life--19th century
United States--Civilization
United States--Civilization--19th century
United States--Civilization--1783-1865
Philosophy, American--19th century
Transcendentalism (New England)
United States--Social conditions--To 1865
United States--Social life and customs--1783-1865
United States--Social life and customs--19th century
United States--Economic conditions--To 1865
United States--Politics and government--1815-1861
United States--History--1783-1865
United States--History--1815-1861
United States--Intellectual life--19th century
New England--Intellectual life--19th century
United States--Civilization
United States--Civilization--19th century
United States--Civilization--1783-1865
Philosophy, American--19th century
Transcendentalism (New England)
United States--Social conditions--To 1865
United States--Social life and customs--1783-1865
United States--Social life and customs--19th century
United States--Economic conditions--To 1865
United States--Politics and government--1815-1861
United States--History--1783-1865
United States--History--1815-1861

This is the Author Page for Thoreau in Literature Online. Under "Texts by Henry David Thoreau" you will find the full text of Walden and several of Thoreau's periodical essays, as well as the complete poetry. The "Biography," "Reference Works," and "Web Sites" links all lead to useful online information. For the live version, click here (log-in required).
The "Criticism" link, however, retrieves citations for every article on Thoreau collected by the Modern Language Association and the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature over the past century (more than 5,000). To focus on articles about Walden, use the standard "Criticism" search interface, where you can enter Walden as a "Subject" search (eliminating 4,300 of the "Thoreau" retrievals), add Keywords for focus, and limit your search results to "Articles."
Also note that while there is full text available here (look for page or camera icons to the left of a citation), when Literature Online does not supply full text you can check for availability from the IC Library's many other databases by clicking the green arrow below each citation:
America: History and Life : This database can be invaluable because it allows you to set a "Historical Period" limit (below the search slots on the left). If you set this for 1840-1860, any Subjects or Keywords you enter above will retrieve articles on that topic as it played out during the decades of Thoreau's most intensive literary production. For example, a Subject search on Nature with that time limit will retrieve articles on other American figures concerned practically or artistically with the American environment. But: be aware that setting a Period limit of 1840-1860 will also retrieve any Period that contains those 20 years--for example an article on American landscape painting between 1790 and 1865.
This is also a good database to find articles on American transcendentalism. In Philosophers Index and other IC databases, a Subject search on Transcendentalism will retrieve mostly articles on 18th century German philosophy. But given the national focus here, Transcendentalism as a Subject retrieves mostly articles on the American/New England phenomenon. And of course Thoreau, Henry David also works well as a Subject search.
Be sure to set the "Document Type" limit to "Article" to weed out all the many book reviews that will otherwise clot your search for articles.
There's a good deal of full text here, but where there isn't be sure to use the "Find Full Text" link below citations to see if another IC database can supply it.
This is also a good database to find articles on American transcendentalism. In Philosophers Index and other IC databases, a Subject search on Transcendentalism will retrieve mostly articles on 18th century German philosophy. But given the national focus here, Transcendentalism as a Subject retrieves mostly articles on the American/New England phenomenon. And of course Thoreau, Henry David also works well as a Subject search.
Be sure to set the "Document Type" limit to "Article" to weed out all the many book reviews that will otherwise clot your search for articles.
There's a good deal of full text here, but where there isn't be sure to use the "Find Full Text" link below citations to see if another IC database can supply it.
JSTOR : Articles here are scholarly and 100% full text. JSTOR has deep archival pockets and will retrieve articles on Thoreau from across the 20th century, so watch the dates. Check the "Article" box below the search slots to eliminate reviews of books about Thoreau. There is no Subject searching here, but a simple Keyword search on--Thoreau and Walden--will get you started.
Project Muse : Although a smaller database, Project Muse complements JSTOR. LIke JSTOR it provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the last 10-15 years. Although all articles in Porject Muse are assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings, you cannot enter a Subject search as such. Your options are to "Browse Subject Headings" to the right of the search slots or enter a Subject Heading in the "All fields except text" field: Thoreau, Henry David. And as with JSTOR it's a good idea to limit your search to "Articles Only" by checking that box beneath the search slots--to weed out reviews of books on your topic.
ProQuest Research Library : At the search page and open the "More Search options" tab below the search slots. Thoreau, David Henry should be entered in the "Person" slot and Walden can be added in one of the "citation and abstract" (Keyword) slots above. Note that the tabs above a retrieval set allow you to look at just the scholarly journals or just the magazines. ProQuest will also suggest related Subject searches at the top of your results screen.
GreenFILE : An environmental themed database where a 'People" search on Thoreau, Henry David will retrieve several dozen articles on Thoreau as naturalist. Use the "Find Full text" links below citations to check availability from other IC Library databases.
Project Muse : Although a smaller database, Project Muse complements JSTOR. LIke JSTOR it provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the last 10-15 years. Although all articles in Porject Muse are assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings, you cannot enter a Subject search as such. Your options are to "Browse Subject Headings" to the right of the search slots or enter a Subject Heading in the "All fields except text" field: Thoreau, Henry David. And as with JSTOR it's a good idea to limit your search to "Articles Only" by checking that box beneath the search slots--to weed out reviews of books on your topic.
ProQuest Research Library : At the search page and open the "More Search options" tab below the search slots. Thoreau, David Henry should be entered in the "Person" slot and Walden can be added in one of the "citation and abstract" (Keyword) slots above. Note that the tabs above a retrieval set allow you to look at just the scholarly journals or just the magazines. ProQuest will also suggest related Subject searches at the top of your results screen.
GreenFILE : An environmental themed database where a 'People" search on Thoreau, Henry David will retrieve several dozen articles on Thoreau as naturalist. Use the "Find Full text" links below citations to check availability from other IC Library databases.

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- Oxford Companion to American Literature: Thoreau, Henry David (log-in required)
- Oxford Companion to Philosophy: Transcendentalism (log-in required)
- Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Thoreau & New England Transcendentalism (log-in required)
- The Thoreau Reader: This site from the University of Iowa in cooperation with the Thoreau Society is an excellent starting point. You'll find crisp online editions of Thoreau's major works (except A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers) and selected essays. Better still, there is a wide range of linked articles under "More About Henry Thoreau." Also check out the linked resources in "Teaching Thoreau."
- The Thoreau Society: The premier Thoreau Web site. Under "The writings of Henry David Thoreau" you can access PDF versions of the books, the essays, the poetry, the complete journals, and Thoreau's correspondence. For information about Thoreau consult the Resources page and especially the aptly named "Best Sources for Beginning Thoreau Research."
- The Walden Woods Project: There is a good deal of duplication from the previous sites, but of particular interest is the "About Thoreau's Life and Writings" page, with its alphabetical organization.
- Web of American Transcendentalism: An excellent gateway to materials on the movement and the individual writers associated with it: Emerson, Thoreau, the Channings, Margaret Fuller, Theodore Parker, and Bronson Alcott. For more on Emerson and Thoreau, try the Transcendentalists site: click on the "Ralph Waldo Emerson" or "Henry David Thoreau" and look at "Emerson: Analysis" or "Thoreau: Analysis."
- Henry David Thoreau: This site is most interesting for its "Thoreau Time Line" and the "Postmodern Thoreau" section.
- And for anyone set on a close textual reading of Thoreau, there is an online "Hyper-Concordance" to the major works.
- American Studies Web: From Georgetown University, this bills itself as the "largest directory of web-based resources in the field of American Studies," and certainly the subject categories along the left margin lead to a wealth of Web resources that are more helpfully organized than Voice of the Shuttle: American Literature (see below).
- Voice of the Shuttle: American Literature: For many this is still the gold-standard of gateway sites, though the sprawl of listed links requires careful scanning.
- 19th Century American Literary Figures & Literary Texts Online: From Washington State University, this is a good gateway site for 19th century American literature and its historical/cultural context. Note the topic categories along the left margin, especially "Authors & Texts."
- American Authors on the Web: Also from WSU, this is a good gateway to sites concerned with individual writers. Authors are listed by time period, so use the date ranges at the top to navigate.
- Literary Resources: American: from Jack Lynch at Rutgers, this is a handy gateway site, though you must scroll for the subject categories.
"I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one."
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."