Most people know Henry David Thoreau
for his book Walden. That story about two years he spent living by Walden Pond in the Concord woods is many a person's quiet armchair adventure. Seems like quite an ideal little respite from the world. The book is certainly his masterwork and a classic. But Thoreau also kept journals. In fact, he started at 20 and continued for 24 years, until 1861, shortly before he died. The Journal of Henry David Thoreau 1837-1861
, a one-volume edition of that journaling, was only published in 2009.Henry David Thoreau’s Journal was his life’s work and at roughly seven thousand pages, or two million words, it is Thoreau’s least-known work. This new reader’s edition is the largest one-volume edition of his journals. (Yes, there is a a 14 Volumes set
available too.)I admire his daily practice of journal writing that accompanied his daily walks. Henry would have been an excellent blogger.
With spring now fully in my bloodstream, this is a good time to read some Thoreau, go for a walk, and get back to my own journaling.
“It is in vain to write on the seasons unless you have the seasons in you.” ~ Thoreau
