Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a leading figure in the American Transcendentalist movement, with worldwide influence as essayist, social thinker, naturalist-environmentalist, and sage. Thoreau's Walden, an autobiographical narrative of his two-year sojourn in a self-built lakeside cabin, is one of the most widely studied works of American literature. His essay "Civil Disobedience" is a classic of American political activism and a model for nonviolent reform movements around the world. Esteemed Thoreau scholar Lawrence Buell gives due consideration to all significant aspects of Thoreau's art and thought while framing key issues and complexities in historical and literary context.
