Walden And On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience

"Walden and Civil Disobedience" is a collection that includes two of the works of the famous American writer Henry David Thoreau. "Walden", perhaps Thoreau's most famous work, was published in 1854. Originally published under the title, "Walden; or, Life in the Woods", the novel experienced some success after it's release but went out of print after five short years only having sold around 2,000 copies. However, after Thoreau's death in 1862, the book was re-printed and enjoyed more critical acclaim. Many scholars now praise it as an American classic.



The book is a memoir of Thoreau's time living in the woods near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau lived for two years and two months by himself in the woods and set out to live simply and meagerly off of the land and Walden Pond, the body of water that was near his cabin. The novel details his journey of self-discovery, his thoughts on carefully managing finances and his musings on society as a whole.




"Civil Disobedience" is a short essay that was originally published in 1849 under the title, "Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience)". The essay details Thoreau's views on the individual's obligation to his conscience over the laws of the government. The essay deals particularly with Thoreau's dislike of slavery and the Mexican-American war.