Walden: 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic

Book Description

Henry David Thoreau was just a few days short of his twenty-eighth birthday when he built a cabin on the shore of Walden Pond and began one of the most famous experiments in living in American history. Originally he was not, apparently, intending to write a book about his life at the pond, but nine years later, in August of 1854, Houghton Mifflin's predecessor, Ticknor and Fields, published Walden; or, a Life in the Woods. At the time the book was largely ignored, and it took five years to sell out the first printing of two thousand copies. It was not until 1862, the year of Thoreau's death, that the book was brought back into print. Since then It has never been out of print. Published in hundreds of editions and translated into virtually every modern language, it has become one of the most widely read and influential books ever written, not only in this country but throughout the world. On the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the original publication of Walden, Houghton Mifflin is proud to present the most beautiful edition ever published of Thoreau's masterpiece. The price -- $28.12 -- is half a cent less than Thoreau himself spent to build his cabin in Walden Woods. This new edition features spectacular color photographs by Scot Miller that capture Walden as vividly as Thoreau's words do. The book is being published in association with the Walden Woods Project, which is dedicated to preserving the lands Thoreau wrote about. For each copy sold, Houghton Mifflin and Scot Miller are making a donation to the Walden Woods Project.

Customer Reviews:

SUMPTUOUS SIGHTS & TIMELESS TRANSCENDENTAL TEXT.......2007-01-15

* "I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion . . . I have thus a tight shingled and plastered house, ten feet wide by fifteen long . . . A lady once offered me a mat, but as I had no room to spare within the house, nor time to spare within or without to shake it, I declined it, preferring to wipe my feet on the sod before my door. It is best to avoid the beginnings of evil."
~ Henry David Thoreau; "Walden"

* "Walden has become as much a state of mind as it is a place."
~ Scot Miller; "Walden - 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition"

For my birthday in 1984, my dear friend, Marty ("rhymes with party"), gave me the 1981 Avenel books hardcover edition of WORKS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU. This compilation contained all of the famous transcendentalist's most significant writings and the thirty intriguing Herbert Wendall Gleason, black and white photographs that graced the 1906 publication of Thoreau's complete works.

My dear friend died in an auto accident five years later, but part of his legacy is the passion for Thoreau's philosophy that his gift awakened in me, and that book which occupies a prestigious place in one of my bookcases right between my Holy Bible and my 1st edition copy of Mark Twain's 1872, Roughing It. And my book, though yellowed now, looks pretty good for a volume 23 years without a dust jacket (I nearly always trash the things immediately), and for having been completely read twice, and thumbed through hundreds of times!

A couple of years ago, GFM (Good Friend Melanie) gave me a softcover copy of WALDEN AND OTHER WRITINGS, and I was glad to have it as it contained a couple of essays and excerpts I'd not previously read, and it provided me with a copy of Thoreau's best that I could loan out to others.

Therefore, when my friend, Pooh, and I flew into Philadelphia in late August 2005, to visit the birthplace of our nation, and then to drive north to visit Walden Pond and environs, I did not consider purchasing a copy of this 150th ANNIVERSARY ILLUSTRATED EDITION of WALDEN for myself while in Thoreau's hometown. I already had two copies of this true classic and couldn't see buying a third despite the stunning pictures included in this publication. I did, however, bring home a copy as a gift for GFM. (The woman in the bookstore in downtown Concord, Massachusetts, pointed out to me that the original publishing price - printed on the inside flap of the dust jacket - was $28.12, half a cent less than Thoreau tells us it cost him to build his little house at Walden's shore in 1845. (He officially moved into his homemade home on the appropriate date of July 4th, and an American classic was born!)

One day, shortly after returning from my memorable trip, I borrowed from GFM the copy I had given her, so I could gaze upon the nearly 100 SCOT MILLER photographs once again. And I was so awed by the indescribably gorgeous and practically breathtaking pictures of the Walden area and its flora and fauna, that I realized I needed to own this book like Thoreau needed solitude. And that's how I came by Thoreau's WALDEN for a THIRD time! While Marty's gift reigns for sentimental reasons, the 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition is tops in exquisite beauty - a lovelier and more profound coffee table book is simply unimaginable; a richer gift for a valued friend couldn't be purchased at ANY price! This edition is simply a divine marriage of Thoreau's insight into the nature of Man and his place in nature, and Scot Miller's illustrations of the natural world wherein Thoreau made those treasured observations over a century and a half ago. Hey, I even left the dust jacket on this book despite the fact that the jacket's photograph is also reprinted on page 2, and it barely even hints at the wonders inside.

In Thoreau's WALDEN, the naturalist makes the following observation in the chapter titled, "Sounds": "I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel. It was a drama of many scenes and without an end." And Scot Miller has brilliantly captured with his camera the splendor of that "drama of many scenes" at Thoreau's old stamping ground.

I'm not knowledgeable in the techniques of photography, so I can't explain to you HOW Miller was able to make photographs like these (it seems obvious to me, however, that he must employ an array of various filters and such). All that I CAN tell you is that words can't describe the virtual explosion of colors (like nature vibrantly celebrating that 1845 4th of July within Herself) and the uncommon degree of visible detail (staring at those rocks and leaves in "Still Life Under Ice", I can almost feel the bone-numbing cold that any one of those stones would penetrate my hand with). "Magical Fairyland Pond" is the perfect caption for that dreamlike picture of Walden's sister pond. I can almost hear a lonely dog barking from across the glittering snow while hidden deep in the distant, wooded shore, when I'm lost in the "Sunrise On Frozen Walden Pond." I'm not even going to attempt to describe the "Nature's Palette, Heywood's Meadow" photograph on page 32. Suffice to say that God is "The" Master Painter. Incredible! (And Scot Miller, you're a wonder, too!)

This five-star beauty of a book represents the pinnacle of the publisher's art, and it includes a shot of the exact site of Thoreau's 1845 cabin (previously obscured by a cairn), and Henry's simple tombstone, which I visited at the Author's Ridge section of the Concord cemetary where our hero's physical body gradually became a part of the nature that his spirit loved so much.

Revisiting Walden.......2006-07-09

On a family vacation many years ago, I visited Walden Pond and walked all around it. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Thoreau's Walden, the Walden Woods Project published, in 2004, this illustrated edition of the work with stunning color photographs by Scott Miller of Walden Pond and its environs. The Walden Woods Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Walden Pond and to the legacy of Thoreau. I found this book a fitting memorial of my walk around Walden Pond and of my earlier readings of Walden. The lovely edition, photographs, and memories inspired me to turn again to Thoreau's book.

Henry David Thoreau (1817 -- 1862) lived at Walden Pond, Masachusetts from July, 1845 -- September, 1847, in a cabin he built himself on a tract of land owned by his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was two miles from Concord, Massachusetts and one mile from his nearest neighbor. A railroad passed near the pond, and it was frequented regularly by farmers, hunters, picnickers, and others. During the two years, Thoreau left Walden Pond at times to visit friends in Concord, to lecture, and to visit other ponds and sites in the area. He made no pretense of being entirely isolated. In his book, Walden, published in 1854, Thoreau described the first year of his life at Walden Pond (he tells us that the second year was much the same) and his reasons for living there. Much of the book was written at Walden Pond, and Throreau also wrote other works there.

The book is short but it is written in a dense, difficult and condensed style with many long, complex sentences. It is also highly allusive and shows Thoreau's learning in classical literature and his interest in Eastern thought and religion. It is filled with many short, pithy, and provocative comments which have become proverbial in American literature.

In the opening and closing chapters of the book, Thoreau describes his motivations for living at Walden Pond and abandoning the life of commerce. For Thoreau, most people are owned by their possessions. He saw a need to live with little encubrance in order to understand himself and find inner peace. "Simplify, simplify, simplify" was his goal. In one of my favorite sentences of the book, he states (p. 67) "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Then, towards the end of the book, Thoreau recounts some of the lessons he had learned in the following passage:

"We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us, like the grass which confesses the influence of the slightest dew that falls on it, and did not spend our time in atoning for the neglect of past opportunities, which we call doing our duty. We loiter in winter while it is already spring."(p/253)

In the middle sections of the book, Throreau describes his life in the woods, again with recognition of his substantial interactions with other people during the time. (He was not a hermit.) He describes the books he read, his activites at his cabin, Walden Pond and woods, the changes of the seasons, and the plants and animals. The pond and its creatures are described with great detail, but Thoreau gives even more attention to internalizing his experiences and explaining their significance to his readers.

Scott Miller's beatiful photographs of Walden Pond add a great deal to this edition. They are well-placed to correspond with the discussion in the text, and they illuminate Thoreau's descriptive passages. The photographs, and the book itself, brought back reading and visiting memories and made me want to see Walden Pond again.

But much as Walden is revered for its descriptions of nature, the book remains for me primarily internalized and intropsective. Thoreau has many polemical things to say which will not, and should not, appeal to all readers. But the book documents the effort of an individual to try to understand his life, to reflect, and to understand change. As I have suggested, it is not an anti-social book as Thoreau was never far removed from friends and company. But it is a book about understanding one's life and learning not to be afraid of solitude or of being with oneself.

Robin Friedman

Walden: 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic.......2005-08-15

I recently sent this to my daughter because during a phone converstation, I thought she sounded depressed, so I didn't actually see the book myself, but she called me to tell my how much she loved it. I could hear it in her voice as she decribed it to me. She said a friend was at the house when it was delivered and while looking at one picture, in a quiet voice, her friend said "I want to go there".

Self Help At Its Best.......2004-09-26

This is one of the most influential books in American history. I picked it up for the first time in thirty years only to realize that Throreau's philosophy had long ago permeated my being. I remember being blown away by my first reading more than half a century ago, but with each immersion new depths are achieved.

Thoreau sought both authenticity and simplicity in his life. He never abandoned Concord and the real world but merely sought refuge at Walden to plumb the depths of his being. Serious introspection and brilliant writing show each of us the the way to our own core. Can we stand the examination? That is for each of us to determine.

The Transcendentalists may never have been able to define their philosphy, but what remains of it more than a century after the movement's passing can be summed up in Thoreau's always upbeat outlook of "...if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet success unexpected in common hours."

One cannot read Walden without gaining confidence in one's ability to change direction in life and optimism about the future. We do not have to live lives of conformity and quiet desparation. "In the long run men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, they had better aim at something high."

There has never been a book that better expresses American optimism, and there is no reason for us to lose confidence now. Simplify and be as close to authentic as you can be and all will turn out well. Oh, and while you're at it question authority.

If there could be a six star book, this would be my candidate.

A Great American Spiritual Genius.......2004-09-09

Reading "Walden" changed my life forever. Thoreau is perhaps the greatest American spiritual genius ever. This book inspired me to write my first book, which took five years--that is how deeply inspired I was by "Walden". So many of today's spiritual gurus are lightweights compared to Thoreau. He offers up a highly original take on the spiritual wisdom of the ages, not the mind candy you often find in today's books. While I found it a challenging read, it was worth it. If you are in the market for a spiritual paradigm shift, read "Walden"--and re-read it if you first read it under the age of 25. The pictures only make this spiritual classic better.

Walden: The 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic

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Walden: The 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic
Henry David; Fender, Stephen Thoreau
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJXXDI

Book Description

As the world is drawn together with increasing force, our long-standing isolation from--and baffling ignorance of--China is ever more perilous. This book offers a powerful analysis of China and the transformations it has undertaken since 1989.

Wang Hui is unique in China's intellectual world for his ability to synthesize an insider's knowledge of economics, politics, civilization, and Western critical theory. A participant in the Tiananmen Square movement, he is also the editor of the most important intellectual journal in contemporary China. He has a grasp and vision that go beyond contemporary debates to allow him to connect the events of 1989 with a long view of Chinese history. Wang Hui argues that the features of contemporary China are elements of the new global order as a whole in which considerations of economic growth and development have trumped every other concern, particularly those of democracy and social justice. At its heart this book represents an impassioned plea for economic and social justice and an indictment of the corruption caused by the explosion of "market extremism."

As Wang Hui observes, terms like "free" and "unregulated" are largely ideological constructs masking the intervention of highly manipulative, coercive governmental actions on behalf of economic policies that favor a particular scheme of capitalist acquisition--something that must be distinguished from truly free markets. He sees new openings toward social, political, and economic democracy in China as the only agencies by which the unstable conditions thus engendered can be remedied.

Customer Reviews:

Nice Ideas, Dull Translation.......2007-05-16

I think the idea's of Wang Hui's book and his arguments are rather fascinating, but the translation was bogged down with run on sentences. The beginning part is basically a summary, and for all intents and purposes could be thrown out, since Wang Hui's own words are there for all to see. The last section of the book was the best, since, to me it seemed more relevant than the rest. I read this book last summer, along with several other books concerning the same subject material, and I don't think Wang Hui is the best, but he is not the worst either, but most of the problems with this book are due to the translation. Next time, use shorter sentences please!

Not what I expected.......2007-03-12

I had to use this book for a college course in East Asian Studies. I have to say this is not a very enjoyable book to read, especially for writing a research paper. The author tends to ramble, jumping from topic to topic within sentences, and uses inflated language, which is often unnecessary and makes you doze off in minutes.

For my paper, I ended up looking into other books which helped me greatly. Do not read the first review for this book - it's most likely a professor who uses this book in one of his courses. Believe me, "lost in translation" is just skimming the surface when speaking about this book. Hope that helps.

turgid and boring to read.......2005-03-20

Few Chinese political writings translate well into English. Despite the best efforts of the traslator and editor, I was disappointed with this volume. It was turgid reading at best. The only redeeming feature about this volume is its price, especially for a hardcover. But then one buys a book for the ideas not just because it's cheap.

A unique perspective on China, from China.......2004-02-05

Most Western perspectives on China fall into two (equally wrong)camps: the celebrations of the emergence of a new economic superpower reminiscent of William Gibson on 1980s Japan or the typical right-wing paranoia of China as the new enemy. Western discourse on China's politicshas been narrowly defined by ingrained images of 1989, some dissident bloggers, and Falun Gong. Discourse on economy has equally been restricted, becoming mostly a numbers game for the foreign investor, with Chicken Littles such as Gordon Chang warning of collapse. Rarely do we consider the real interests of regular Chinese. It's anyone's guess as to what the aspirations were of the man standing in front of the tank in Tiananmen, but most assume he was fighting for "reform" against the monolithic power of the party-state. To Americans, that reform can only mean one thing. But rather than assume this man risked his life for the freedom to eat Big Macs, why not hear from one of the actual participants and find out what "reform" means in China?

Wang Hui teaches at Tsinghua Univ. and is editor of the monthly journal "Dushu". He has become the unofficial leader of an intellectual circle his critics labeled the "New Left" (perjorative in associating Wang with Maoism). In this collection of his landmark essays on contemporary China, Wang exposes the domination of neoliberal and Fukuyama end of history ideologies and assumptions upon China's internal discourse. According to Wang, post-Mao China has seen many problems, but these aren't exclusively the problems of a state hindering the forward march of market reforms. Rather, they are the product of these so-called reforms. The neoliberals in China are not working against, but working within the party structure, becoming a new exploitative class and capitalizing on privatization through avenues legal and illegal. Human rights abuses in China are not only the oppression of dissidents, but the regular people just trying to survive in the jungle of market fundamentalism. While some have taken notice to labor issues, few have done it justice. Social discontent seems unlikely to spark revolution anytime soon, but the plight of workers and peasants deserves more attention. Wang looks at these problems emerging as a result of Dengism. Wang Hui is one of those few who have examined this story forgotten in the new economic superpower-new enemy debates in America. Wang argues that this discontent is struggling to articulate some sort of agenda and it made such an attempt in 1989, with the results of the crackdown being a renewed determination by the Dengists not simply to permit, but force capitalism on China with the use of state violence. On this, China's neoliberals are silent.

Wang Hui offers a radical third view on China from the perspective of an insider. In writing, he indicts both a party that has failed to live up to its own ideals of social justice and equality and the so-called critics of the party who benefit from its domestic gunboat capitalism. Wang reminds us that the students, as well as other less visible social groups, didn't just sing the Beatles in '89 (with some in the world hoping they'd take the lyrics of "Revolution" to heart and embrace the post-revolution McWorld), they also sang the Internationale. Those interested in such interpretations of contemporary China may also enjoy Streetlife China by Michael Dutton.

China's New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition.(Book review): An article from: Pacific Affairs
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China's New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition.(Book review): An article from: Pacific Affairs
Yiching Wu
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Political Science | Nonfiction | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
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ASIN: B000R9SXT4
Release Date: 2007-09-27

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by Thomson Gale on December 22, 2006. The length of the article is 779 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: China's New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition.(Book review)
Author: Yiching Wu
Publication: Pacific Affairs (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 79 Issue: 4 Page: 665(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

In terms of economics, the twenty-first century promises to be one of experiments and mixed economies that display features of both a private enterprise market and an intrusive government sector. To fully understand this coming trend, William Hixson presents this study of the U.S. economy since World War I and its experiments with mixed economics. Hixson describes how the largely laissez-faire economy prior to 1929 was so structured to make a crisis of illiquidity and overindebtedness inevitable, and how the mixed economy that has prevailed since World War II is structured to result in a similar crisis. His work challenges the generally accepted views of both U.S. and Marxist economists. Following a brief introduction that outlines Hixson's approach and theoretical framework, the book begins with a seven-chapter study of the basic operating principles and procedures of a laissez faire economy. The next three chapters examine the Great Crash of 1929 and how it was a predictable outcome of the U.S. economy's operation in a laissez-faire mode. A set of four chapters then analyze the emergence of the government sector as an increasingly significant factor, and the evolution and institutionalization of mixed economy. The last set of chapters considers the past four decades of a mixed economy and why it lacks long-term viability, while the concluding two chapters suggest changes in operating principles and financial practices to make the mixed economy a viable one. This work will be a valuable resource for professionals involved in all types of financial and investing fields, as well as for students and scholars of economics and national economies.

A Matter of Interest: Reexamining Money, Debt, and Real Economic Growth

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A Matter of Interest: Reexamining Money, Debt, and Real Economic Growth
William F. Hixson
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORATVY

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT!!!.......1999-02-15

Very, very funny! Well worth the price. An excellent gift to give or receive.

Book Description

Interested in composing--maybe for film and TV? Want to learn how to sequence, record and mix effectively with Emagic Logic? This project based book and CD will help you do both in a practical and enjoyable way. After all, much of today's commercial music is produced using little more than the composer's creativity harnessed with power of Emagic Logic production software. The goals of Get Creative with Emagic Logic are to foster the user's creativity and help build effective song composition and audio production skills. This is achieved with the aid of step-by-step examples, providing opportunities to compose, record and mix entire productions into a satisfying whole. The powerful production features of Logic are discovered along the way including:

MIDI and audio recording
Audio Objects and Effects
Using the Track Mixer
Track Automation
Audio Window
Sample Edit Window
Event List
Hyper Edit--including Drum Editor
Matrix Editor
Score Editor
Transform window

Book Description

“A ground-breaking history of RFE-RL that is both erudite and a delight to read. . . . Should help rescue the radios from the `memory hole' to which their detractors are attempting to consign them.”—American Spectator

“Useful to anyone interested in the minutiae of American foreign policy in Eastern Europe after World War II.”—Washington Post Book World

“A fine telling of a little known U.S. project that prevented the evil empire from exercising a monopoly on news and opinion.”—First Things

“No one measure won the Cold War—but Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty should be in the first rank of those getting the highest medals. Puddington tells the story with style and grace.”—R. James Woolsey

BROADCASTING FREEDOM THE COLD WAR TRIUMPH OF RADIO FREE EUROPE AND RADIO LIBERTY
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BROADCASTING FREEDOM THE COLD WAR TRIUMPH OF RADIO FREE EUROPE AND RADIO LIBERTY
Arch Puddington
Manufacturer: University of Kentucky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RAW5R4

Book Description

AutoCAD is the market leader for all CAD software and is used by nearly two million students and professionals in architecture, engineering, construction, and design. Leach's AutoCAD 2006 Instructor is designed to teach AutoCAD 2006 for instructor-lead and independent study, providing complete coverage of the features and capabilities of AutoCAD.

Developed from teaching techniques used in an authorized AutoCAD Training Center and in instruction for engineering colleges, this command-oriented text is rich in pedagogy and engineering, architecture, design, construction, and manufacturing examples, making it suitable for a wide range of student learners. The chapters are structured in a practical sequence beginning with instruction in general procedures for using the computer interface, setting up and creating drawings, and then progressing to advanced features such as dimensioning, special drawing applications and AutoCAD features, three-dimensional modeling and rendering, and software customization.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best!.......2007-04-26

This is one of the best AutoCAD books that I own. I purchased through my school, so I had formal training to go along with this book, but I often read this book at home and found it to be excellent!

Not good for College Course.......2006-11-10

I purchased the book because my school bookstore had it on back order. The text book requires a student edition Autodesk to complete the course which was not included with my purchase from Amazon. The book was returned and I bought it from my school.

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