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The Natural History Essays
A collection of essays depicts the natural history of Massachusetts, a winter walk, wild apples, autumn colors, and huckleberries
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1862
16 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Henry David Thoreau
2,411 books6,732 followersHenry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, philosopher, and abolitionist who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.
Thoreau's books, articles, essays, journals, and poetry total over 20 volumes. Among his lasting contributions were his writings on natural history and philosophy, where he anticipated the methods and findings of ecology and environmental history, two sources of modern day environmentalism.
In 1817, Henry David Thoreau was born in Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1837, taught briefly, then turned to writing and lecturing. Becoming a Transcendentalist and good friend of Emerson, Thoreau lived the life of simplicity he advocated in his writings. His two-year experience in a hut in Walden, on land owned by Emerson, resulted in the classic, Walden: Life in the Woods (1854). During his sojourn there, Thoreau refused to pay a poll tax in protest of slavery and the Mexican war, for which he was jailed overnight. His activist convictions were expressed in the groundbreaking On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (1849). In a diary he noted his disapproval of attempts to convert the Algonquins "from their own superstitions to new ones." In a journal he noted dryly that it is appropriate for a church to be the ugliest building in a village, "because it is the one in which human nature stoops to the lowest and is the most disgraced." (Cited by James A. Haught in 2000 Years of Disbelief.) When Parker Pillsbury sought to talk about religion with Thoreau as he was dying from tuberculosis, Thoreau replied: "One world at a time."
Thoreau's philosophy of nonviolent resistance influenced the political thoughts and actions of such later figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. D. 1862.
More: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/tho...
http://thoreau.eserver.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Da...
http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu....
http://www.biography.com/people/henry...
Thoreau's books, articles, essays, journals, and poetry total over 20 volumes. Among his lasting contributions were his writings on natural history and philosophy, where he anticipated the methods and findings of ecology and environmental history, two sources of modern day environmentalism.
In 1817, Henry David Thoreau was born in Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1837, taught briefly, then turned to writing and lecturing. Becoming a Transcendentalist and good friend of Emerson, Thoreau lived the life of simplicity he advocated in his writings. His two-year experience in a hut in Walden, on land owned by Emerson, resulted in the classic, Walden: Life in the Woods (1854). During his sojourn there, Thoreau refused to pay a poll tax in protest of slavery and the Mexican war, for which he was jailed overnight. His activist convictions were expressed in the groundbreaking On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (1849). In a diary he noted his disapproval of attempts to convert the Algonquins "from their own superstitions to new ones." In a journal he noted dryly that it is appropriate for a church to be the ugliest building in a village, "because it is the one in which human nature stoops to the lowest and is the most disgraced." (Cited by James A. Haught in 2000 Years of Disbelief.) When Parker Pillsbury sought to talk about religion with Thoreau as he was dying from tuberculosis, Thoreau replied: "One world at a time."
Thoreau's philosophy of nonviolent resistance influenced the political thoughts and actions of such later figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. D. 1862.
More: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/tho...
http://thoreau.eserver.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Da...
http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu....
http://www.biography.com/people/henry...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 11, 2024
rip HDT you would have hateddd the treadmill
May 23, 2018
Thoreau describes the overlooked aspects of nature better than anyone else sporting a neck beard. I pulled this book off of my local book store's 'classics' shelf and proceeded to tear through it like no other book.
The heart of the matter is Thoreau's pleading for all of mankind to get outside and interact with nature. He outlines some of the hurdles faced by city dwellers who spend their entire life in a concrete jungle. Thoreau implores his reader to join him in the woods where the experience can be rich, it's almost too much to handle. His ideas are remarkably ahead of their time in suggesting nature's role in development.
Sometimes people may ask what makes a Nature writer so famous when all s/he is doing is describing what we already see? The answer is Thoreau's ability to paint a description of a natural object we have seen so many times, regarding it in a new way, that we are forever changed by his comparisons. Our future interactions with nature become more remarkable because of the attention he brings to overlooked experiences. Smells of rotting leaves, pine forests after a rain storm, the white noise of a snowstorm, the peacefulness of being in our own slice of the wilderness are all areas described by Thoreau.
In the final essay, Thoreau teaches us a lesson if we are able to plow through the multiple mentions of Huckleberries. His mastery as a writer begins to shine through halfway through the essay as he reveals his plight to all of mankind regarding nature. By the time we are aware of his slight-of-hand manuever, we're already pages too late. He already has us, and we are already thinking like he does.
I loved reading this book. The hardcover has a scholarly feel to it when walking around a campus or carrying it on a train. The rubberized spray on the book allows it to be gripped easily. But the best part is what is inside. Thoreau's thoughts capture our imagination as long to join him on his forays into the woods. I highly recommend this book be read in the fall, or even in the winter (there are a couple of winter essays) by a fire if possible. Otherwise, this book can be read year-round in anticipation to the beautiful seasons so eloquently laid forth only as Henry David Thoreau can. We can repay him simply by stepping out into the woods moments after we finish the book.
The heart of the matter is Thoreau's pleading for all of mankind to get outside and interact with nature. He outlines some of the hurdles faced by city dwellers who spend their entire life in a concrete jungle. Thoreau implores his reader to join him in the woods where the experience can be rich, it's almost too much to handle. His ideas are remarkably ahead of their time in suggesting nature's role in development.
Sometimes people may ask what makes a Nature writer so famous when all s/he is doing is describing what we already see? The answer is Thoreau's ability to paint a description of a natural object we have seen so many times, regarding it in a new way, that we are forever changed by his comparisons. Our future interactions with nature become more remarkable because of the attention he brings to overlooked experiences. Smells of rotting leaves, pine forests after a rain storm, the white noise of a snowstorm, the peacefulness of being in our own slice of the wilderness are all areas described by Thoreau.
In the final essay, Thoreau teaches us a lesson if we are able to plow through the multiple mentions of Huckleberries. His mastery as a writer begins to shine through halfway through the essay as he reveals his plight to all of mankind regarding nature. By the time we are aware of his slight-of-hand manuever, we're already pages too late. He already has us, and we are already thinking like he does.
I loved reading this book. The hardcover has a scholarly feel to it when walking around a campus or carrying it on a train. The rubberized spray on the book allows it to be gripped easily. But the best part is what is inside. Thoreau's thoughts capture our imagination as long to join him on his forays into the woods. I highly recommend this book be read in the fall, or even in the winter (there are a couple of winter essays) by a fire if possible. Otherwise, this book can be read year-round in anticipation to the beautiful seasons so eloquently laid forth only as Henry David Thoreau can. We can repay him simply by stepping out into the woods moments after we finish the book.
April 18, 2013
This was more of an emotional read than an intellectual read for me. I FELT his love of nature. I enjoyed going on long walks with him and observing the plants and trees and fruits that surrounded us. I imagined what Massachusetts must have looked like then. At times I envied the life he led. Living in that very small cabin next to Walden Pond surrounded by nothing but trees and flowers and birds. No dogs barking in his neighborhood disturbing the peace. One quick sweep and the floor is clean. No worries about what to plant in the garden or whether or not to build a fence. A simple life. A lover of nature. A man with no curtains on his windows and what an amazing view!!
December 26, 2021
His essays suggest that the universe holds higher sources of meaning and that man might get closer to those true sources by getting closer to nature.
His writing is often referred to as being for “other nations”. Perhaps this is simply that he was letting the rest of the world know about America, but it seems to fit the idea that he was showing connections between the human and the natural world.
Literary naturalists are considered to transcend political boundaries, social concerns, and historical relationships. Thoreau wrote in Huckleberries: “I think that each town should have a park, or rather a primitive forest, of five hundred or a thousand acres, either in one body or several- where a stick should never be cut for fuel- nor for the navy, nor to make wagons, but stand and decay for higher uses - a common possession forever, for instruction and recreation.”
Thoreau’s ideas embrace the natural side of history and life but leave a great deal about who lives in that world a mystery.
His writing is often referred to as being for “other nations”. Perhaps this is simply that he was letting the rest of the world know about America, but it seems to fit the idea that he was showing connections between the human and the natural world.
Literary naturalists are considered to transcend political boundaries, social concerns, and historical relationships. Thoreau wrote in Huckleberries: “I think that each town should have a park, or rather a primitive forest, of five hundred or a thousand acres, either in one body or several- where a stick should never be cut for fuel- nor for the navy, nor to make wagons, but stand and decay for higher uses - a common possession forever, for instruction and recreation.”
Thoreau’s ideas embrace the natural side of history and life but leave a great deal about who lives in that world a mystery.
December 31, 2018
Some of the essays spoke to me more than others. I really enjoyed A Walk to Wachusett and Walking those two were 5 stars for me. Did not really care for A Winter Walk, Succession of Forest Trees, or Autumnal Tints. Huckleberries was a bit all over the place, but had some excellent parts.
January 22, 2019
Required reading? No.
Interesting? At times.
If you have read other works by Thoreau you already know how this collection reads. The man loved Creation like few I've ever read. Any time I think I really enjoy the outdoors I think of Thoreau and am reminded to pump the brakes on my self-appraisal.
This collection is not for the casually curious about Thoreau. Still, I find the man fascinating and appreciate his endearingly passionate love for and knowledge of Creation.
Interesting? At times.
If you have read other works by Thoreau you already know how this collection reads. The man loved Creation like few I've ever read. Any time I think I really enjoy the outdoors I think of Thoreau and am reminded to pump the brakes on my self-appraisal.
This collection is not for the casually curious about Thoreau. Still, I find the man fascinating and appreciate his endearingly passionate love for and knowledge of Creation.
June 4, 2024
Parts were very interesting. Parts were sort of dull and details that went past me. I enjoyed Walden so much more than these essays.
August 20, 2024
delightful, insightful, somehow deeply descriptive and yet never dull. best piece of nonfiction I have read in a very long time
Read
August 21, 2024he kinda cooked w/ "The Succession Of Forest Trees", "Walking", and "Wild Apples" but the rest basically blew
June 27, 2023
My favorites were Wild Apples and Huckleberries. I love his philosophy, and how he seems to be writing from modern day, what with how little society has truly changed since the 1860s when he was writing it. It’s like he’s looking at the news from today. Only deducting points for the intensely dull parts about the differences between plant species he was observing, but I suppose that was his point so I can’t fault him much. We love an abolitionist philosopher who also wanted to return swaths of America to the Indigenous tribes as well! I also really liked his commentary on the church, and how men have a tendency to “run after the husk rather than the seed” in terms of Christianity, and that no church in his day was founded on the true “seed” of what Jesus preached about. History tends to repeat itself. Wish more dudes back then were like him. Dude was ahead of his time.
May 17, 2010
I checked this out after reading a recommendation for Thoreau's Walking essay and ended up reading the whole book. I loved it. As a writer, I enjoyed seeing Thoreau's writing style adapt and mature over several decades (and the difference between essays intended as essays and articles and those originally composed as speeches). As an occasional history buff, the glimpses Thoreau gives into mid-19th century life in New England are not something a modern-day historian can fully capture. As a budding environmentalist, Thoreau's commentary on nature and its beauty and how that is occasionally at odds with man and his civilization was both predicative of later events and put into such lovely prose as to make his opinions seem completely grounded in fact. I'll admit, I'm a bit shocked I liked these essays as much as I did - even more so because I want to eventually buy the book to reread sections. It probably goes without saying, but highly recommended.
November 17, 2015
I won a copy of the Natural History Essays in a goodreads giveaway. Its a nice collection of Thoureau's essays with an informative introduction by Robert Sattelmeyer. The essays can be read together as a whole or separately as individual pieces. I read it the latter way reading a single essay at a time/day. Its a good book for anyone interested in Henry David Thoreau, his works, the topic of natural history, and/or essays in general.
December 10, 2018
Great reference. I keep going back to it
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews