Recommendations from our site
“The beginning is hard going. Once you get past that, then suddenly you’re into these beautiful and inspiring descriptions of nature.” Read more...
The Best Books on the Philosophy of Travel
Emily Thomas, Philosopher
“Thoreau can be thorny to read but Walden is a tremendously important work in the history of environmental thinking and in the history of understanding our relationship with nature.” Read more...
Mark Peterson, Historian
“It’s probably the quickest read out of the five books that I’ve recommended. He said in Walden ‘in most books, the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained.’ There’s this idea that philosophy can blend into memoir and that, ideally, philosophy, at its best, is to help us through the business of living with people, within communities. This is a point that Thoreau’s Walden gave to me, as a writer, and why I consider it so valuable for today.” Read more...
The best books on American Philosophy
John Kaag, Philosopher
“The book that we love as Walden began in the journal entries that he wrote starting with his first day at the pond….It’s a work of art. It’s a kind of turning inward that becomes a turning outward, a question of discovering who he truly is, and what life truly is when it’s not being determined by all the social forces that we’re surrounded with.” Read more...
Laura Dassow Walls on Henry David Thoreau
Laura Dassow Walls, Biographer
“In 1845 the American naturalist went out to live in the woods of Western Massachusetts. Thoreau was one of the great masters of the art of simple living……So Thoreau has a very realistic message for us, especially now that a third of people feel time-stressed or time-poor. What they really want is the freedom to not be tied down to jobs they don’t want to do or debts they wish they didn’t have.” Read more...
The best books on The Art of Living
Roman Krznaric, Philosopher
“He discusses how the original ideals that America was founded on were being compromised, and how massive industrial interests were starting to dominate.” Read more...
The best books on Body Shopping
Donna Dickenson, Philosopher
