An artist unafraid to improvise at life, Henry David Thoreau was a man who dared to be an idealist. In 1845, he conducted his famous experiment in the woods of Massachusetts, single-handedly building a cabin on Walden Pond, where he weathered two winters in solitude. Honoring his strength of spirit and unique wisdom, Walden: 150th Illustrated Edition of the American Classic was recently published, with unforgettable color photographs by Texas native Scot Miller. Released to mark the 150th anniversary of the original publication of Walden, this beautiful volume was produced by Houghton Mifflin (Thoreau’s original publisher) in conjunction with the Walden Woods Project, a nonprofit organization established by singer-songwriter Don Henley to protect the wilderness immortalized in Thoreau’s work. Complementing Thoreau’s original text, Miller’s stunning photographs capture the serenity and majesty of the Massachusetts wilderness in each of the four seasons. With a special introduction by nature writer E.O. Wilson, this lavish volume is a bargain at $28.12 (that’s half a cent less than Thoreau spent on the construction of his cabin). A portion of the proceeds from sales of the book will go to the Walden Woods project.
Julie Hale is a writer in Austin, Texas.
