Thoreau was a member of the group of radical Transcendentalists who lived in New England, especially Concord, Massachusetts, around the mid-nineteenth century. He is known worldwide for two written works, both still widely read and influential today: Walden, a book, and a tract entitled "Civil Disobedience." All of his works are still in print, but most noteworthy is his 14-volume Journal, which some critics think contains his best writing. Contemporary readers interested in conservation, environmentalism, ecology, natural history, the human species, or philosophy can gain great understanding and wisdom from reading Thoreau.

Today, Thoreau would be considered not only a philosopher, a humanist, and a writer, but also an ecologist (though that word was not coined until after his death). His status as a writer, naturalist, and conservationist has been secure for...