Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau lived on the shores of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts for two years starting in the summer of 1845. His account of the experience was recorded in Walden, a series of 18 essays describing Thoreau’s experiment in basic and ethical living. Although Walden enjoyed only moderate success in Thoreau's lifetime, his experiment at the pond would spark considerable interest in the years to come. The book has inspired others to follow his example and retire to a lonely spot to ponder the world and their place in it.