Penguin classics

Essays

Thoreau's famous account of a year spent in a cabin at Walden Pond near Concord, during which he made many observations about nature, human life, and the importance of simplicity. Also includes his influential essay "Civil disobedience," arguing that since what is law is not necessarily right, and just because the majority decides an issue doesn't automatically make that issue palatable to a man's conscience, individuals should sometimes oppose the majority and break unjust laws in order to change them