本書是梭羅的經典著作,1985年《美國遺產》評選「十本構成美國人性格的書」,梭羅的《湖濱散記》名列第一,被譽為是現代社會的「綠色聖經」。
本書記錄了梭羅獨自一人在華爾騰湖畔生活的全部過程,以及他對世俗生活、自然界以及精神理念的分析與評價,思想深刻,見解獨到,對現代人有著巨大的啟迪 價值。在梭羅眼裏大自然是美麗的;他說過:大自然就是他的新娘,而華爾騰湖是大地的眼睛,是康科特冠冕上的第一顆明珠。在梭羅眼中,大自然生機盎然,充滿 靈性。他認為,自然界哺育了人類,人是自然界不可分割的組成部分。人類應當尊重自然、熱愛自然,與自然親密無間、和諧相處。
此書中譯本<<湖濱散記>>由台灣商務 出版
One of the most influential and compelling books in American literature, "Walden" is a vivid account of the years that Henry D. Thoreau spent alone in a secluded cabin at Walden Pond. This edition--introduced by noted American writer John Updike--celebrates the perennial importance of a classic work, originally published in 1854. Much of Walden's material is derived from Thoreau's journals and contains such engaging pieces from the lively "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For" and "Brute Neighbors" to the serene "Reading" and "The Pond in the Winter." Other famous sections involve Thoreau's visits with a Canadian woodcutter and with an Irish family, a trip to Concord, and a description of his bean field. This is the complete and authoritative text of Walden--as close to Thoreau's original intention as all available evidence allows.
This is the authoritative text of "Walden" and the ideal presentation of Thoreau's great document of social criticism and dissent.