On the Duty of Civil Disobedience: This is Thoreau's classic protest against government's interference with individual liberty. One of the most famous essays ever written, it came to the attention of Gandhi and formed the basis for his passive resistance movement.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are. Thoreau's account of his solitary and self-sufficient home in the New England woods remains an inspiration to the environmental movement - a call to his fellow men to abandon their striving, materialistic existences of 'quiet desperation' for a simple life within their means, finding spiritual truth through awareness of the sheer beauty of their surroundings.

* Our summary is short, simple and pragmatic. It allows you to have the essential ideas of a big book in less than 30 minutes. As you read this summary, you will discover that Henry David Thoreau, a 19th century American essayist, lived alone for almost two years in a cabin on Lake Walden, Massachusetts. He built this cabin with his own hands and kept his needs to a minimum. Without living completely isolated (his cabin was located a few miles from the town of Concord), he lived for several months, the experience of a life outside the norm. In "Walden or life in the woods" he describes this experience. You will also discover : his rejection of society and the affirmation of his freedom; how to get a house cheaply; the benefits of self-sufficiency; voluntary simplicity: the real luxury is time; how to rid oneself of possessions so as not to become a slave to one's possessions; that far from material contingencies, it is possible to observe the world and oneself; how to get to know oneself. The vast majority of men live a life of quiet despair. From morning to night, they work tirelessly to support themselves and pay their debts. They do not perceive that their lives are passing without nobility and that in order to gain access to a few possessions, they give up what is most precious to them: their freedom. It is to stop this absurd and disordered flight forward that this experience of retreat is carried out, in order to regain the essential meaning of existence. *Buy now the summary of this book for the modest price of a cup of coffee!

One of Commonwealth Editions' perennials: Bonnie McGrath's photos of Walden matched with quotations from Thoreau's Walden.

Peck's views on being a separate courageous individual.

Henry David Thoreau dropped the gauntlet with Walden in 1854, and it is more relevant than ever. To Live Deliberately is our visual reimagining of Thoreau's most well-known essay, Where I Lived and What I Lived For. Accompanied by 30 illustrations, the essay challenges the trappings of modern living and embraces an ascetic rejection of the material and the trivial in exchange for a reconnection with nature as a path toward self-discovery. We judiciously edited Thoreau's essay to avoid any unnecessarily confusing news references, and were amazed to discover that not only does this manifesto otherwise hold up, but it also feels surprisingly modern and more relevant than ever. Thoreau's rejection of news as largely gossip, and the obsession with travel and railroads as idle self-indulgence, bear a sobering resemblance to our modern preoccupation with social media and internet surfing. In both instances, the impulse to seek distraction is the same. The Obvious State Classics Collection is an evolving series of visually reimagined beloved works that speaks to contemporary readers. The pocket-sized, collectable editions feature the selected works of celebrated authors such as T. S. Eliot, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Sara Teasdale and Henry David Thoreau.