Walking

audiobook (Unabridged)

By Henry Thoreau

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Walking is not as well known as Thoreau's other words, Walden, Maine Woods, and Civil Disobedience. But, it is the place to start because it was his last book in 1862, published in the Atlantic Monthly shortly after his death. It is less well known because it is general and not singular in focus. It is his summing up: one should saunter through life and notice; one need not go far as Thoreau rarely left the 25 square miles of Concord and its 1784 people according to the 1840 census. This is not a political or eco book as many advocates have stated; it does support nature, but in a small sauntering way. He was a man of his age with abilities in many areas, similar to those of Jefferson and Franklin. He seeks to encourage people in noticing and sauntering, but does not rail against anyone. This was a favorite work of Justice William Douglas, Martin Luther King, and Gandhi. As the liberal jurist Douglas said, "The ultimate right is the right to be left alone," something King, Gandhi, and yes Thoreau deeply believed in. This book reveals how Thoreau could have been transplanted to any American century and prospered, something few would do. Jefferson, Franklin, Douglas, King, and Gandhi would 5 who could join him in that timeless approach to good sauntering noticing living.

Walking