{\b Henry David Thoreau}.

{\b Date of Birth}.: 12 July 1817 

{\b Date of Death}.: 6 May 1862

{\b Works}.

American essayist and poet. 
He is best known for Walden, or Life in the woods (1854). He also wrote A Week 
on the Concord and Merrimack River (1849) and poems and various essays 
including Civil Disobedience (1849). Thoreau is renowned for having lived the 
doctrines of Transcendentalism and as an advocate of civil liberties.

{\b Featured Works}.

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (originally: Resistance to Civil Government), 
'I am a Parcel of Vain Strivings Tied', 'Smoke', '"Low-Anchored Cloud"'.

{\b General Comment}.

Thoreau was born in Massachusetts and after an education at Harvard became a 
school teacher with his brother in their home town of Concord, following the 
teachings of Bronson Alcott. 
From 1841-3 Thoreau lived in Emerson's house, employed as a general handyman, 
and became a disciple of his. Indeed he has been described as the answer to 
Emerson's plea for an American Scholar. During this period he got to know 
members of the Transcendental Club and published a few poems in The Dial and 
other magazines. 
Returning to Concord, Thoreau built himself a hut at nearby Walden pond with 
the intention of following the ideals of Transcendentalism. Rather than 
becoming part of a co-operative community as some of his contemporaries had, 
he sought solitude to enable himself to return to the natural simplicity of 
life. He lived alone on Walden pond from 4 July 1845 to 6 September 1847, 
significantly choosing to leave society on Independence Day.  Making a pun of 
his name he called himself a thorough man and occupied each day carefully 
observing and recording experiences and thoughts in his journals. 
At this time he wrote his most famous work, Walden. His one day away from the 
pond was due to imprisonment for refusing to pay his poll tax in protest 
against the government's involvement in the Mexican War. His essay Civil 
Disobedience put forward ideas of passive resistance later adopted by Gandhi.

 After two years, two months and two days, Thoreau returned to "civilisation". 
He died of tuberculosis whilst making a last attempt to edit his journals for 
publication.