ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer, philosopher, and naturalist who is best known for the works Walden and “Civil Disobedience.” Thoreau was a close friend and protégé of transcendentalist writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose friendship and guidance had a lasting effect on his work. In addition to his support of outdoor recreation and conservation, Thoreau made lasting political contributions as a lifelong abolitionist and through his philosophy of civil disobedience, which would serve as a foundation for leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Thoreau died at the age of 44, a result of much-weakened health after years of complications from tuberculosis. His writings, comprising more than twenty volumes, have been credited with influencing not only a multitude of writers, such as novelist Willa Cather and naturalist John Muir, but for influencing the Civil Rights Movement and the creation of the national park system. (Location 4565)