“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Here is Henry David Thoreau’s classic work of personal experimentation and nonconformist living, Walden, presented in a special condensation with a new introduction by PEN Award-winning historian Mitch Horowitz This concise journey to Thoreau’s cabin in the woods provides you with the most stirring ideas of his original, with its celebration of simple living, self-sufficiency, and following your own inner compass. “Read Walden not because it is old and venerated,” Mitch writes in his new introduction. “ Read it because it summons you to all that is new within yourself.” When you finish this work you will have a better sense of your own direction in life.
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.
Discover the Infinite You Have you ever wondered whether there is more to life? Whether you are destined for something greater than going through your days cleaving to a routine, hoping for some payoff, and anesthetizing yourself with entertainment and consumption? The truth is: a greater you exists. The writers in this collection bring you into a full realization of the transcendent life to which you are connected—through the medium of your mind. In The Power of Your Transcendental Mind, you will discover how thoughts not only create the life that you experience, but thoughts are life itself. The voices of Henry David Thoreau (Walden), Ralph Waldo Emerson (Power & Wealth), Ralph Waldo Trine (In Tune with the Infinite) and James Allen (As a Man Thinketh) expose you to a new dimension of yourself—the true dimension, in which you are an Infinite Being. This special collection is abridged and introduced by PEN Award-winning historian Mitch Horowitz, who provides historical background and guidance in order to glean the most from the work of these modern transcendental masters. “Evaluate these works on your own terms,” Mitch writes in his introduction; “test their usefulness through application; and bring your own questions to them and out of them. ‘Spirituality’ is not a closed-circuitry but a field of discovery where we attempt to understand our connections to greater laws and forces. Let this collection serve as a rung to your discovery.”
"I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship, but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely." So said Henry David Thoreau in 1845 when he began his famous experiment of living by Walden Pond. In this graphic masterpiece, John Porcellino uses only the words of Thoreau himself to tell the story of those two years off the beaten track. The pared-down text focuses on Thoreau's most profound ideas, and Porcellino's fresh, simple pictures bring the philosopher's sojourn at Walden to cinematic life. For readers who know Walden intimately, this graphic treatment will provide a vivid new interpretation of Thoreau's story. For those who have never read (or never completed!) the original, it presents a contemporary look at a few brave words to live by.
In 1845 Henry David Thoreau left his pencil-manufacturing business and began building a cabin on the shore of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. This lyrical yet practical-minded book is at once a record of the 26 months Thoreau spent in withdrawal from society - an account of the daily minutiae of building, planting, hunting, cooking, and, always, observing nature - and a declaration of independence from the oppressive mores of the world he left behind. Elegant, witty, and quietly searching, Walden remains the most persuasive American argument for simplicity of life clarity of conscience.When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.I should not obtrude my affairs so much on the notice of my readers if very particular inquiries had not been made by my townsmen concerning my mode of life, which some would call impertinent, though they do not appear to me at all impertinent, but, considering the circumstances, very natural and pertinent. Some have asked what I got to eat; if I did not feel lonesome; if I was not afraid; and the like. Others have been curious to learn what portion of my income I devoted to charitable purposes; and some, who have large families, how many poor children I maintained. I will therefore ask those of my readers who feel no particular interest in me to pardon me if I undertake to answer some of these questions in this book. In most books, the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained; that, in respect to egotism, is the main difference. We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking. I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience. Moreover, I, on my side, require of every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men's lives; some such account as he would send to his kindred from a distant land; for if he has lived sincerely, it must have been in a distant land to me. Perhaps these pages are more particularly addressed to poor students. As for the rest of my readers, they will accept such portions as apply to them. I trust that none will stretch the seams in putting on the coat, for it may do good service to him whom it fits. I would fain say something, not so much concerning the Chinese and Sandwich Islanders as you who read these pages, who are said to live in New England; something about your condition, especially your outward condition or circumstances in this world, in this town, what it is, whether it is necessary that it be as bad as it is, whether it cannot be improved as well as not. I have travelled a good deal in Concord; and everywhere, in shops, and offices, and fields, the inhabitants have appeared to me to be doing penance in a thousand remarkable ways. What I have heard of Bramins sitting exposed to four fires and looking in the face of the sun; or hanging suspended, with their heads downward, over flames; or looking at the heavens over their shoulders "until it becomes impossible for them to resume their natural position, while from the twist of the neck nothing but liquids can pass into the stomach"; or dwelling, chained for life, at the foot of a tree; or measuring with their bodies, like caterpillars, the breadth of vast empires; or standing on one leg on the tops of pillars-even these forms of conscious penance are hardly more incredible and astonishing than the scenes which I daily witness.
In 1812, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote three letters to an unnamed woman, whom he called "Immortal Beloved." The letters were discovered after Beethoven's death and ever since their discovery, there has been speculation regarding whom that Immortal Beloved might have been. In Beethoven's Immortal Beloved: Solving the Mystery, Edward Walden carefully and meticulously presents his case that the woman who Beethoven loved was Bettina Brentano, an artistic and talented musician in her own right. Setting the foundation for his argument, Walden begins the book with a general historical and sequential narrative that interweaves the lives of the three principle protagonists: Beethoven, the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Bettina Brentano. Walden explores in detail the key elements of the factual narrative and shows how those elements support his claim that Bettina was the Immortal Beloved. In addition, Walden addresses the attacks other Beethoven scholars have made against Bettina and reveals how such attacks were mistaken or unjustified. Thoroughly and rigorously researched, yet presented in a clear and engaging style, Beethoven's Immortal Beloved will appeal to Beethoven scholars, music lovers, and general readers alike, who will be captivated by the solving of this fascinating mystery.
The Art of Self-Mastery presents 11 timeless classics and the greatest inspirational works of our time condensed and introduced by PEN Award-winning historian and New Though Scholar Mitch Horowitz The Art of War by Sun Tzu This key to power and victory is the most important book ever written on overcoming obstacles and defeating your foes. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen This meditation on the power of thought transforms failure and indirection into power and purpose. Atom-Smashing Power of Mind by Charles Fillmore Discover how your thoughts are the most powerful force In the universe. In Tune with The Infinite by Ralph Waldo Trine One of the most significant works of mind-power teaches you how to tap the creative faculties of higher thought. Magic of Faith by Joseph Murphy Unlock your hidden power and reach your epic potential. The Master Mind by Theron Q. Dumont Master your thoughts and you’ll master your destiny. The Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard See how your perception Is your destiny. The Power of Concentration by Theron Q. Dumont Enter a new world of personal magnetism, success, and effectiveness. The Power of Faith by Norman Vincent Peale One of the most profoundly practical works to come from the author of The Power of Positive Thinking. The Prophet by Khalil Gibran A timeless message for meaningful living is one of the greatest inspirational works of our time. Walden by Henry David Thoreau This classic work provides you with stirring ideas in its celebration of simple living, self-sufficiency, and following your own inner compass.
