Backwoods and Along the Seashore
by Henry David Thoreau, Peter Turner
Category: Literary Criticism

The works of Henry David Thoreau contain some of the most beautifully written and inspiring observations of nature, yet most of his readers are familiar with only one of his books, Walden. Two other gems, The Maine Woods and Cape Cod, are travelogues containing some of his finest writing. Presented here are selections from the best of these two works, including Thoreau's record of his climb up Mount Katahdin, his arduous river journey by canoe down the Allegash River, the deadly shipwreck he encountered on his first trip to Cape Cod, as well as his wonderfully colorful and humorous portrait of the Wellfleet oysterman. These writings offer a vision of Thoreau struggling with the harsh realities of wild nature and how people might live in harmony with the natural world.