<DIV>Henry David Thoreau's countercultural voice was not popular in his lifetime and his ideas remain provocative today. <I>Walden</I> anticipated today's interest in simplicity and sustainability, and what he wrote about possessions and technology is fresh and powerful. He saw nature as teacher and companion and his ?in wildness is the preservation of the world” could be the motto of contemporary ?green” movements. His essay ?On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” inspired Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. and his journals have aided contemporary climate change scientists studying alterations near Thoreau's Massachusetts home. At turns passionate, funny, and profound, this collection serves as a compelling introduction ? or vivid reminder ? of why Thoreau is one of America's iconoclastic greats.<BR></DIV>