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Walden is a book written by Henry David Thoreau, a reflection upon simple living in nature. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy.Civil Disobedience is thought to have originated after Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay taxes to a government with whose policies he did not agree. Assigning greater importance to the conscience of the individual than the governing law, Civil Disobedience is an internationally admired work that is known to have influenced writer Leo Tolstoy and political activist Mahatma Gandhi, and many members of the American Civil Rights Movement. Now available together in one chic and affordable edition as part of the Word Cloud Classics series, Walden and Civil Disobedience makes an attractive addition to any library.