Thoreau's Journal

Thoreau began a journal at the suggestion of his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson on October 22, 1837. Thoreau was just 20 at the time and his journal writing continued for the rest of his life. His first entry began with this: "What are YOU doing now?" he asked. "Do you keep a journal?" So I make my first entry..."

For those of us who keep a journal, and who find solace in the natural world, Thoreau's Journal is an inspiration. The quote below tells a little bit about what was on Thoreau's mind when he began this innocent bit of writing that eventually became his best work.

"I write to set down such choice experiences that my own writings may inspire me and at last I may make wholes of parts.”

Here is a quote from a reviewer of Damien Searls' book about Thoreau's journal.

"Walden is surely one of the greatest American books. Whether we measure it by its influence on the lives of its readers, by the precision of its language, by the number of memorable sentences it contains, or by its sheer originality, it stands almost alone. Yet the Journal that Thoreau kept from 1837 to 1861 may be even greater. Though he began it as a kind of commonplace book and a workshop for his “real” writings, Thoreau eventually came to view it as a work of literature in itself.

The Journal is different. In some ways it feels like a greatly expanded version of Walden itself. The pond appears in all seasons, and the bulk of the Journal concerns Thoreau’s life within the boundaries of the village of Concord. But the Journal is funnier, more playful, more tolerant of ambiguities and contradictions, better able to explore matters slowly and from all sides, better able to express Thoreau’s doubts and fears, and better able to encompass and express the rhythms of nature."


--Review by Geoff Wisner of Damien Searls' "The Journal of David Henry Thoreau"