Henry David Thoreau is considered one of the leading figures in early American literature, and Walden is without doubt his most influential book. Walden recounts the author's experiences living in a small house in the woods around Walden Pond near Concord in Massachusetts. Thoreau constructed the house himself, with the help of a few friends, to see if he could live 'deliberately' - independently and apart from society. The result is an intriguing work which blends natural history with philosophical insights and includes many illuminating quotations from other authors.