The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau is a project that aims to provide, for the first time, accurate texts of the complete works of
American author
Henry David Thoreau, including his journal, personal letters, and writings for publication. Since the project was founded in 1966,
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large.
The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...
has published 18 of its volumes. It is based at the
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...
Library, and has been directed by
Elizabeth Witherell since 1980. The project has in the past been funded by the
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
(NEH) and the National Trust for the Humanities, and is now funded by UC Santa Barbara.
There were already editions of Thoreau's works until the title ''The Writings of Henry David Thoreau'' in 1893 (10 volumes), 1899, 1900, and 1906 (20 volumes).
Progress
The project has published 18 volumes:
When complete, the project will comprise 30 volumes. The remaining 12, now in progress, contain works that are either unpublished or that have previously been incorrectly or incompletely transcribed: ''Correspondence'' (third volume), ''Poems'', ''Nature Essays'' (2 volumes), and ''Journals 9-16''.
Online journal transcripts
Images of the sixteen manuscript volumes Thoreau kept from 1854 through 1861 are available online by the courtesy of the
Morgan Library & Museum. Links to these transcripts can be found on the project's website.
Award
In June 2003, NEH designated the ''Thoreau Edition'' a
"We the People" project, citing Thoreau's important influence on American history and culture.
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See also
*
Henry David Thoreau
*
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large.
The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...
References
External links
Official websiteThe NYRB Classics publication of ''The Journal of Henry David Thoreau''
on Thoughtcast
{{Henry David Thoreau
Works by Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and hi ...