Walden (first Published As Walden; Or, Life In The Woods) Is A Book By Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. The Text Is A Reflection Upon Simple Living In Natural Surroundings. The Work Is Part Personal Declaration Of Independence, Social Experiment, Voyage Of Spiritual Discovery, Satire, And-to Some Degree-a Manual For Self-reliance.first Published In 1854, Walden Details Thoreau's Experiences Over The Course Of Two Years, Two Months, And Two Days In A Cabin He Built Near Walden Pond Amidst Woodland Owned By His Friend And Mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, Near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau Used This Time (july 4, 1845 - September 6, 1847) To Write His First Book, A Week On The Concord And Merrimack Rivers. The Experience Later Inspired Walden, In Which Thoreau Compresses The Time Into A Single Calendar Year And Uses Passages Of Four Seasons To Symbolize Human Development.