X-Book

Walden, or Life in the Woods

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Listen to a sample

What to expect

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.” And so it began. Henry David Thoreau, at 27, built a tiny, one-room cabin in the woods — on land owned by his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson — and began his two-year experiment in frugality on the shore of Walden Pond. He wasn’t seeking isolation so much as simplicity, to “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.” This book is his account of his time spent there.

A keen observer, Thoreau is challenging, opinionated, funny, and sharp. E. B. White said of him, “Henry went forth to battle when he took to the woods, and Walden is the report of a man torn by two powerful and opposing drives — the desire to enjoy the world and the urge to set the world straight.”

First published in 1854, these essays on politics, philosophy, humanity, and the natural world are at once deeply personal and strikingly universal. He writes with drive, hope, and frustration; with quick humor and with exacting honesty.

Linda Jones is an award-winning actor and narrator who was born and raised in Concord, Massachusetts. She has narrated several volumes of Thoreau’s work, and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Critics Review

“Linda Jones narrates this classic memoir with compassion and authenticity…Jones adds emphasis and a playful tone to Thoreau’s list of budget items and explanation that he is a squatter on his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson’s farm…Jones deliberately paces her delivery with warmth and treats the work like the masterpiece it is. In the chapter titled ‘Civil Disobedience,’ Jones and Thoreau shine brightest.”

AudioFile
Author Henry David Thoreau
Narrator Linda Jones
Duration 12 hours and 33 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9798200901197
Format Audiobook
Publisher Spoken Realms
Genre Home and house maintenance, Memoirs, Self-sufficiency and ‘green’ lifestyle, Spirituality and religious experience, True stories of heroism, endurance and survival, Western philosophy from c 1800
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.