Henry David Thoreau

Walden

Website Evaluators

Kim Deskin - Overlake Hospital Adolescent Psychiatric Program, Washington
Randall J. Heeres - Northern Michigan Christian High School, Michigan
Judy Iliff - Campbell County High School, Wyoming
Rick Vanderwall - Price Laboratory School, Iowa

Website Reviewer and Compiler

Charles R. Sanders - San Pedro High School, California

Site Ratings

1 = Poor    2 = Fair    3 = Good    4 = Excellent

Henry David Thoreau Home Page
http://www.walden.org/thoreau/

Teachers!  Here is an excellent place to start your study of Thoreau and the Transcendentalists.  "Though some of the links are still under development," you will find many of Thoreau's major works in the site, including Walden, "Civil Disobedience, several essays, and journals.  Students can also access images of Walden and environs, and learn about "past and present conservation activism." Links lead one to quotations, Thoreau documents, scholarship, Emerson and other Transcendentalists.  Supported by the Thoreau Society, the Thoreau Institute, and the Walden Woods Project, the site "has the potential for excellence."
Overall Rating: 4

The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau
http://libws66.lib.niu.edu/thoreau/thoreau.htm

Teachers who access this "outstanding" site on the writings of Henry D. Thoreau, "will find great ideas as easily as finding sunlight in a meadow at noon."  The site, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, is an ongoing project to compile a "complete, definitive, annotated, and readily available edition" of all of Thoreau's works.  Visitors to the site will also find biographical information, samples of Thoreau's handwriting and correspondence, a comments and questions section, and tips for doing research on Thoreau.  "This is a site anyone studying Thoreau would enjoy visiting and reading."
Overall Rating: 4

Electric Thoreau
http://www.waldenfont.com/thoreau/thoreau.htm

"This simple but attractive site" on Henry David Thoreau, contains a "wealth of material" on the Thoreau's "life and works, transcendentalism, philosophies, and related authors."  The main page is "elegant," with "beautiful graphics (and) music."  This site "could be used to great effect by teachers and students," who will find it "packed with information and easy to navigate, with several topics to explore."
Overall Rating:  4

Cyber Saunter
http://usmh12.usmd.edu/thoreau

Despite an unattractive index page, this site provides "a tremendous amount of support material" on the life of Henry David Thoreau.  An "excellent narrative commentary" gives the reader a look at Thoreau's background, his family, "the Walden experience,...some juicy bits about friends and love interests, an accounting of his formal education, and his employment history."  The site is well-constructed and "offers an image library with stunning photographs and portraits."
Overall Rating:  3

Thoreau's Cape Cod
http://virtualcapecod.com/thoreau/

"Pack your virtual bag and embark on an e-journey to Thoreau's Cape Cod."  In a "beautiful text, beautifully enhanced," Thoreau describes a trip to Cape Cod --"the lay of the land, the rocky shore, and the beaches -- with his familiar tone."  The graphics are "captivating" and will leave "the viewer with the flavor of one of Thoreau's favorite haunts."
Overall Rating:  3

Today in History: July 12
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul12.html

If you would like to "experience Walden and Thoreau vicariously," the Library of Congress has constructed this site with several fine pictures and many "wonderful links," including the American Conservation Movement, the war with Mexico, Thoreau's contemporaries, and even an Epicurean dictionary.  Students can access pages that offer help in understanding Thoreau's writings, but "teachers should plan to monitor student use of the suggested shortcuts."
Overall Rating: 3

A Student's History of American Literature:  Henry David Thoreau
http://www.bibliomania.com/Reference/Simonds/SHAL/p3-chap4.html

This page from Edward Simonds' A Student's History of American Literature provides "a detailed biography of Henry David Thoreau."  Although the site is "bland in appearance" and contains "distracting" advertisements, it could serve as a good introduction to Thoreau, as "the content was designed for a student audience, making it, therefore, more accessible than some."
Overall Rating:  3

A Student's History of American Literature: The Literary Development of New England
http://www.bibliomania.com/Reference/Simonds/SHAL/p1-chap4.html#lit

This site contains a "text-only essay about the writers of New England and the culture that surrounded them."  Topics under discussion include, "the Unitarian movement, transcendental philosophy, the literary magazine, The Dial and its significance, and various writers of the time."  Unfortunately, "the site has all the interest of a boring college textbook."
Overall Rating:  2

Thoreau Nature Center
http://www.colonial.net/cchsweb/environment/walden.html

In "a great example of the integration of technology into the classroom," students at Concord-Carlisle High School "created a replica of (Henry) Thoreau's environment and homestead at Walden Pond."  They present photos of their project at this website.  "The students' project is nice, but offers little in a study of the author."  However, it "could serve as a template for teachers interested in web publishing."
Overall Rating:  2