"No writer has ever better combined a social critique with a scientific underpinning; as this fine account makes clear, Thoreau was not just ahead of his time but of our time too. A remarkable reintroduction to the classic American book!"-- Bill McKibben, author The End of Nature and Here Comes the Sun "Think you know Thoreau? Robert Thorson will make you think again. Thoreau the scientist, surveyor, and mathematician has been hiding in plain sight in the pages of Walden . Understanding Thoreau's commitment to both empiricism and Transcendentalism makes him an even more compelling mentor for the modern environmental movement." --Marcia Bjornerud, author of Timefulness and Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks "This engaging, thought-provoking, humorous examination of the scientific underpinnings of Walden 's structure and content, and Thoreau's outlook on the world, opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of the book and of Thoreau himself. Let Robert Thorson reintroduce you to Henry David Thoreau and to Walden ." --Ellen Wohl, author of Following the Bend: How to Read a River and Understand Its Nature "No Thoreau scholar has a more commanding grasp than Robert Thorson of the significance of Thoreau's contributions to the history of nineteenth century and modern science in all its branches."-- Lawrence Buell, author of The Environmental Imagination: Thoreau, Nature Writing, and the Making of American Culture and Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently.