American Scientist

In the July–August 2017 edition of Scientists’ Nightstand, we mark the bicentennial of Henry David Thoreau’s birth, on July 12, and we’re extending that celebration online.

Thoreau was a serious multihyphenate, a writer-philosopher-naturalist-ethicist-surveyor-poet for the ages. His most celebrated works, namely Walden and “Civil Disobedience,” are rightly remembered for the independent-mindedness they reveal as well as for their rhetorical strength. Nonetheless, amid the beauty and power of Thoreau’s prose, it is vital to remember him also as a student of and evangelist for the natural world.

Today, well into the 21st century—as we deepen our understanding of nature, consider the cultural role of science, and grapple with climate change—his work remains essential.

Below you’ll find links to pieces that explore Thoreau's work as a naturalist and celebrate the influence of his ideas—and you can get a taste of a few more pieces to come.

• Thoreau as Naturalist: A Conversation with Four Authors, Dianne Timblin. Authors Richard Higgins, Richard B. Primack, Robert M. Thorson, and Laura Dassow Walls discuss Thoreau's important—but largely overlooked—work as a naturalist.
  
  
• The Niche of a Naturalist, Robert Michael Pyle. In this passage from his book Through a Green Lens, Robert Michael Pyle, a lepidopterist and essayist strongly influenced by Thoreau, encourages readers to interact with the natural world and to broaden their idea of nature itself.
  
  
• Recommended Reading: On Thoreau, Science, and Culture, Dianne Timblin. Two hundred years after his birth, scholars are beginning to sound the depths of Thoreau’s legacy as a naturalist.
  
  
• “Everywhere, Worlds Touch,” book review by Dianne Timblin. In Make Yourself Happy, Eleni Sikelianos, a poet steeped in natural history, technology, and the contemporary moment, offers readers a view of human interaction with nature that is, variously, celebration, meditation, and admonition.
  
  
• Now Read This: Thoreau Favorites. Researchers and scholars recommend their favorite Thoreau works.