Congrats Henry David Thoreau!

This month, Cosimo is celebrating everything Henry David Thoreau with the recent release of the brand new United States Post Office Thoreau Forever Stamps!

“Thoreau was one of the great thinkers in this country’s history on a wide variety of subjects, and the expression on his face in the stamp image captures his introspective and inquisitive nature,” said U.S. Postal Service General Counsel and Executive Vice President Thomas J. Marshall. “Thoreau encouraged everyone to lead more thoughtful and considered lives. Given the pace of today’s world, the many demands on our time, and sometimes conflicting priorities, I am sure we could all benefit from his advice.”

Congrats Thoreau!

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

This is one of the most important works by the most important American philosopher: Henry David Thoreau, vital figure in the Transcendentalist movement, hero to environmentalists and ecologists, profound thinker on humanity's happiness. First published in 1854, Walden collects the penetrating reflections from the two years Thoreau lived in solitude on the shores of Massachusetts' Walden Pond. In lucid, poetic prose, Thoreau ponders the beauty of living simply and in communion with nature. It is a work of pastoral magnificence and wisdom that has moved generations of readers.






The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau

In 1846, Thoreau took the first of his three journeys into the woods of Maine, and each of his excursions, he pondered the allure of the wild, the impact of humanity, and on being a man moving through nature. Here, his thoughts on all three trips are gathering in one volume-first published in 1864-that is considered by some one of the best examples of outdoors writing ever. From the quiet of a lakeside to the campfire stewing of cranberries to surprising encounters with Indians, Thoreau offers us an intimate look at a landscape that is now all but gone, or radically different. His insights on his experiences, which have made him a hero to environmentalists and ecologists, are even more powerful today than perhaps they were when he first put them down on paper.

Walking by Henry David Thoreau

The philosophies of Thoreau—hero to environmentalists and ecologists, profound thinker on humanity's happiness — have greatly influenced the American character, and his writings on human nature, materialism, and the natural world continue to be of profound import today. In this essay, first published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862 and vital to any appreciation of the great man's work, Thoreau explores: the joys and necessities of long afternoon walks, how spending time in untrammeled fields and woods soothes the spirit, how Nature guides us on our walks, the lure of the wild for writers and artists,  why "all good things are wild and free," and more.

Cape Cod by Henry David Thoreau

The writer himself once said, "I am eager to report the glory of the universe," and in this delightful work—not published till 1865, after his death—he regales us with tales of his time on Massachusetts' Cape Cod, to where he journeyed four times between 1849 and 1857. While still profoundly philosophical, this is Thoreau's lightest work, full of amusing and reflective anecdotes about the wildlife, human inhabitants, and fishing industry that characterized the island of the day. Charming and provocative, Cape Cod will be cherished by readers of modern philosophies and armchair travelers alike.