Books in the Studies in American Thought and Culture series

Best known for his two-year sojourn at Walden Pond in Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau is often considered a recluse who emerged from solitude only occasionally to take a stand on the issues of his day. This book explores Thoreau's nature writings to offer a way of understanding the unique politics of the so-called hermit of Walden Pond.

Unfolds a cultural history of the Panama Canal project, revealed in the texts and images of the era's policymakers and commentators. This book examines various images of the Panama Canal project and shows how they reflected popular attitudes toward an evolving modern world.