"Though I do not believe

that a plant will spring up

where no seed has been,

I have great faith in a seed.

Convince me that you have a see there,

and I am prepared to expect wonders.

--Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau's life was full of wonder. He led a life that was enmeshed in nature, as he saw and experienced life to the fullest. His belief in the power of nature has been well-documented. He's most recognized for Walden, which was a complete immersion in nature.

"Faith in a Seed" was Thoreau's final manuscript, presented here for the first time by Bradley P. Dean. The book contains: "The Dispersion of Seeds," "Wild Seeds," "Wild Fruits," "Weeds and Grasses," "Forest Trees," "A Thoreau Chronology," "Editor's Notes," "Acknowledgments," and an index. Though the manuscript has been considered a draft, the final publication of this work is an important contribution to Thoreau scholarship.

Thoreau: An Observer

Thoreau's course was first determined by the publication of his first work in 1849. It was called A Week on the Concord and Merrimack River and it told of the 2-week boat trip he took with his brother, John, in 1939. Later, with Walden, he made an important contribution to American literature.

As Robert D. Richardson says, "Walden is a great—-perhaps the greatest—-celebration of the sweet freedom of life in nature that is single, unattached, and uncommitted. 'The Dispersion of Seeds, 'in contrast, celebrates fertility, fecundity, and interconnectedness." Of course, Thoreau was more than just an observer. He became a student of nature, as he attempted to learn the language of the seeds, plants and animals. In the "Forward," Gary Paul Nabban explains that Thoreau was "occasionally worried" by this trend to immerse himself in nature, afraid that it might affect his art.

Even if his later work is not as widely-recognized, it is no less important if we are to understand the full coarse of his life and works. As Nabhan writes, "It was on the wings of seeds that Thoreau sailed home, where he found peace before he died... Thoreau gradually became convinced that what he could learn closest to home was what was ultimately of the greatest value."