Founded in 1941, The Thoreau Society, Inc. is the largest and oldest organization devoted to an American author. The Society has members from more than twenty countries around the world, the Penobscot Nation, and all fifty US states. The Thoreau Society welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, gender expressions and identities, origins, physical abilities, races, religions, and sexual orientations.
In Walden, Thoreau wrote, “I desire that there may be as many different persons in the world as possible.” The Thoreau Society likewise recognizes that the contributions of all will continue to result in a more vital organization and a more vital world.
Mission
The Thoreau Society exists to stimulate interest in and foster education about Thoreau’s life, works, legacy and his place in his world and in ours, challenging all to live a deliberate, considered life.
Vision
The Thoreau Society keeps Thoreau’s writings and ideas alive around the globe and across generations.
Organizational Goals
- To encourage research on Thoreau’s life and works and to act as a repository for Thoreau-related materials
- To educate the public about Thoreau’s ideas and their application to contemporary life
- To preserve Thoreau’s legacy and advocate for the preservation of Thoreau country
Read OUR STORY
Read the Thoreau Society By-Laws
Read about some of our milestones
Publications
The Thoreau Society Bulletin is a 20-page newsletter with bibliographic information and writings on the life, works, and legacy of Henry Thoreau.
The Concord Saunterer: A Journal of Thoreau Studies is an annual peer-reviewed journal of Thoreau scholarship that features in-depth essays about Thoreau, his times and his contemporaries, and his influence today.