Excursions

"Excursions" by Henry David Thoreau is a collection of essays about nature from the 1800s. It's all about Thoreau's deep connection with nature, his ideas about life, and what he saw and felt while walking through the Massachusetts countryside. Each essay is like looking into his brain as he thinks about nature, the world, and being free, showing how much he loved the environment. The book starts with a story by Ralph Waldo Emerson describing Thoreau as someone who didn't follow the crowd, who liked being alone to think and study, and who lived simply in nature. Emerson talks about Thoreau's adventures in nature, like when he worked as a land surveyor, and mentions how he thought a lot about big questions in life. This beginning sets the stage for the rest of the book, showing Thoreau's special way of seeing and trying to understand the important things in life through the beauty of nature.