Civil Disobedience & Walking by Henry David Thoreau

We are hoping to have our first Literature Disguised as Fun books out by the end of September. The first two to come out will be Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman Melville and The Bet by Anton Chekhov. Work is currently progressing on Civil Disobedience & Walking by Henry David Thoreau, two of his most famous essays.

Portrait of King Edward VII
by Luke Fildes (1844-1927)
oil on canvas
70.9” x 108.5”
1902
{{PD-US-expired}}

One of the things we’re doing in the books is not only introducing your students to great literature, but also to great art. We try to use great art in many of the faux posters and memes when we can. For example the poster on the right refers to the opening of Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience:

I heartily accept the motto,—“That government is best which governs least;” and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically.

The books will be black and white to keep the cost to you as low as possible. Currently they’ll range from $4.99 – $6.99.

In this first wave we are publishing these nine books:

• “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov
• “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
• “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
• “Civil Disobedience & Walking” by Henry David Thoreau
• The Red Badge of Courage by Stephan Crane
• “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Selected Poetry of Emily Dickinson
• Selected Poetry of William Wordsworth

With a few exceptions each books will contain:

• Brief Introduction
• Pre-Flight: Some things to think about before reading.
• Author Photo, Portrait
• The unabridged short story, essay or novel
• Socratic discussion questions
• Wrap-Up: Some things to think about after reading.
• Author Bio: This is a short, creative bio where Mr. Draeger (A.K.A. The Husband) uses his time machine (H.G.), spacecraft (Lem One) or other methods to meet the authors face-to-face (in most cases).
• Quotes by the author
• Additional reading
• Cartoons, memes, faux posters, etc., that pertain to the work