Certainly, one of the defining views of the American wilderness is contained in The Maine Woods (Boston: Ricknor & Fields, 1864) by Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862). Between 1838 and 1857 the "Sage of Walden" made four expeditions to the Big Woods of Maine and felt that he had experienced something of the ancient forest. His journals were printed as essays in The Union Magazine and Atlantic Monthly during his lifetime. In various combinations, under the title of The Maine Woods, they have gone through a number of editions. His lucid style, brilliant observations and careful study of earlier visitors make it one of the most influential books of its kind.