'On the 31st of August, 1846, I left Concord in Massachusetts for Bangor and the backwoods of Maine' - thus begins ''The Maine Woods'', the evocative story of Thoreau's journeys through a familiar yet untouched land. As he explores Mt. Katahdin (an Indian word meaning 'highest land'), Lake Chesuncook, the Allagash River, and the East Branch of the Penobscot, Thoreau muses on his own vulnerability and the humility engendered by his solitude in the wilderness. Throughout Thoreau invokes the forest of Maine - the mountains, waterways, fauna, flora, and the people - in his singular style. Echoing Walden, Thoreau's passionate outcry against the degradation of the environment in ''The Maine Woods'' will resonate strongly today. This fully annotated gift edition of ''The Maine Woods'' makes a wonderful companion volume to ''Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition'' and ''I to Myself: An Annotated Selection'' from the Journal of Henry D. Thoreau.