Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), of Scottish origin, famous novelist and inveterate traveler. Author of classics such as Treasure Island, the creator of Dr. Jekyll and his shadow Hyde, the vivacious narrator of The Black Arrow and The Lord of Ballantrae, he offers us a portrait of an essential character of American and universal literature: Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). Multifaceted thinker and writer. Today, a legend of political discourse, ideologue of modern civil disobedience and father of the theses of voluntary simplicity. A classic portrayed by another classic. Stevenson's pen is adept at penetrating sharply into the psychology of distinguished and anodyne characters. But this time the verb becomes a stroke and a personal portrait emerges that avoids caricature and common places. We are facing a critical and at the same time affable sketch about ideas and experiences that have not lost validity and continue to beat today from the depths of the forests of Walden