Searching for Thoreau vividly transports the reader to the places in New England that were most important to the great American writer/naturalist Henry David Thoreau in ten vigorous essays that range from Walden Pond to the shores of Cape Cod and the heights of Mount Katahdin in northern Maine. Slayton recounts his first-hand experiences comparing them to Thoreau's from 150 years earlier; he also compares their observations on the places themselves and their reflections on the causes of change, all with ample use of excerpts from Thoreau's writings.

Tom Slayton was editor-in-chief of Vermont Life magazine from 1986-2007, and a long-time commentator for Vermont Public Radio. He has published books on various subjects related to travel, art, and literature, including Sabra Field:  the Art of Place. He recently was granted an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Vermont, and has also received an honorary doctorate from Southern Vermont College and the Franklin Fairbanks Award for outstanding service to Vermont and its people. He has spent more than 30 years studying the works of Henry David Thoreau and traveling to places associated with him, giving public presentations and published several articles on those travels. Mr. Slayton is a member of the Green Mountain Club, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the 4,000-footers Club of the AMC. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont with his wife, Elizabeth.