The selections from the polemical writings of Thoreau that make up Reform Papers represent every stage in his twenty-two years of active writing. Consequently, they are a microcosm of his literary career, allowing therreader to achieve a full sense of Thoreau's evolution as a writer and thinker. The volume opens with "The Service," one of the best examples of Thoreau's early style and interests, and contains ten other essays as well. Reform Papers The Service Paradise (To Be) Regained Herald of Freedom Wendell Phillips Before Concord Lyceum Resistance to Civil Government Slavery in Massachusetts A Plea for Captain John Brown Martyrdom of John Brown The Last Days of John Brown Life without Principle Reform and the Reformers.