[John Cole]

Max,

I think if you looked at lists of nature books on Amazon, you'd find that many people who read this sort of stuff rank Desert Solitaire very highly.

I have the Penguin Classics edition, a fairly cheap paperback, which has the complete essays. You could even get the selected essays in a slightly cheaper edition.

Lopate's volume also has selections from Montaigne.

BTW, I don't know why high school students read Walden--and then only selections. The book becomes a series of aphorisms rather than the truly great work it is.