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 the reader 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 include: "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"; and, "Life without Principle Reform and the Reformers".