You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ehays84 's review for:
Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination
by Robert Macfarlane
And now I am essentially caught up on Robert Macfarlane until his new River book comes out soon. Ironically, I got to his first book last, but I don't think he would say you need to read his in order. This is still definitely a five star book, but you can also tell it is his first one. It feels a bit more like a collection of essays than a connected narrative. And I would say this book is not quite as sharp in its philosophical insight or as vivid in its descriptions of place and travel as his other works are. But this book also has a slightly different purpose than his other books.
I would say that The Old Ways, The Wild Places, and Underland are really explorations of place. This book is more of a history of the idea of mountains, rather than a direct exploration of mountains themselves. And I would say this book is also part memoir in that it captures an element of Macfarlane younger life: his obsession with mountains, which fortunately for him as opposed to many people he writes about in this book, did not get to the point of becoming a fatal obsession.
I have a John Muir quote on my wall in my basement along with a few Ansel Adams photographs: "Go to the mountains and get their good tidings." This idea has helped get me through a few tough school years with trips to the mountains to look forward to at the end of them. But this quote, from the late 1800s, captures a particular time (obviously a positive one) in human's imagination related to mountains, but it was certainly not always like this. I only vaguely knew that before reading this excellent book.
So, if you are like me, and you feel drawn to mountains like a magnet, you need to read this book. Or if you just want to read some excellent writing, regardless of the subject, you also need to read this book.
I would say that The Old Ways, The Wild Places, and Underland are really explorations of place. This book is more of a history of the idea of mountains, rather than a direct exploration of mountains themselves. And I would say this book is also part memoir in that it captures an element of Macfarlane younger life: his obsession with mountains, which fortunately for him as opposed to many people he writes about in this book, did not get to the point of becoming a fatal obsession.
I have a John Muir quote on my wall in my basement along with a few Ansel Adams photographs: "Go to the mountains and get their good tidings." This idea has helped get me through a few tough school years with trips to the mountains to look forward to at the end of them. But this quote, from the late 1800s, captures a particular time (obviously a positive one) in human's imagination related to mountains, but it was certainly not always like this. I only vaguely knew that before reading this excellent book.
So, if you are like me, and you feel drawn to mountains like a magnet, you need to read this book. Or if you just want to read some excellent writing, regardless of the subject, you also need to read this book.