3.5
Mountains of the Mind
ByPublisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Is a River Alive? and Underland, a soaring blend of cultural history, meditation, and memoir about the mysteries of the world’s highest places and our unending quest for the summit
"Wonderfully illuminating.” —Los Angeles Times • “Fascinating.” —The New York Times Book Review
For those who love mountains, their wonder is beyond dispute. But for many, their allure is beyond reason; their extraordinary beauty offset by the immense risks involved in climbing them. In this groundbreaking and now classic work, Robert Macfarlane answers the enduring ‘why’ of mountaineering. He explores how mountains have come to grip the Western imagination and hold so many of us spellbound, drawing us up into the high places—sometimes at the cost of our lives.
Braiding history, geology, human stories, and glittering accounts of his own journeys in high, wild landscapes from the Rockies to the Himalayas, Macfarlane unfurls the mysteries and passions of mountaineering’s imaginative evolution. His account begins in the mid-1700s, when a fascination for mountains was sparked by the work of both poets and scientists in Europe. It ends with a vivid re-creation of George Mallory’s three, ill-fated expeditions in the 1920s, as Mallory sought to be the first to summit Mt. Everest.
"Wonderfully illuminating.” —Los Angeles Times • “Fascinating.” —The New York Times Book Review
For those who love mountains, their wonder is beyond dispute. But for many, their allure is beyond reason; their extraordinary beauty offset by the immense risks involved in climbing them. In this groundbreaking and now classic work, Robert Macfarlane answers the enduring ‘why’ of mountaineering. He explores how mountains have come to grip the Western imagination and hold so many of us spellbound, drawing us up into the high places—sometimes at the cost of our lives.
Braiding history, geology, human stories, and glittering accounts of his own journeys in high, wild landscapes from the Rockies to the Himalayas, Macfarlane unfurls the mysteries and passions of mountaineering’s imaginative evolution. His account begins in the mid-1700s, when a fascination for mountains was sparked by the work of both poets and scientists in Europe. It ends with a vivid re-creation of George Mallory’s three, ill-fated expeditions in the 1920s, as Mallory sought to be the first to summit Mt. Everest.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesMountains of the Mind Reviews
3.5
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Ula aka avibrantmind
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“This book struck the perfect balance between storytelling and history, pulling me through with its narrative while also making me think deeply about our evolving relationship with mountains. I was constantly sharing interesting facts with my partner and bookmarking ideas to explore further. Whether or not you love mountaineering or hiking, it’s a fascinating read that unpacks how our cultural perception of mountains has shifted over time.
What surprised me most is how much this book covers beyond just mountaineering—it weaves in art, literature, and philosophy, making it as much about human curiosity and ambition as it is about the physical act of climbing. It made me reflect on my own connection to the outdoors—why I’ve chosen certain hikes and what compels some people to take on extreme risks. What kind of person willingly steps into the unknown, risks their life, and pushes past fear to reach a summit? What is it in human nature that makes us want to name, map, and conquer what was once untouchable?
This book doesn’t just tell the history of mountaineering—it examines the spirit of exploration itself, the forces that drive us toward adventure, and the deeper questions behind why we seek out the wild.”
Sharannya Parkar
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ALP2211
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Brady Turpin
Created 11 months agoShare
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“This was a fascinating read. I have never really given any thought as to why we think about mountains the way we do, nor how it may be different of influenced by the past. Macfarlane does an incredible job illustrating for the read why people are willing to risk everything to climb a peak, and why we revere them for it. I picked this up because I wanted to familiarize myself with his earlier works before moving onto his more recent books and I am glad I did. This read did not disappoint.”
About Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane is internationally renowned for his writing on nature, people, and place. His bestselling books include Is a River Alive?, Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places, and Mountains of the Mind; they have been translated into more than thirty languages, won many prizes around the world and been widely adapted for film, music, theatre, radio, and dance. He has also written operas, plays, and films including River and Mountain, both narrated by Willem Dafoe. He has collaborated with artists including Olafur Eliasson and Stanley Donwood, and with the artist Jackie Morris he co-created the internationally bestselling books of nature-poetry and art, The Lost Words and The Lost Spells. In 2017, the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded him the E. M. Forster Prize for Literature. Macfarlane lives in England, where he is a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Other books by Robert Macfarlane
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