Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination - Softcover

Macfarlane, Robert

4.09

4,514 ratings by Goodreads

9781862076549: Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1862076545 ISBN 13: 9781862076549

Publisher: Granta Books, 2004

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

"Mountains of the Mind" pursues an investigation into our emotional and imaginative responses to mountains, and how these have changed over the last few centuries. It is rich with literary and historical references, and punctuated by descriptions of the author's own climbing experiences. There are chapters on glaciers, geology, the pursuit of fear, the desire to explore the unknown and the desire to get to the summit, and the book ends with a gripping account of Mallory's attempt on Everest.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Robert Macfarlane's Mountains of the Mind is the most interesting of the crop of books published to mark the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest. Macfarlane is both a mountaineer and a scholar. Consequently we get more than just a chronicle of climbs. He interweaves accounts of his own adventurous ascents with those of pioneers such as George Mallory, and in with an erudite discussion of how mountains became such a preoccupation for the modern western imagination.

The book is organised around a series of features of mountaineering--glaciers, summits, unknown ranges--and each chapter explores the scientific, artistic and cultural discoveries and fashions that accompanied exploration. The contributions of assorted geologists, romantic poets, landscape artists, entrepreneurs, gallant amateurs and military cartographers are described with perceptive clarity. The book climaxes with an account of Mallory's fateful ascent on Everest in 1924, one of the most famous instances of an obsessive pursuit. Macfarlane is well-placed to describe it since it is one he shares.

MacFarlane's own stories of perilous treks and assaults in the Alps, the Cairngorms and the Tian Shan mountains between China and Kazakhstan are compelling. Readers who enjoyed Francis Spufford's masterly I May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination will enjoy Mountains of the Mind. This is a slighter volume than Spufford's and it loses in depth what it gains in range, but for an insight into the moody, male world of mountaineering past and present it is invaluable. --Miles Taylor

Review:

'An erudite and fascinating journey...' -- The Times

‘...always crisp and relevant, leavened by personal experience beautifully related’ -- Observer

‘A beautifully written book’ -- Ben Fogle, Daily Express

‘A beguiling mix of memoir and cultural essay' -- Independent

‘Macfarlane ascends to higher literary ground altogether... a powerful debut, a remarkable blend of passion and scholarship’ -- Evening Standard

‘This is a book which comes very much from the heart, and is informed throughout by Macfarlane’s own passion...' -- Sunday Telegraph

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.