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Robert Macfarlane

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Mountains of the Mind: Adventures in Reaching the Summit (Landscapes) Kindle Edition

by Robert Macfarlane (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 923 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Landscapes

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The basis for the new documentary film, Mountain: A Breathtaking Voyage into the Extreme. Combining accounts of legendary mountain ascents with vivid descriptions of his own forays into wild, high landscapes, Robert McFarlane reveals how the mystery of the world’s highest places has came to grip the Western imagination—and perennially draws legions of adventurers up the most perilous slopes.
His story begins three centuries ago, when mountains were feared as the forbidding abodes of dragons and other mysterious beasts. In the mid-1700s the attentions of both science and poetry sparked a passion for mountains; Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Lord Byron extolled the sublime experiences to be had on high; and by 1924 the death on Mt Everest of an Englishman named George Mallory came to symbolize the heroic ideals of his day. Macfarlane also reflects on fear, risk, and the shattering beauty of ice and snow, the competition and contemplation of the climb, and the strange alternate reality of high altitude, magically enveloping us in the allure of mountains at every level.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mountains haven't always been viewed as magnificent tests of bravery or even as scenic vacation spots-only in the last few centuries have Westerners found them worthy of attention. As British writer Macfarlane (the London Review of Books; the Times Literary Supplement) points out, "until well into the 1700s, travelers who had to cross the Alpine passes often chose to be blindfolded," sparing themselves the terrors of the view. His point throughout this strangely compelling volume is that our attitudes toward mountains are very much a cultural product, a rich mix of theological, geological, artistic and social forces. With the development of geological science in the early 1800s, mountains, once viewed as "giant souvenirs of humanity's sinfulness," came to be seen as part of the earth's historical record. Recognized as "the great stone book" of history, mountains opened a window into "deep time," a glimpse of eternity. The thrill of vertigo, the infatuation with the unknown, the Social Darwinist challenge of the survival of the fittest, the march of British imperialism, even advances in cartography-all shaped the social imagination of mountains. As Western adventurers were increasingly lured from the Swiss Alps to the Himalayas, Macfarlane closes his study with the ill-fated Mallory expeditions to Everest, so mythic they almost defy analysis. The book itself is rather like some idiosyncratic, hand-drawn map of terra incognita. But for romantic, mountain-struck readers, Macfarlane's rich thoughts may make snow clouds clear, revealing new peaks and new wonders. B&w illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Wonderfully illuminating. . . . An exhilarating blend of scholarship and adventure, displaying dazzling erudition, acute powers of analysis, a finely honed sense of cultural history and a passionate sense of the author's engagement with his subject." --Los Angeles Times

“Fascinating stuff. . . a clever premise. . . . Goes back three centuries, showing how a few brainy opinion makers created the outdoor image.” —The New York Times Book Review

"A convincing book of historical evidence alongside his own oxygen-deprived experiences in an attempt to answer the age old question, 'Why climb the mountain?' "--San Francisco Chronicle

“Early mountaineers were lost for words to describe the splendor of the mountains, but Robert Macfarlane is not; in particular, he has a gift for arresting similes.” –The Times Literary Supplement

“Of all the books published to mark the 50th anniversary of climbing Mount Everest Robert Macfarlane’s Mountains of the Mind stands out as by far one of the most intelligent and interesting. . . in a style that shows he can be as poetic as he is plucky.”–The Economist

“At once a fascinating work of history and a beautifully written mediation on how memory, imagination, and the landscape of mountains are joined together in our minds and under our feet.” –Forbes

“A compelling meditation. . . Macfarlane is. . . the perfect mountain guide through blue crevasse fields, ice walls, prayer flags, Sherpas and Shangri Las. He’s been up there, and come back down through the foothills to offer us his thoughtful and gracious elegy, telling us eloquently the secret of it all, which is that no one can ever truly conquer a mountain.”–Benedict Allen, author of The Faber Book of Exploration

“Macfarlane, a mountain lover and cli...

From the Inside Flap

Three centuries ago, mountains were considered forbidding and forbidden?the abodes of dragons and other ill-tempered grotesque beasts. But with the growing recognition that the Earth?s surface had not been created once and for all but was slowly evolving, mountains came to be seen as the unexplored text of the Earth?s story?a terrain that scientists, adventurers, naturalists, and, finally, travelers began to explore. In Mountains of the Mind, Robert Macfarlane blends cultural history, meditation, and memoir to show how early geologists helped transform our perceptions of the wild, chaotic landscapes; how the allure of height increasingly drew fearless climbers, culminating in the romantic figure of George Mallory, the passionate Englishman who died on Mount Everest in 1924; and how the elemental beauty of snow and ice coalesced into an aesthetic of the sublime.
Mountains of the Mind is at once an enthralling work of history, an intimate account of Macfarlane?s own experiences, and a beautifully written meditation on how memory, landscape, imagination, and the landscape of mountains are joined together in our minds and under our feet.

From the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

ies ago, mountains were considered forbidding and forbidden—the abodes of dragons and other ill-tempered grotesque beasts. But with the growing recognition that the Earth’s surface had not been created once and for all but was slowly evolving, mountains came to be seen as the unexplored text of the Earth’s story—a terrain that scientists, adventurers, naturalists, and, finally, travelers began to explore. In Mountains of the Mind, Robert Macfarlane blends cultural history, meditation, and memoir to show how early geologists helped transform our perceptions of the wild, chaotic landscapes; how the allure of height increasingly drew fearless climbers, culminating in the romantic figure of George Mallory, the passionate Englishman who died on Mount Everest in 1924; and how the elemental beauty of snow and ice coalesced into an aesthetic of the sublime.
Mountains of the Mind is at once an enthralling work of history, an intimate account of Macfarlane’s own

About the Author

Robert Macfarlane was born in 1976. He is a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and he contributes to the Observer, the Times Literary Supplement, and the London Review of Books, among other publications. Mountains of the Mind is his first book.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002OFVNXC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (September 9, 2009)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 9, 2009
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4559 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 326 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #518,129 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #83 in Antarctica Travel Guides
- #101 in Artic Polar Region Travel Guides
- #145 in Mountaineering (Kindle Store)

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4.6 923 ratings

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Robert Macfarlane

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Robert Macfarlane is the author of prize-winning and bestselling books about landscape, nature, people and place, including Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination (2003), The Wild Places (2007), The Old Ways (2012), Holloway (2013, with Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards), Landmarks (2015), The Lost Words: A Spell Book (with the artist Jackie Morris, 2017) and Underland: A Deep Time Journey (2019). His work has been translated into many languages, won prizes around the world, and his books have been widely adapted for film, television, stage and radio. He has collaborated with artists, film-makers, actors, photographers and musicians, including Hauschka, Willem Dafoe, Karine Polwart and Stanley Donwood. In 2017 he was awarded the EM Forster Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

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Denise R.

History Nature and lovely prose

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2019

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MacFarlane has a lovely style of prose and uses it to shine light on the mystery of mountains and the love affair that climbers share with them. He uses his personal experiences in conjunction with historical figures such as George and Ruth Mallory, Mark Twain. Why are we drawn to mountains? Why are we infatuated with dangerous peaks? Why risk everything to summit? Read his book.

9 people found this helpful

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Suzanne E. Petry

Brilliant writing.

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2021

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I found this book, and others by Macfarlane, to be extraordinary. If you appreciate writing at all, this alone makes the book a worthwhile read. The writing is as precise as a mountain climber’s grip and foot placement. And the way Macfarlane tells the story about the evolution of mountaineering, the way the mountains have played on the imagination of men and women, is, like mountain ranges themselves, captivating.

One person found this helpful

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J. Brunner

Love Letter to Earth

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2012

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I liked the book for all the reasons the first reviewer did not.

"Unfortunately, MacFarlane doesn't make major points or build an argument around these themes,
leaving unanswered the great question of mountaineering (and of this book): why?"

This is plain nonsense. Again and again the author tells us - or hints strongly - that what draws people to the mountains is the unknown and the extra-ordinary and the sublime. People are drawn to mountains who long to get away from the 'why and wherefore' of everyday banality. This is a yearning that has never tugged on this reviewer, clearly.

Mountain adventure books, are, for the most part, adrenaline hits (after which you throw away the needle).
This book is unique as far as I am concerned, and its pleasures can be drawn out deeply and pondered on at leisure in repeated readings.

Yes, it is an uneven experience, and, as such, is consistent with the subject matter of the book. There is serendipity and pot-boiling and fascinating discovery, meandering and an occasional breathtaking views.
You get a rich cross-section of MacFarlane's writing styles, from historical to biographical, but the mixed diet and pace I found a reason for satisfaction from an author obviously hopelessly in love with (as well as fascinated and horrified by) mountains and mountain culture. An author as articulate and entertaining you don't find every day.

Having dragged myself up peaks for most of my four decades on this planet, I often found myself smiling at how RM richly articulated the mystique and cultural imperative of mountain-going which I was somehow unconscious of until now.
A lovely book for luxuriating in the lore and the lure of mountains.

32 people found this helpful

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Dragonflyfuzz

Wonderful

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2023

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Robert McFarlane wrote the script for "Mountain," the documentary narrated by Willem Dafoe and orchestrated the ACO. I can't tell you how wonderful the bonus materials are, which include the director's endorsement of this book, and an interview with McFarlane. I've loved mountains all my life, and he speaks to the same experiences of awe, respect, wonder, humility that accompany the love of rock and snow. It's gratifying to recognize the script in the book itself, where he took his own words for the film.
I have to say that the film script is a condensed version of this narrative, so don't expect to be reading the script for "Mountain." You'll be disappointed. But, read it as a love story that may mirror your own.

3 people found this helpful

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Chris Prange

Mountains are Always Calling

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2023

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Just read this wonderful piece of writing. It will reawaken in you just why mountains captivate the human soul. A wonderful reflection for all those who have wandered into the mountains.

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Leland M. Searles

The Magic of Mountains

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2003

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From the opening recollection to the last sentence, Macfarlane's history of how mountains have been imagined left me aching to read more. The final words took me by surprise; I fully expected to turn the page for at least a few more spellbinding paragraphs. While the author's own experiences with altitude, ice, and snow are interspersed throughout, this is not at all a flimsy excuse to offer up a personal memoir or a coming-of-age story. Rather, his own stories effectively illustrate his larger points. The final problem of the plot, Mallory's fatal ascent toward the summit of Everest, lingers throughout as the essential riddle, and yet Macfarlane skillfully avoids letting that tragedy overwhelm the rest of the book. Every historical nuance, every detail of landscape, every observation of human endeavor is crafted through the comprehension of one who is sensitive to his own place in the historical development he chronicles. It is difficult not to recall Barry Lopez's Arctic Dreams as far as the depth of understanding and the quality of the writing.

26 people found this helpful

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Terri

the psychological aspect of peak bagging.

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021

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mountains of the mind tries to answer that old famous question asked to every explorer or mountaineer , why go there? from mallorys off hand remark to the psychology of risk taking this book will attempt to answer why. also would have to say this book has more highlighted parts in it after reading it than any book i have previously read. in other words its chock full of inspiration and great quotes that you will find enlightening

4 people found this helpful

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phcesq

One of Our Best Nature Writers

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020

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MacFarlane's first book is a winner. I have recommended it to friends and relatives. Part history of mountaineering, we learn of the cultural biases towards the mountains themselves. His personal experience in the mountains and adventures reveal his expertise, which are matched by his literary powers and philosophical reflections. His interest in the details of natural phenomenon compliments those attributes. Reading Mountains of the Mind motivated me to read his second book, The Wild Places (of Britain and Ireland), and I am not disappointed. I expect to continue reading each of his subsequent books, enjoying his evolution as a writer of great interest.

3 people found this helpful

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María Teresa Velázquez Gutiérrez

una belleza de libro

Reviewed in Mexico on August 18, 2023

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¡Una belleza de libro! No volverás a ver las montañas de la misma manera. Las piedras tampoco. ¡Me encantó este libro
!

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Pedro Pulgar

Different

Reviewed in Spain on March 26, 2021

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I began reading this book yesterday, and let me tell you, the first forty pages went flying. So far it's indeed a new way to look at the mountains.

Podiceps cristatus

A Classic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2019

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Well, having finally got round to reading Mountains of the Mind, I wasn't left disappointed and never have been by any of Robert Macfarlane's works. This one is written in typical Macfarlane style. The sub title of the book is 'A History of a Fascination' and that is very much what it is, a history of humankind's fascination with mountainous areas. It is of course much more than a history, containing many interesting facts about individuals and their idiosyncratic behaviors adventures and discoveries, geological interest and information about the author's own treks into the mountains. The prose is wonderful and especially so when describing wilderness and mountainous areas. The chapter concerning George Mallory's failed attempts on Everest is especially good and brings the book to a fascinating climax. The reader can decide if Mallory was a selfish adventurer or as legend has it, a heroic explorer.

Although I have always enjoyed fell walking I am no mountaineer, and I tend to frown upon some of the risk takers, but I did find that this book helped me understand better why so many are tempted to the heights. Great read, and I look forward to receiving Robert Macfarlane's next book, out soon.

20 people found this helpful

Elena

Mountains Of The Mind: A History Of A Fascination

Reviewed in Germany on August 21, 2018

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Perfekt! Alles in Ordnung und punktuell

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