This week we’re reviewing Mountains of the Mind: A History of Fascination by nature writer Robert Macfarlane. It has been re-released as an anniversary edition 20 years after it was first published.
The book traces a European cultural history of mountains and mountaineering, and blends research on cultural history, geography and geology to explore why we are drawn to mountains. In exploring this question, Macfarlane traces a dramatic cultural shift over three centuries: from mountains being ‘reviled’ for their desolation and perilousness, to being revered for their ‘unspeakable beauty. In doing so, Macfarlane shows the reader that our responses to landscape are deeply influenced by shared cultural memory.
This book comes alive with narratives of Macfarlane’s own journeys into the mountains (Macfarlane is also a mountaineer) and the tone is bright with Macfarlane’s dry humour and self-effacing observations. The prose is clear and accessible, and the argument well crafted. This book will appeal to not just mountaineering aficionados, but also travel enthusiasts and cultural history buffs.
The Next Chapter has an excellent selection of mountaineering books ranging from large format photo books to biography, and alpine guides. For those readers wanting to examine a cultural history of the mountains closer to home, we have copies of Nick Low’s Uprising which makes an outstanding contribution to New Zealand mountain literature.
We hope all locals and visitors enjoy the New Zealand Mountain Film & Book Festival and welcome you down to The Next Chapter to say hello and browse our shop.
Reviewed by Esther.
