Mountains of the Mind

Mountains of the Mind explores the human fascination with mountains. Robert Macfarlane blends cultural history, meditation and memoir. He shows how early geologists changed perceptions of wild, chaotic landscapes. The allure of height drew fearless climbers, including George Mallory, the passionate Englishman who died on Mount Everest in 1924. The elemental beauty of snow and ice became an aesthetic of the sublime. Earlier people thought monsters lived in mountains; later they climbed them for the sublime and national pride. The book examines the strange impulses that lead people to the world's highest places, along with their beauty, fear and risk.

Why You Should Read?

• Explore how early geologists transformed perceptions of wild, chaotic landscapes and mountains.
• Follow the allure of height as it drew fearless climbers and led to George Mallory.
• Experience the shattering beauty, fear and risk of adventure in the world's highest places.

About the Author

Robert Macfarlane was born on 15 August 1976. A British writer of non-fiction, he is also a Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. His best-known books cover landscape, nature, place, people and language. They include Landmarks (2015), The Old Ways (2012), Underland (2019), The Lost Words (2017) and Is a River Alive? (2025). He often works with musicians, composers and artists. In 2017 he received the E. M. Forster Award for Literature. He is married to Julia Lovell, a professor of modern Chinese history and literature.