In this masterpiece of nature writing, Nan Shepherd describes her journeys into the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. There she encounters a world that can be breathtakingly beautiful at times and shockingly harsh at others. Her intense, poetic prose explores and records the rocks, rivers, creatures and hidden aspects of this remarkable landscape. Shepherd spent a lifetime in search of the ’essential nature’ of the Cairngorms; her quest led her to write this classic meditation on the magnificence of mountains, and on our imaginative relationship with the wild world around us. Composed during the Second World War, the manuscript of The Living Mountain lay untouched for more than thirty years before it was finally published.

Why You Should Read?

• Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty and harsh realities of the Scottish Cairngorm mountains through poetic prose.
• Explore a classic meditation on the magnificence of mountains and humanity's imaginative connection to the wild.
• Discover a timeless work of nature writing that remained unpublished for decades, offering a unique perspective on a remarkable landscape.
• Gain insight into the 'essential nature' of the Cairngorms, meticulously observed and recorded by an author who dedicated her life to understanding them.

About the Author

Nan Shepherd (1893–1981) was a Scottish novelist and poet. She spent most of her life in the northeast of Scotland, where she taught English at Aberdeen Training Centre. Her deep connection to the Scottish landscape, particularly the Cairngorm mountains, profoundly influenced her writing. Though she published three novels in the 1920s and 30s, The Living Mountain, composed during World War II, was not published until 1977, becoming her most celebrated work.