"This is true inspiration, deeply admirable without the distance of heroism, bracing without stridency and, ultimately, generous. The mountain, Shepherd tells us, is 'a corrective of glib assessment.' So is [this] book." —The New York Times
"A classic of nature writing for good reason." —The Washington Post
"A treasure both as a piece of nature writing about the United Kingdom and as a record of Shepherd’s almost mystical relationship with the landscape . . . Her reflections emerge from unbounded curiosity paired with deep knowledge of the place and its rhythms. Shepherd is a humble but knowledgeable guide, often looking at a familiar peak or loch for so long that she sees it anew." —The Atlantic
“A masterpiece of Scottish writing. ” —The Observer
“The finest book ever written on nature and landscape in Britain.” —The Guardian
"Abounding in clean, sharp, profound descriptions of phenomena both interior and exterior, Shepherd’s narrative is a marvel of economy . . . Her prose is fresh and apt." —Wall Street Journal
"An arcane book of wonders, tuned by a poet’s ear—and, like Mary Poppins’ handbag, inexhaustible...The Living Mountain is not so much a book as an incantation...This is why Nan Shepherd belongs on that £5 note. She reminds us of what sustains us from the inside, when the road of self runs out and all else falls away but connection itself.” —John Long, Summit Journal
“A masterpiece . . . Amongst the greatest works of nature writing to come out of Britain.” —The Scotsman
“If you read it, you too will feel changed. This is sublime . . . And she achieves it in language that is almost incantatory, like a spell.” —Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian
"In this expanded American edition, long shelved by its author, Shepherd’s perspective, which prioritizes sensory observations over geological particulars, loses none of its resonance. There’s no denying that Shepherd’s prose reaches considerable heights. An ode to a mountain range’s mysteries proves timeless." —Kirkus Reviews
"With a framing introduction by Robert Macfarlane...and an afterword by Jenny Odell...this edition gives The Living Mountain the platform it deserves. This is not just a book about place—it is a book that is place. It remains as vital as the mountains themselves, urging us to look more closely. To listen more deeply. To move through the world with the same quiet reverence that Shepherd once did."—The Conversation
“[A] forgotten masterpiece about our relationship with nature . . . Shepherd does for the mountain what Rachel Carson did for the ocean—both women explore entire worlds previously mapped only by men and mostly through the lens of conquest rather than contemplation; both bring to their subject a naturalist’s rigor and a poet’s reverence, gleaming from the splendor of facts a larger meditation on meaning.” —Maria Popova, The Marginalian
“Reading [The Living Mountain] seems to me to explain why reading is so important. And odd. And necessary. And not like anything else.” —Jeanette Winterson
“An impressionistic and weather infused memoir of her experiences of walking and living in the wild landscape of the Cairngorms . . . A key influence on modern nature writers.” —Herald (Scotland)
“Most works of mountain literature are written by men, and most of them focus on the goal of the summit. Nan Shepherd's aimless, sensual exploration of the Cairngorms is bracingly different.” —Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland
"The Living Mountain is perhaps our purest distillate of what good nature writing should be: the product of a brilliant, serene mind living in a place for a very long time, perceiving its wild beauty with a merciless clarity, and then capturing it all in language infused with a deep sense of love—and a fierce hatred of cliché. In the process, remembrance is somehow alchemized into rapture, gneiss into gnosis. An almost cosmic wisdom sprouts up from the land itself." —Robert Moor, bestselling author of On Trails
"This is a book of power, truth, and magic. When I began reading I longed to roam the Cairngorms, but as the pages turned I wanted only to run out the door, to feel my awakened senses tingling and vital within the ever-present communion of earthen life. Nan Shepherd has woven for us a fearless and wild sacrament—sage, life-changing, utterly beautiful. The Living Mountain is more relevant, more necessary, and more alive than ever." —Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted
“A must-read classic for good reason: glorious prose, deep connection to the living Earth, and arresting insights. Now more than ever we need Shepherd’s boundless curiosity and love for our world, elevated by her nuanced and brilliant thought. Macfarlane and Odell’s accompanying essays are also essential, inspiring reading.” —David George Haskell, biologist and author of The Forest Unseen
After you read Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr, be prepared to reconsider everything you think, know or believe to be true thanks to this engaging and thoughtful new look at our world. Ferris joins us to talk about the Gaia hypothesis, understanding planetary systems from your own backyard, science writing and more with guest host […]