Robert Macfarlane Nature Writing 3 Books Collection Set - Non Fiction - Paperback

Titles in This Set
Mountains Of The Mind
The Wild Places
The Old Ways

Details
Condition: Brand New
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Granta Books (Mountains Of The Mind, The Wild Places), Hamish Hamilton / Penguin (The Old Ways)

Overview
Robert Macfarlane is one of Britain's most celebrated nature writers, and this three-book paperback collection gathers his landmark early trilogy on landscape and the outdoors. Mountains Of The Mind traces our historic obsession with high, dangerous places. The Wild Places hunts for surviving wilderness across Britain and Ireland. The Old Ways follows ancient paths, holloways, and sea roads on foot. Together they form an immersive, lyrical journey through mountain, moor, and footpath for readers who love thoughtful, richly observed nonfiction and a deep sense of place.

About the Books
This collection brings together three acclaimed works of nature and travel writing by Robert Macfarlane, each blending memoir, history, and close observation of landscape. Mountains Of The Mind examines why mountains have captivated climbers and dreamers for centuries, tracing the shift from Enlightenment-era fear of high places to the modern cult of the summit, weaving in Macfarlane's own experiences on rock and ice. The Wild Places records journeys to the wildest corners of Britain and Ireland still remaining, from storm beaches and ancient woods to river valleys and remote islands, arguing that wildness survives in small, overlooked pockets even in a heavily settled country. The Old Ways extends this walking-as-thinking approach across old droving roads, pilgrim paths, sea lanes, and chalk tracks, showing how footpaths carry history and memory long after the people who first walked them are gone. Across all three books, Macfarlane blends careful natural history with philosophical reflection and a distinctive, image-rich prose style, drawing readers into landscapes both wild and well-worn. He writes as both a scholar and a walker, grounding big ideas about risk, wildness, and memory in specific, closely observed places. The books share a common thread of attention, asking readers to slow down and notice the textures of a landscape, whether a granite ridge, a storm-lashed headland, or a sunken lane worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. Together, the trilogy traces an arc from the vertical world of mountains to the horizontal world of paths.

Key Benefits

• Collects three acclaimed Macfarlane nature-writing titles in one paperback set
• Explores mountains, wilderness, and ancient footpaths with vivid storytelling
• Great gift for hikers, walkers, and nature lovers
• Compact paperback format, easy to carry or shelve
• Builds a solid library of modern British nature writing

Book-by-Book Guide
Mountains Of The Mind — Traces the cultural history of mountaineering and asks why humans are drawn to risk and altitude.
The Wild Places — Journeys to the last truly wild corners of Britain and Ireland, from sea cliffs to remote woods.
The Old Ways — Follows ancient paths, drove roads, and sea routes to explore how walking shapes memory and thought.

About the Author
Robert Macfarlane is a British writer and Cambridge academic best known for his books on landscape, nature, language, and the relationship between the human mind and the natural world. His work often blends memoir, travel, science, and literary history, and he is widely regarded as a leading voice in contemporary nature writing. Macfarlane has written extensively about mountains, wild places, old paths, and the language used to describe landscape, and his books have introduced many readers to a more attentive way of seeing the outdoors.

Why You'll Love This Collection
A beautifully written trio for anyone who loves the outdoors, this set makes a thoughtful birthday or holiday gift for hikers and readers alike. Perfect for a cabin bookshelf, a book club pick, or slow, immersive reading, these three paperbacks reward repeat visits and quiet afternoons spent dreaming of mountains and old paths.

Please Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.