The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot [Kindle Edition] Author: Robert Macfarlane | Language: English | ISBN:
B007V65QO6 | Format: PDF, EPUB
Download The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
Direct download links available Download The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot from 4shared, mediafire, hotfile, and mirror link The acclaimed author of The Wild Places examines the subtle ways we are shaped by the landscapes through which we move
In this exquisitely written book, which folds together natural history, cartography, geology, and literature, Robert Macfarlane sets off to follow the ancient routes that crisscross both the landscape of the British Isles and its waters and territories beyond. The result is an immersive, enthralling exploration of the voices that haunt old paths and the stories our tracks tell. Macfarlane’s journeys take him from the chalk downs of England to the bird islands of the Scottish northwest, from Palestine to the sacred landscapes of Spain and the Himalayas. He matches strides with the footprints made by a man five thousand years ago near Liverpool, sails an open boat far out into the Atlantic at night, and commingles with walkers of many kinds, discovering that paths offer a means not just of traversing space but also of feeling, knowing, and thinking.
Direct download links available for Download The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
- File Size: 3224 KB
- Print Length: 448 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 11, 2012)
- Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B007V65QO6
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,955 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #18
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Travel > Europe > Great Britain - #74
in Books > Travel > Europe > Great Britain > General
- #18
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Travel > Europe > Great Britain - #74
in Books > Travel > Europe > Great Britain > General
This is a stunning book. The author walks, talks to people, but most of all sees deeply the natural history and human history of the places he walks. I was captivated by the intensity of his observations, the beauty of his writing, and the astonishing range of his knowledge (and vocabulary!). He sees and writes like a poet and a naturalist. He also makes friends with people who know the terrain and the history; people he meets along the way, but even more, people of knowledge and creativity themselves who are deeply tied to the landscapes he walks.
Another reviewer asked for maps. I read this book, in retrospect, in the best way possible. Reading it in the Kindle app on my iPad, I could easily look up the flowers and birds he sees, and the geological and local terms he uses. When he writes a lengthy meditation on the art of a painter of the British Downs, I could Google the artist and see examples of his art.
Best of all, by far, I used Google Earth to not only track his path but to see what he saw. When he describes a mountain in Tibet as having three intersecting ridges, I could move around a three dimensional image of the mountain, and also of the valley from which MacFarlane was looking. When he walked across a Scottish Isle, I could track his path around a lake, past a mountain, and across the heath. When he talked about the terraced hillsides outside Ramallah and the Israeli settlements, I could see those, too: the hills circled by ancient terracing, and the subdivision-like streets lined with identical houses and lots under construction.
I'm now going to buy the hardcover version, because this is a book to keep and to re-read. But I highly recommend reading it with the Internet, especially Google Earth, at hand.
By Interested Reader
I just got back from walking the Camino de Santiago and found this book from a review in The New Yorker. I read the sample chapter and was hooked! I just wish that I'd read it before embarking on my 500 mile/35 day walk! It isn't even about the Camino - instead it is about every walk or trail... for anyone that enjoys walking... whether you are an armchair adventurer or a global wanderer, this is a magical book about the philosophy, magic, myths, geology, and history of walking your Way.
By Bibi
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