The Gifts of Reading
The Gifts of Reading
“Art enlarges our repertoire for being”
Every book is a kind of gift to its reader, and the act of giving books is charged with a special emotional resonance. It is a meeting of three minds (the giver, the author, the recipient), an exchange of intellectual and psychological currency, that leaves each participant enriched. Here Robert Macfarlane recounts the story of a book he was given as a young man, and how he managed eventually to return the favour, though never repay the debt.
From one of the most lyrical writers of our time comes a perfectly formed gem, a lyrical celebration of the transcendent power and humanity of the given book.
Why Novel North recommends
'This wonderful wee pocket-sized book is Robert Macfarlane’s thoughts on the joy of giving books as gifts, of thoughtfully selecting a book, of the excitement of introducing someone to a favourite read, of how printed words on page become so much more when we share them with others.’
Author : Robert Macfarlane
Edition : Penguin, Paperback, 48 pages
ISBN : 9780241978313
Published : 1st June 2017
Weight: 28g
Dimensions: 150 x 111 x 3mm
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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 Novel North Recommends
‘An inspiration to engage with the majesty and intricacies of the natural world. Nan Shepherd’s writing is evocative and observed, taking us with her to peaks, inlets and glass like surfaces. It’s a nourishing read, capturing the vibrancy of seasons, even in the seemingly dreariest of moments. An invitation to pause.’
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Edition : Canongate, Paperback, 114 pages
ISBN : 9780857861832
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A collection of essays and reflections. Invigorating and magical throughout, recalling and calling on childhood wonder. Evocative and wonderful.
Author : Robert Macfarlane
Edition : Penguin, Paperback, 400 pages
ISBN : 9780241967874
'And all of a sudden the world was strange
With the strangeness of things that seem
More familiar the more they change,
Like the queer, familiar forms that range
Through the wide lands of dream.'
- Nan Shepherd, The Flood
In Shepherd's only poetry collection, she captures the essence of what is to be in the isolation and wilderness of Scotland's breathtaking Cairngorms, her words speaking to the soul of anyone who loves to explore the outdoors.
Author : Nan Shepherd
Edition : Galileo Paperback, 64 pages
ISBN : 9781903385333
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WINNER OF THE SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2013
Shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Biography Prize
Shortlisted for the 2013 RSL Ondaatje Prize
Shortlisted for Banff Adventure Travel Prize
Shortlisted for Saltire Book of the Year Award
A book embodying adventure. Filled with wonder, awe and much reflection. Gavin Francis beautifully captures the beauty and silence of solitude and isolation in one of the remotest places on Earth.
Author : Gavin Francis
Edition : Vintage, Paperback, 250 pages
ISBN : 9780099565963
Weight: 266g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 20mm