'The most exhilarating history of mountaineering ... a riveting read' - Jeremy Paxman

'A truly inspiring read' - Sir Ranulph Fiennes

'It simply fizzes with insights into the sublime madness of mountaineering' - Roger Deakin

Once we thought monsters lived there. In the Enlightenment we scaled them to commune with the sublime. Soon, we were racing to conquer their summits in the name of national pride.

In this ground-breaking, classic work, Robert Macfarlane takes us up into the mountains: to experience their shattering beauty, the fear and risk of adventure, and to explore the strange impulses that have for centuries lead us to the world's highest places.

This is a brilliant and hugely enjoyable read. Packed with fascinating facts, it offers a sweeping history of mountains from prehistory right up to the present day. Along the way, it explores how mountains have shaped us, and how our understanding of them has changed over time. It’s gripping throughout: sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes exhilarating, and never once dull. A book that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page.