Whether we climb them or view them from afar, they continue to pull at us, calling us home, those mountains." So writes editor Gregory McNamee in his eloquent Introduction to this compelling new anthology, in which he has gathered mountain-inspired literature from sources as varied and far-flung as the peaks themselves.
The writings take all manner of literary forms: folktales of the Ashanti and myths of the Aborigines; essays; journals and travelogues of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century travelers; poetry of both ancient and modern times. We hear from familiar voices -- Whitman, Muir, Dickens, Chekhov, Conan Doyle -- and from those not so familiar but equally fascinating, including Russian naturalist Nikolai Prejevalsky and English "lady" adventurer Isabella Bird.
The mountain experiences described in these works are enormously varied as well. They range from the powerful altitude-induced vision of Simón Bolívar atop Mount Chimborazo to a pleasure trip in the Alps as recounted by Mrs. H. W. Cole, to V. K. Arseniev's tale of survival and rescue in a Siberian mountain storm. Yet whether they speak of profound spiritual journeys, easy pleasure trips, or face-to-face encounters with death, all these voices are raised in collective celebration of the glories and terrors of the most awe-inspiring of Earth's natural treasures.
The writings take all manner of literary forms: folktales of the Ashanti and myths of the Aborigines; essays; journals and travelogues of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century travelers; poetry of both ancient and modern times. We hear from familiar voices -- Whitman, Muir, Dickens, Chekhov, Conan Doyle -- and from those not so familiar but equally fascinating, including Russian naturalist Nikolai Prejevalsky and English "lady" adventurer Isabella Bird.
The mountain experiences described in these works are enormously varied as well. They range from the powerful altitude-induced vision of Simón Bolívar atop Mount Chimborazo to a pleasure trip in the Alps as recounted by Mrs. H. W. Cole, to V. K. Arseniev's tale of survival and rescue in a Siberian mountain storm. Yet whether they speak of profound spiritual journeys, easy pleasure trips, or face-to-face encounters with death, all these voices are raised in collective celebration of the glories and terrors of the most awe-inspiring of Earth's natural treasures.
