Words are grained into our landscapes, and landscapes are grained into our words. Landmarks is about the power of language to shape our sense of place. It is a field guide to the literature of nature, and a glossary containing thousands of remarkable words used in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to describe land, nature and weather.
Travelling from Cumbria to the Cairngorms, and exploring the landscapes of Roger Deakin, J. A. Baker, Nan Shepherd and others, Robert Macfarlane shows that language, well used, is a keen way of knowing landscape, and a vital means of coming to love it.
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This is a book about the power of language - strong style, single words - to shape our sense of place. 1, THE WORD-HOARD
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(@PenguinUKBooks, 5 March 2015, 448 pages, ebook, borrowed from @GlasgowLib via @OverDriveLibs)
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Since I read and loved the author's Underland recently I've made it my mission to read his back catalogue. I was delighted to stumble across this in my library's digital collection. This is a really enjoyable book, not quite as amazing as Underland but still pretty impressive. I've never read non-fiction about nature before so this is a new experience for me. There are several glossaries scattered throughout the book of words taken from across the UK used to describe the natural world. These are fascinating reading and worth immersing yourself in this book for alone. The chapters focus on different aspects of natural and the natural world, the landscapes and the people who know them the best. Landscapes is hugely enjoyable and fascinating.
