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How long does it take to read Mountains of the Mind?

Robert Macfarlane

Mountains of the Mind by Robert Macfarlane takes about 5 hours 37 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

About 5 hours 37 minutes

A weekend read

First published 2003. 306 pages, about 84,150 words.

12 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 9 hours 21 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 5 hours 37 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 3 hours 30 minutes

The page count is the median across 12 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

Why do so many feel compelled to risk their lives climbing mountains? During the climbing season, one person a day dies in the Alps, and more people die climbing in this season in Scotland than they do on the roads. "Mountains of the Mind" pursues a fascinating investigation into our emotional and imaginative responses to mountains, and how these have changed over the last few centuries. It is rich with literary and historical references, and punctuated by beautifully written descriptions of the author's own climbing experiences. There are chapters on glaciers, geology, the pursuit of fear, the desire to explore the unknown, and the desire to get to the summit, and the book ends with a gripping account of Mallory's attempt on Everest. "Mountains of the Mind" is a beautifully written synthesis of climbing memoir and cultural history.

Subjects: Mountains, Nature, Travel, Mountaineering, Mountaineers, Nonfiction

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