Robert Macfarlane is a British nature writer and literary critic renowned for his prize-winning and bestselling works exploring landscape, nature, and human connection to place. His acclaimed books include "Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination," "The Wild Places," "The Old Ways," and "Underland: A Deep Time Journey." His collaborations, such as "The Lost Words: A Spell Book" with artist Jackie Morris and "Holloway" with Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards, showcase his interdisciplinary approach. Macfarlane's works have been translated into multiple languages and adapted across various media, cementing his reputation as a leading voice in contemporary nature writing.
Educated at Nottingham High School, Pembroke College, Cambridge, and Magdalen College, Oxford, Macfarlane is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he teaches English. His writing blends lyrical prose with deep ecological and cultural inquiry, examining humanity's relationship with the natural world. Themes of memory, history, and exploration permeate his work, which often incorporates collaborations with artists, musicians, and filmmakers.
Macfarlane's contributions to literature have earned global recognition, including the EM Forster Prize for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2017. His innovative projects, such as "The Lost Words," which revitalizes vanishing natural vocabulary, demonstrate his commitment to environmental advocacy through art. Continually expanding his oeuvre, Macfarlane remains a influential figure in both literary and academic circles.
Landscapes Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination
2003
2
The Wild Places
2007
3
The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
2012
Collections
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Magdalen Poets
2000
2
Ghostways: Two Journeys in Unquiet Places (With: Stanley Donwood, Dan Richards)
2020
Poetry
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Holloway
2012
2
The Lost Words
2017
3
Ness
2019
4
The Lost Spells
2020
Children's Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The World to Come (With: Johnny Flynn)
2024
Non-Fiction Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The New Dusseldorf School of Painting
2003
2
Original Copy: Plagiarism and Originality in Nineteenth-Century Literature
2007
3
Silt
2013
4
Landmarks
2015
5
Stuart Haygarth: Strand (With: Deyan Sudjic, Stuart Haygarth)
2016
6
History of Propellers and Steam Navigation
2017
7
Underland: A Deep Time Journey
2019
8
Kurt Jackson - Recent Work
2021
9
From Here to the Horizon: Photographs in Honor of Barry Lopez (With: Debra Gwartney, Toby Jurovics)
2023
10
Is a River Alive?
2025
Robert Macfarlane Anthologies
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Mountain: Portraits of High Places
1986
2
Waterlog: Journeys Around an Exhibition
2007
3
After Sebald: Essays and Illuminations
2014
4
First Light: A Celebration of Alan Garner
2016
5
Elementum Journal: 3: Roots
2018
6
The Gifts of Reading
2020
7
Archipelago Anthology
2021
8
Refugee Tales: Volume IV
2021
9
What is it that will Last?: Land and Tidal Art of Julie Brook