The Gifts of Reading

From the bestselling author of Underland, The Old Ways, and The Lost Words comes an essay on the joy of reading, for anyone who has ever loved a book. Every book is a kind of gift to its reader, and the act of giving books is charged with a special emotional resonance. It is a meeting of three minds (the giver, the author, the recipient), an exchange of intellectual and psychological currency that leaves each participant enriched. Here, Robert Macfarlane recounts the story of a book he was given as a young man and how he managed eventually to return the favor, though never repay the debt. From one of the most lyrical writers of our time comes a perfectly formed gem, a lyrical celebration of the transcendent power and humanity of the given book.