Hunger Mountain

David Hinton's account of a series of walks up and around a mountain near his home in Vermont is nature writing of a profound sort: as we accompany him with his observations of the terrain, vegetation, and wildlife, we gain access to the view of someone who has, through his translation work, become intimate with the mind of the ancient Chinese sages. Taking on the mind of the sages ourselves, we begin to get a clear vision of our place in the landscape, the planet, and ultimately the cosmos. David's observations are informed by geology and astronomy, by his fascinating analysis of the development of the Chinese writing system, and by the lives and works of the poets he knows so well. It's presented with language of great beauty, and it all comes together into a consciousness-expanding assessment of the natural world and of our place in it.