The Gifts of Reading
<p><b>From the bestselling author of <i>UNDERLAND, THE OLD WAYS </i>and<i> THE LOST WORDS</i> - an essay on the joy of reading, for anyone who has ever loved a book</b><br /><br />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 favour, though never repay the debt.<br /><br />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.</p>