“The stillness seemed to be not of this world: - we paused and kept silence to listen; and no sound could be heard; the Scawfell Cataracts were voiceless to us; and there was not an insect to hum in the air…But the majesty of the mountains below, and close to us, is not to be conceived. We now beheld the whole mass of Great Gavel from its base, - the Den of Wastdale at our feet – a gulph immeasurable; Grasmire and the other mountains of Crummock – Ennerdale and its mountains; and the Sea beyond!”
In this way William Wordsworth describes one of his many journeys through England’s Lake District, that landscape of waterfalls and mountain peaks, sun-dappled forests and undulating vales, that appeared so often in his poetry. His Guide to the Lakes, first published anonymously in 1810, reflects the poet’s love of the Lakes and gives a remarkable firsthand account of his feeling toward the unique countryside that was the wellspring of his inspiration. The edition of 1835 forms the basis of this new and illustrated version, and Peter Bicknell has added a helpful and engaging introduction to Wordsworth’s text. Collection of paintings and engravings by contemporary artists recalls the scenery and atmosphere of the landscape as the poet knew it, and photographs by Simon McBride reveal the Lake District as a place of great magic even today.
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