What do you think?
Rate this book
Sacred Mountains of the World
From the Andes to the Himalayas, mountains have an extraordinary power to evoke a sense of the sacred. In the overwhelming wonder and awe that these dramatic features of the landscape awaken, people experience something of deeper significance that imbues their lives with meaning and vitality. Drawing on his extensive research and personal experience as a scholar and climber, Edwin Bernbaum's Sacred Mountains of the World takes the reader on a fascinating journey exploring the role of mountains in the mythologies, religions, history, literature, and art of cultures around the world. Bernbaum delves into the spiritual dimensions of mountaineering and the implications of sacred mountains for environmental and cultural preservation. This beautifully written, evocative book shows how the contemplation of sacred mountains can transform everyday life, even in cities far from the peaks themselves. Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition considers additional sacred mountains, as well as the impacts of climate change on the sacredness of mountains.
426 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 1990
4 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 27, 2020
Decent photos, but dragged down by meandering, turgid, and often pointless prose.
June 20, 2023
This is a review of the second edition of Sacred mountains of the World.
Written by Edward Bernbaum, a scholar of comparative religion and an avid mountaineer himself, this is a bird's-eye view of the main mountains across the 5 continents that are considered sacred by different ethnic groups.
Obviously, for a book about this subject, one might expect to be lengthy, yet this second edition manages to be under 380 pages (without notes). Bernbaum does a good job in highlighting the main mountains and peaks that have drawn the attention of people throughout the centuries.
It is divided into two main parts. The first one deals with the physical descriptions of the mountains chosen for this book, grouped by continent or region. Also, in this first part, Bernbaum explains the reason why such peaks can be considered sacred and draws from multiple sources to relate the legends and myths associated to those as well. In that sense, one can see the book is well-thought-out.
The second part focuses on the influence that mountains have had during history on literature, arts, spirituality and symbolism. There's also one chapter in this part that deals with the impact that climate change is having in the environments where these mountains and glaciers are to be found.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. I write this from the point of view of a casual trekker/hiker. Of special interest to me were the different legends associated with the peaks in Central Asia and China.
The only criticism I would make to this book is the absence of pictures to illustrate the peaks. I consider that to be a failure of the editor, more than the author. As the old saying goes, an image is worth a thousand words, but unfortunately, the reader will have to content herself with the descriptions provided by the author... or else have an Internet enabled device beside her as she reads this book. I found that the images of the peaks enhanced, if anything, the prose of Bernboum.
Written by Edward Bernbaum, a scholar of comparative religion and an avid mountaineer himself, this is a bird's-eye view of the main mountains across the 5 continents that are considered sacred by different ethnic groups.
Obviously, for a book about this subject, one might expect to be lengthy, yet this second edition manages to be under 380 pages (without notes). Bernbaum does a good job in highlighting the main mountains and peaks that have drawn the attention of people throughout the centuries.
It is divided into two main parts. The first one deals with the physical descriptions of the mountains chosen for this book, grouped by continent or region. Also, in this first part, Bernbaum explains the reason why such peaks can be considered sacred and draws from multiple sources to relate the legends and myths associated to those as well. In that sense, one can see the book is well-thought-out.
The second part focuses on the influence that mountains have had during history on literature, arts, spirituality and symbolism. There's also one chapter in this part that deals with the impact that climate change is having in the environments where these mountains and glaciers are to be found.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. I write this from the point of view of a casual trekker/hiker. Of special interest to me were the different legends associated with the peaks in Central Asia and China.
The only criticism I would make to this book is the absence of pictures to illustrate the peaks. I consider that to be a failure of the editor, more than the author. As the old saying goes, an image is worth a thousand words, but unfortunately, the reader will have to content herself with the descriptions provided by the author... or else have an Internet enabled device beside her as she reads this book. I found that the images of the peaks enhanced, if anything, the prose of Bernboum.
Read
January 24, 2026DNF
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews