This beautiful book features wonderful pictures taken while on some of the great hikes. It samples trips all over the world. The book is divided into six main chapters, with diverse categorization, and chapter titles including The Way of the Pilgrim, Peak Experiences, and the Longest Walks. Each of these chapters has photos from many different areas. There is accompanying text that gives context and background for the images and provides some thematic connection from page to page. However, I doubt that many readers will really pay a lot of attention to the text because it is the pictures that draw the reader in.

As an avid hiker, I look at these images imagining what it is like to be on those trails.  They are breathtaking because many of them look difficult. The text also describes some of the hiking experience, although there is not much emphasis on that. Some of the pictures are not on such a large scale, but show remarkable buildings or boats, or even local animals, and those are pretty. But it is the trail that really counts, with the journey that is implied, and the traveling conditions, whether they be temperate or extremes of hot or cold.. Anyone who enjoys pictures of great scenery will also appreciate these images, but for hikers, this coffee table book is high quality hiking porn.

© 2018 Christian Perring

Christian Perring teaches in NYC.