I Bought a Mountain

By Thomas Firbank

Book Overview

Reissue of a bestselling classic that inspired a generation of 'good life' nature books

'I first saw Dyffryn in a November gale... the old house was quivering under the thrusts of the wind, and the wild, remote setting had already captured my fancy, and I will hold it till I die.'

So begins the remarkable story of a 21-year-old man who, with no experience in agriculture, visited a sheep farm on a near barren Welsh mountainside in 1931 and that same day bought all 2,400 acres along with its 3000 sheep for 5,000.

Set amidst the rugged grandeur of Snowdonia, I Bought a Mountain follows the struggles and triumphs of this impulsive but hard-working man and his every-bit-as-tough wife, Esme, as they fight to build the farm into prosperity.

Firbank's writing is guileless and immediate and ruthlessly honest. His paean to the traditional, Welsh hill-farming way of life, transports you to a disappearing world, one ruled by the age-old rhythms of work, weather, livestock and a love of the land, and offers precious insights into conservation and sustainability.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1780725256
• ISBN13: 9781780725253
• Release Date: October 2022
• Publisher: Short Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.5" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

I Bought a Mountain

A chance to imagine the kind experience you wish had been yours in a venue you feel is a part of your soul but have only read and heard stories of.

A perfect capture of the spirit of Wales

The previous reviewer has the great misfortune of not having been to Wales. I could never truly recommend this book to anyone who has not been to the area where this is set, in Snowdonia, one of the most beautiful and amazing places on earth. Until one has been there for brilliantly clear days where you can see forever, or spent an afternoon in a pub with a real fire watching the steam rise off your socks following a soaking hill walk, you won't begin to understand the trials and the joys of Firbank.This is a classic book. I highly recommend it, and a visit to North Wales.