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''Underland: A Deep Time Journey'' is a book by Robert Macfarlane and the sequel to '' The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot''. Initially published in English on 2 May 2019 by Hamish Hamilton in the UK and on 4 June 2019 by W. W. Norton & Company in the US, the book has been translated into over a dozen languages. An audiobook, read by Matthew Waterson, was also released in June 2019 by
HighBridge Audio Recorded Books is an audiobook imprint of RBMedia, a publishing company with operations in countries globally. Recorded Books was formerly an independent audiobook company before being purchased and re-organized under RBMedia, where it is now an ...
. The book has received many awards and honours. It was a '' Sunday Times'', ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', and ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' Bestseller, it is a 2020
American Library Association Notable Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...
, and has won The 2019 National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature, The 2019 Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing, and was named the 2020
Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards celebrate the best travel writing and travel writers in the world. The awards include the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year and the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing ...
at the
Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards celebrate the best travel writing and travel writers in the world. The awards include the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year and the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing ...
. The book has been placed on many lists for best books of 2019 and was named as number 56 of the "100 best books of the 21st century" by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in September 2019. The book was also named the second best reviewed book of the year by the review aggregator
Book Marks Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conten ...
, having collected 35 total reviews by December 2019 with 26 marked as "rave", seven as "positive", and two as "mixed".


Background

The cover art is by Stanley Donwood, who adapted it from his 2013 painting "Nether". Prior to the book's publication, Macfarlane wrote that he had first seen the painting about a year after he began working on the book and it served as a muse over the next five years it would take him to finish: "I set my course by it, steered towards it."


Reception

The book has received many reviews and has been praised by several celebrities.


Praise

Richard Powers Richard Powers (born June 18, 1957) is an American novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology. His novel '' The Echo Maker'' won the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction.
John Banville William John Banville (born 8 December 1945) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, adapter of dramas and screenwriter. Though he has been described as "the heir to Proust, via Nabokov", Banville himself maintains that W. B. Yeats and Henry ...
wrote that Macfarlane "is a superb naturalist, who seems to have been everywhere and noticed everything" and that his "style is a kind of muscular prose-poetry that manages somehow to be at once impressionistic and precise." Banville continued by writing: "The book abounds in amazing facts, breathtaking surprises, delightful anecdotes." Simon Reynolds wrote that the book "is a lexical delight in its own right, a feast of terms for underground spaces" and continued: "In all his writing, but particularly strongly here, Nature provides for Macfarlane and his readers a form of religion for the godless, stirring sensations of awe, gratitude, and humbling insignificance." Reynolds wrote that, while it isn't "flawless", the book makes for "an exhilarating read".


Reviews

According to the review aggregator
Book Marks Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conten ...
, the book has received critical acclaim. Having collected 35 total reviews by publication, with 26 marked as "rave", seven as "positive", and two as "mixed", Book Marks named the book the second best reviewed book of the year in December 2019. Among literary publications, review by
Terry Tempest Williams Terry Tempest Williams (born 8 September 1955), is an American writer, educator, conservationist, and activist. Williams' writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of Utah. Her work foc ...
made the front page of ''
The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
'' in June 2019 and the book received starred reviews from ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'', '' Kirkus Reviews'', ''
The Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'', and ''
Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
''. Other reviewers include
Colin Thubron Colin Gerald Dryden Thubron, FRAS (born 14 June 1939) is a British travel writer and novelist. In 2008, ''The Times'' ranked him among the 50 greatest postwar British writers. He is a contributor to ''The New York Review of Books'',
in ''
The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...
'' and
Jonathan Meades Jonathan Turner Meades (born 21 January 1947) is an English writer and film-maker, primarily on the subjects of place, culture, architecture and food. His work spans journalism, fiction, essays, memoir and over fifty highly idiosyncratic tele ...
in ''
Literary Review ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years by v ...
'', who called the book "a moral hymn to the strangeness of existence and a sharp warning not to take anything for granted." The book has also been reviewed in ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'', ''
The Australian Book Review ''Australian Book Review'' is an Australian arts and literary review. Created in 1961, ''ABR'' is an independent non-profit organisation that publishes articles, reviews, commentaries, essays, and new writing. The aims of the magazine are 'to ...
'', the ''
American Book Review ''American Book Review'' is a literary journal operating out of the University of Houston-Victoria. Their mission statement is to “specialize in reviews of frequently neglected published works of fiction, poetry, and literary and cultural critic ...
'', '' The Sydney Review of Books'', and '' The Chicago Review of Books''. In her review,
Terry Tempest Williams Terry Tempest Williams (born 8 September 1955), is an American writer, educator, conservationist, and activist. Williams' writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of Utah. Her work foc ...
wrote that "Macfarlane’s writing is muscular, meticulously researched and lyrical and closed by stating: "Underland is a portal of light in dark times. I needed this book of beauty below to balance the pain we’re witnessing aboveground."
Colin Thubron Colin Gerald Dryden Thubron, FRAS (born 14 June 1939) is a British travel writer and novelist. In 2008, ''The Times'' ranked him among the 50 greatest postwar British writers. He is a contributor to ''The New York Review of Books'',
called the book "remarkable" and a "masterpiece" and wrote: "The visionary perspectives that he evokes, earned from his own hard journeys, create a fusion of exhilaration, foreboding, and enchantment."
Jonathan Meades Jonathan Turner Meades (born 21 January 1947) is an English writer and film-maker, primarily on the subjects of place, culture, architecture and food. His work spans journalism, fiction, essays, memoir and over fifty highly idiosyncratic tele ...
wrote that "Macfarlane is a poet with the instincts of a thriller writer" and that the book "is a moral hymn to the strangeness of existence and a sharp warning not to take anything for granted." Among academic publications, the book was reviewed by
Huw Lewis-Jones Huw Lewis-Jones (born 2 May 1980) is a British historian, editor, broadcaster and art director. Formerly a historian and Curator of Art at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Lewis-Jones left Cambridge in June 2010 to p ...
in ''
Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
'', as well as
Fred Pearce Fred Pearce (born 30 December 1951) is an English science writer and public speaker based in London. He reports on the environment, popular science and development issues. He specialises in global environmental issues, including water and clim ...
in ''
The New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'', while reviews were published in ''
Science Magazine ''Science'', also widely referred to as ''Science Magazine'', is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals. It was first published in 1880, ...
'', '' National Geographic'', ''
Physics World ''Physics World'' is the membership magazine of the Institute of Physics, one of the largest physical societies in the world. It is an international monthly magazine covering all areas of physics, pure and applied, and is aimed at physicists in ...
'', and ''
Geographical Magazine ''Geographical'' (formerly ''The Geographical Magazine'') is the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), a key associate and supporter of many famous expeditions, including those of Charles Darwin, ...
''. Among trade publications and magazines,
Nick Papadimitriou Nick Papadimitriou (born 1958 in Finchley, Middlesex), nicknamed the "London perambulator" after the short film about him produced by John Rogers in 2009,
reviewed the book for ''
The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', Prerna Singh Bindra reviewed the book for the Indian environmental magazine ''
Open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001 * ''Open'' ( ...
'',
Hugh Thomson Hugh Thomson (1 June 18607 May 1920) was an Irish people, Irish Illustration, Illustrator born at Coleraine near Derry. He is best known for his pen-and-ink illustrations of works by authors such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and J. M. Bar ...
reviewed the book for ''
Prospect Magazine ''Prospect'' is a monthly British general-interest magazine, specialising in politics, economics and current affairs. Topics covered include British and other European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the medi ...
'',
Adam Nicolson Adam Nicolson, (born 12 September 1957) is an English author who has written about history, landscape, great literature and the sea. He is also the 5th Baron Carnock, but does not use the title. He is noted for his books ''Sea Room'' (about t ...
reviewed the book for ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
'', and
Erica Wagner Erica Wagner is an American author and critic, living in London, England. She is former literary editor of ''The Times''. Biography Erica Wagner was born in New York City in 1967. She grew up on the Upper West Side and went to the Brearley Sc ...
reviewed the book for ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...
''. Among others, the book has been reviewed by Alex Preston, Seán Hewitt, Dwight Garner,
Barbara J. King Barbara J. King (born 18 August 1956) is professor emerita, retired from the Department of Anthropology at the College of William & Mary where she taught from 1988 to 2015, and was chair of the department of Anthropology. Biography Since 2011, ...
,
William Dalrymple William Dalrymple may refer to: * William Dalrymple (1678–1744), Scottish Member of Parliament * William Dalrymple (moderator) (1723–1814), Scottish minister and religious writer * William Dalrymple (British Army officer) (1736–1807), Scott ...
,
Jedediah Purdy Jedediah Spenser Purdy (born 29 November 1974 in Chloe, West Virginia) is an American legal scholar and cultural commentator. He is the William S. Beinecke Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches courses on American Constitutio ...
, John Carey,
David Aaronovitch David Morris Aaronovitch (born 8 July 1954) is an English journalist, television presenter and author. He is a regular columnist for ''The Times'' and the author of ''Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country'' (2000), ''Voodoo ...
, Hannah Beckerman,
Gregory Day Gregory Day is an Australian novelist, poet, and musician. Life Gregory Day is a novelist, poet, essayist and musician based in Victoria, Australia. He is well known for his Mangowak novels, which document generational, demographic, and en ...
, and Stuart Kelly.


Audiobook

The audiobook edition, released on 4 June 2019 by
HighBridge Audio Recorded Books is an audiobook imprint of RBMedia, a publishing company with operations in countries globally. Recorded Books was formerly an independent audiobook company before being purchased and re-organized under RBMedia, where it is now an ...
, is narrated by Matthew Waterson. In a review for ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'',
Christina Hardyment Christina Hardyment (born 1946) is a British writer who has written on a wide range of subjects including parenting, food, gardens, children's books, domestic life, and British history. Personal life Hardyment lived mainly in England, save fo ...
wrote that Waterson's "soft-voiced but always excitingly engaged commentary" complements the "increasingly poetic tendency" of Macfarlane's prose. Hardyment noted that the audiobook is "not a substitute for reading, but an add-on, a way of ensuring that you experience as quickly as possible Macfarlane’s labyrinthine journey through our honeycombed planet." ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' named the book "Audiobook of the Week". A review by ''
AudioFile Magazine ''AudioFile'' is a print and online magazine whose mission is to review "unabridged and abridged audiobooks, original audio programs, commentary, and dramatizations in the spoken-word format. The focus of reviews is the audio presentation, not the ...
'' praised Waterson's "even pacing and soft British accent" with "a voice attuned to the author's lyricism and wit" as an "ideal guide".


Awards and honours

The book has received many awards and honours, including being named a 2020
American Library Association Notable Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...
and winning The 2019 National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature, The 2019 Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing, and the 2020
Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards celebrate the best travel writing and travel writers in the world. The awards include the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year and the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing ...
, given at the
Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards celebrate the best travel writing and travel writers in the world. The awards include the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year and the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing ...
. The book has been placed on many lists for best books of 2019 and was named as number 56 of the "100 best books of the 21st century" by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in September 2019.


Awards and nominations

The book has received many awards and honours, including winning The 2019 National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature, The 2019 Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing, and the 2020
Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards celebrate the best travel writing and travel writers in the world. The awards include the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year and the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing ...
, given annually at the
Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards celebrate the best travel writing and travel writers in the world. The awards include the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year and the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing ...
. It made shortlists for the 2019 ''Physics World'' Book of the Year Award and the 2020 Ondaatje Prize, it made longlists for the 2020 Orwell Prize for Political Writing and the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Nonfiction, and was nominated for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Science & Technology.


Best book lists

Among other honours, the book was named a 2020
American Library Association Notable Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...
, it has been placed on many lists for best books of 2019, it was named as number 56 of the "100 best books of the 21st century" by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in September 2019, and it was placed on a list of "The 20 Best Works of Nonfiction of the Decade" by
Literary Hub Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conte ...
in December 2019.


Reading lists

The book has been recommended by several publications and placed in reading lists, including the "Indie Next Lists" produced by
IndieBound IndieBound is a marketing movement for independent bookstores launched in 2008 by the American Booksellers Association. With resources targeted for "indie" booksellers, it promotes fiscal localism. IndieBound's curated reading lists include the I ...
. It was also included in "The Scientist’s Summer Reading List" produced by ''
Science Magazine ''Science'', also widely referred to as ''Science Magazine'', is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals. It was first published in 1880, ...
'' in June 2020.


Release details


Sales

The book was said to be one of Britain's most highly anticipated books of 2019 by ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
'' in December 2018. It went on to become a ''Sunday Times'' Bestseller, making number two on the list the week after its release, making number three the following two weeks, and made number four the following week. The book reappeared on the list for the week of 1 September 2019 as number eight in general hardbacks. The book made the monthly ''New York Times'' Best Seller list for science books at number five for July 2019. The book also made 25 October 2020 paperback nonfiction bestsellers list by ''
The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''.


English edition


Translations

The book has been translated into Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, and Swedish. Among other honours, '' LiFO Magazine'' named the Greek translation "Book of the Week", for the week of 20 May 2020, as well as the fifth best translated book of the year 2020. The Polish translation was also named one of the "10 best books of 2020" by ''
Gazeta Wyborcza ''Gazeta Wyborcza'' (; ''The Electoral Gazette'' in English) is a Polish daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland. It is the first Polish daily newspaper after the era of " real socialism" and one of Poland's newspapers of record, covering the ...
''.


See also

* ''
Entangled Life ''Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures'' is a 2020 non-fiction book on mycology by British biologist Merlin Sheldrake. His first book, it was published by Random House on 12 May 2020. Summary The book ...
''


References


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{official website, https://www.underlandbook.com/
UK publisher's website

Worldwide publisher's website

Audiobook publisher's website
2019 non-fiction books W. W. Norton & Company books Hamish Hamilton books Popular science books