Winterlust

A sweeping, beautiful survey of all things winter.

“Brunner masterfully does in words what resilient and adventurous people have done in their lives for centuries; he finds beauty in blizzards and ice and the crystallized enchantment of snow.”
—Dan Egan, Pulitzer finalist and author of The Death and Life of the Great Lakes

In Winterlust, a farmer painstakingly photographs five thousand snowflakes, each one dramatically different from the next. Indigenous peoples thrive on frozen terrain, where famous explorers perish. Icicles reach deep underwater, then explode. Rooms warmed by crackling fires fill with scents of cinnamon, cloves, and pine. Skis carve into powdery slopes, and iceboats traverse glacial lakes.

This lovingly illustrated meditation on winter entwines the spectacular with the everyday, expertly capturing the essence of a beloved yet dangerous season, which is all the more precious in an era of climate change

Bernd Brunner’s writings have appeared in publications around the world including Lapham’s Quarterly, the Paris Review, Quartz, the Times Literary Supplement, and the Wall Street Journal. His acclaimed books have been reviewed in the New York Times and the New Yorker, among others.

Mark Kurlansky is a New York Times-bestselling author and a creative writing instructor. He has written plays, newspaper and magazine articles, and over thirty books, including Milk!, Salt, and Cod. A native New Englander, he is well acquainted with both the rigors and rewards of winter.

“Thoughtful and meditative… Brunner offers readers pining for summer something to look forward to instead.”
—Publishers Weekly

“In an age of climate change, any writing about the dazzling beauty of winter takes on a subdued—almost nostalgic—tenor. Such is the case with Bernd Brunner’s slim, thoughtful meditation.”
—Literary Hub

“Part coffee table book, part deep dive into everything winter, Winterlust is a collector’s piece. Beautiful imagery combined with stoic storytelling weave a masterful, peaceful and, at times, thrilling embodiment of winter.”
—Explore Magazine

“What a delight … [Winterlust]is a novel exploration of various components of winter. The illustrations are delightful and help convey how the idea of winter fully engages the human imagination.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“[Winterlust] often feels, bracingly, like a stroll through a curiosity shop.”
—Christian Science Monitor

“A wonder-filled journey through humanity’s multifaceted relationships with this most endangered of seasons. Brunner’s explorations reveal how we shape and are shaped by the environments in which we live.”
—David George Haskell, Pulitzer finalist and author of The Forest Unseen

“Brunner masterfully does in words what resilient and adventurous people have done in their lives for centuries; he finds beauty in blizzards and ice and the crystallized enchantment of snow.”
—Dan Egan, Pulitzer finalist and author of The Death and Life of the Great Lakes

“A wonderful read and fascinating study of the coldest time of the year—Brunner adds warmth to this subject. I only regret this invaluable book was not available during my own research.”
—Bob Eckstein, New York Times-bestselling author of The Illustrated History of the Snowman

"In prose as clear and glittering as lake ice, Brunner captures the many facets of winter, which he reveals to be an enchanting—and, in some ways, endangered—season."
—Robert Moor, On Trails

“Winterlust is a powerful book, evocative and informative in equal measure. I thoroughly enjoyed feeling chilled by the atmosphere and then warmed by fascinating facts.”
—Tristan Gooley, The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs

“Winterlust is a dazzling piece of writing that explores, in prose as clear as an ice-crystal, the complex cultural meanings of winter across human and natural histories.”
—Richard Hamblyn, The Invention of Clouds