Buy new:
-17% $15.64
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$15.64 with 17 percent savings
List Price: $18.95

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 16. Order within 16 hrs 49 mins
In Stock
$$15.64 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.64
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$13.93
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Books in good condition. Shipped directly from Amazon. Books in good condition. Shipped directly from Amazon. See less
FREE delivery May 28 - June 4 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery May 26 - 30
$$15.64 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.64
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Robin Wall Kimmerer
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses Paperback – March 1, 2003

by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Author)
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$15.64","priceAmount":15.64,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"64","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"uMVlri2Y9sWf9LvDCeM1D%2B%2Fp73GyJU7KrmSvAp2ks1Fug%2FJRNb1%2FyH5y1WmXYnIbBjO6DvjJLqUKl2nX8Oyd%2B1LgzC9LpgTsUSePloXj%2FtfIoQngWWWT5XUBwjLTV6S%2Fsr%2Bo6b%2FtsWU%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$13.93","priceAmount":13.93,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"93","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"uMVlri2Y9sWf9LvDCeM1D%2B%2Fp73GyJU7KYYzmALbUWtbvm%2BQNJyq612abFKQn1w9DjlZYJcSzG5x7JBAGD6hz5mQVLMqCLXP%2FC7Jiu%2FlBAQ6mjj94gZI4YjrBu%2FZeXHiRfJ9E0TE%2FTcnytc%2FdwkVI8UbG6a9XM7TR%2Be2D%2Fz3Xc1A8aUlYrjRmNiRA0DVAwfM0","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.

Robin Wall Kimmerer's book is not an identification guide, nor is it a scientific treatise. Rather, it is a series of linked personal essays that will lead general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings, from salmon and hummingbirds to redwoods and rednecks. Kimmerer clearly and artfully explains the biology of mosses, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us.

Drawing on her diverse experiences as a scientist, mother, teacher, and writer of Native American heritage, Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of indigenous ways of knowing. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for ways of living in the world.

Gathering Moss will appeal to a wide range of readers, from bryologists to those interested in natural history and the environment, Native Americans, and contemporary nature and science writing.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    168 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Oregon State University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    5.9 x 0.7 x 8.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0870714996
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0870714993
  8. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses
$15.64
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
$12.59
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
$11.59
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.
Popular Highlights in this book
What are popular highlights?
Previous page
  1. In indigenous ways of knowing, we say that a thing cannot be understood until it is known by all four aspects of our being: mind, body, emotion, and spirit.
    Highlighted by 495 Kindle readers
  2. Having words for these forms makes the differences between them so much more obvious. With words at your disposal, you can see more clearly. Finding the words is another step in learning to see.
    Highlighted by 359 Kindle readers
  3. Intimacy gives us a different way of seeing, when visual acuity is not enough.
    Highlighted by 323 Kindle readers
Next page

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Yet this is so much more than a book about mosses. This is a Native American woman speaking. This is a mother's story. This is science revealed through the human psyche. Robin Kimmerer is a scientist who combines empiricism with all other forms of knowing. Hers is a spectacularly different view of the world, and her true voice needs to be heard."

About the Author

Robin Wall Kimmerer is an Associate Professor on the faculty of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. "Gathering Moss" is her first book.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oregon State University Press; unknown edition (March 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 168 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0870714996
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0870714993
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 0.7 x 8.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Robin Wall Kimmerer

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling collection of essays Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants as well as Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. Kimmerer is a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
1,900 global ratings
Book arrived with corner bent
2 Stars
Book arrived with corner bent
This book arrived with a bent corner. Although small, it is disappointing
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Margreet D. Fledderus
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating to learn about mosses
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
I'll never look at a tiny moss the same way again, or overlook them. It opened up a new world for me. Very interesting, well written, with personal accounts of the author
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Penny
5.0 out of 5 stars Robin is an exquisite teacher
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
Robin Wall Kimmerer has awakened for me knowledge and appreciation of the intricate interrelationships of nature and of nature to man. This knowledge is critical for improving our relationship with nature and is our only path towards an ultimately livable future.
Helpful
 Report
marley
5.0 out of 5 stars i love moss and i love this book
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
title says it all, great read for anyone who loves to be outside. learn to appreciate the little things in life! robin wall kimmerer does such an amazing job explaining the science as well as telling little anecdotes and it’s just such a fantastic book. I’m a wildlife science major who would love to spend the rest of my life exploring the outdoors and i was able to learn so much from this.
Helpful
 Report
Mardechel
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best nature books I've ever read
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
I first "read" this as an audio book from my library, and then just HAD to buy the hard copy to refer back to. It is a beautiful blend of science, appreciation of nature, and the author's own experiences in her field. Due to the very specific topic of mosses, I did find it felt heavy at times and couldn't just endlessly listen/read, but had to digest in chunks (not a bad thing though!). ***SPOILER*** I actually teared up during the chapter about the very rich man; that the author made me feel THAT connected to what she felt and the assault on nature is remarkable.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Moss is BOSS
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2021
Verified Purchase
SIX STARS out of five.

First, moss is BOSS. Glowing cave moss. Moss as "anal plugs for hibernating bears." Mosses and banana slug races (for research!). Sexual asymmetry in mosses. Moss that ONLY grows on whitetail deer dropping in the swamp. City mosses, which can spread their spores around the globe (including Antarctica) via the jet stream. Moss as a forest for waterbears. Moss is the star, but the book includes other colorful characters, like a multimillionaire obsessed with moss and botanists who stash beer in swamp mosses for next summer.

Second, if you like this author's more well-known work, Braiding Sweetgrass, you'll probably like Gathering Moss as well. Both are in the same style, seamlessly blending scientific writing, personal anecdotes, and native wisdom. I actually like this one much better for some reason, probably because the author is herself a moss scientist, so this book contained a lot more vignettes about her own field experiences studying moss, providing a window into the sort of research a field botanist does.

Listened to this (read fantastically by the author) over a period of a couple weeks while driving. My 5yo listened to the whole thing and was equally engrossed, such was the approachable nature of her writing.

HIGHLY recommended!!!
37 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
MB8860
4.0 out of 5 stars A deeper appreciation and awareness
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
I had read Braiding Sweetgrass first (same author) and thought I would follow with her earlier work. Somewhat technical in the details in the first half, the second half much more personable and (for me) readable. The take-away for me was the increased awareness I now have while walking my local environment. While I do enjoy a good read, it is something special if it changes me in some positive way. This book has done that for me.
15 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
babawawa
5.0 out of 5 stars Profound Awakening
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
I don’t know if I can quite put into words, the profound impact this book has had on me since reading it.

It’s not that I was taking so much for granted; rather this author has awakened me to the beauty of our Mother Earth, in particular the symbiotic relationship between even the tiniest of its inhabitants.

This book is so much more than simply learning about various species of moss (of which there are 20,000+!). Although scientific in nature (no pun intended!), with Latin names I dare not even try to pronounce, Ms. Kellerer interspersed poignant personal stories throughout this book, bringing me such a strong desire to learn so much more about Native Americans, their culture and teachings. I am forever grateful to this author for opening my eyes and awakening in me, the true beauty of nature. My precious adult daughter, the youngest of my 5 incredible children, Kim, passed away this past September 17th, and I have found great solace with this book. I cannot recommend “Gathering Moss,” and her sister book, “Braided Sweetgrass,” highly enough. I truly hope anyone reading these beautiful books can be transformed as have I.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
P. Nicholson
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing writer
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I was educated by this book, learned things about moss I never knew from a Native American perspective. Now when I see any my eyes look for things about it that I learned from this book.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Natalia L
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
Reviewed in Canada on October 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
First, I ordered this book in the library, but after couple of chapters, I realized that I would want to reread this book or its parts many times. So I returned the book to the library, and immediately ordered it on Amazon.
The parallels the author draws between the moss' world with its microscopic scale and our large scale world are fascinating, and the "investigation" chapters where she is looking for answers to some mossy puzzles are hard to put down.
The walk in a forest (and not only a forest) becomes so much more interesting after reading this small book!
2 people found this helpful
 Report
miss e.gkiougki
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing book
Reviewed in Germany on March 22, 2024
Verified Purchase
came on time, pristine condition amazing read!
Report
Rex
5.0 out of 5 stars A potential life changing readRobin WK
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
A book that had me enjoying each story as she introduces us to a world within a world. With wisdom and loving skill, she reminded me that I am so often not present to the world surrounding me. Aware of this I try to be present, recognising, acknowledging and expressing my gratitude for all that nature offers. It has changed the way I walk, slowing me down and encouraging me to focus on where I am and what surrounds me. I feel privileged to be given this opportunity to finally relate to the world I am a part of. As an adopted son of a Kayan Chief she also reminded me of the culture and values that all indigenous people share in their appreciation of the natural world.
7 people found this helpful
 Report
Flower
5.0 out of 5 stars rodeado de maravillas
Reviewed in Mexico on March 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
Vale tu tiempo!
Report
GREGORY JAMES WILLIAMS
5.0 out of 5 stars Nature at its most spiritual!
Reviewed in Spain on June 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book doesn't disappoint in its intentions to unite the biodiversity of mosses with the poetic wonder they evoke. Kimmerer never strays far from personal perspective and in-depth knowledge of her cultural roots which makes for a very refreshing style on how to learn about the seemingly unappreciated contribution these plants make to our environment.
Report