The story of our deep and multifaceted connections to geological matter--the very bedrock of our lives.

From small beach pebbles to huge megaliths, stones have been revered, collected, enhanced, sculpted, or engraved for practical and artistic purposes throughout the ages. They have been used to delineate boundaries and to build homes and shelters and utilized for cooking, games, and competitions. This surprising and fascinating compendium of stone facts, myths, and stories reveals the impact and importance of stones in our history and culture. Cally Oldershaw introduces the science in an accessible way and covers the aesthetic appeal of stones, their practical uses, and metaphysical properties. With an eclectic mix of examples from the Stone Age to the present, Stones engagingly excavates the story of this essential matter.

Geologist and gemmologist Cally Oldershaw was the first Lady Chair of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, and curator of gemstones for the Natural History Museum, London. She is the author of more than twenty books on gemstones and other Earth science topics including volcanoes, earthquakes, oceans, and seas. She lives in Mid Glamorgan, Wales.