Stones

"""From small pebbles to huge megaliths, stones hae been revered, used for decoration, trade, shelter and cooking. Here Oldershaw, geologist and gemstone curator at the Natural History Museum, tells . . . why they are the bedrock of society.""-- ""Sunday Post, Scotland"" ""Who knew that stones, from the humble pebbles on the beach to the awe-inspiring megaliths of Stonehenge, had such marvelous stories to tell? I would urge anyone who has ever picked up a tiny fragment of our planet and wondered what it was and how it got there to read this splendid account by Oldershaw. It will open a new door to the earth beneath your feet, and ensure that you never again look at a scrap of chalk or a piece of granite in the same way.""--Bill McGuire, professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, and author of ""Hothouse Earth: An Inhabitant's Guide"" ""In her new book Stones, author Oldershaw shares some of the surprising and fascinating facts, myths and stories to reveal the importance of stones in our history and culture.""-- ""People's Friend Magazine"" ""We start with geology, with the formation of the earth's crust and its cooling and shifting over aeons. . . . The account moves from the use of stones as weapons and tools to their use in cooking and building. . . . There is so much in this book, as a compendium of stony lore. . . . The finest chapter is the last, and shortest, about people who collect stones. . . . Stones is packed with lapidary detail.""-- ""Country Life"""