Hettie Judah breaks her book down by types of stones into these categories;Stones and Powers, Sacred Stones, Stones and Stories, Stone Technology, Shapes in Stones and Living Stones. Lapidarium is a wonderfully informative history of sixty of the most fascinating stones, their many stories and the people and places linked with them.

We are told of incredible creations and decorations, large and small, carved from these prized stones. Find out how a Greek monster created coral , moon rock explains the history of Earth's only satellite and obsidian inspired the world's favourite computer game. Not all the stories are happy - for instance, you'll learn about the past and present abuses involved in the coltan and coal mining industries - but they are such interesting introductions to all kinds of topics you might never have heard of. Each stone is given a place in history like a snug setting and paced within the cultural context of its impact.I truly lost myself reading this book and discovering how important stones are to us all even in our modern age. Upcoming books include How Not To Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents) (Lund Humphries, September 2022) and Lapidarium (John Murray, London, October 2022/ Penguin, NY, March 2023). One of the most interesting geological facts I learned from Lapidarium is that the process that formed coal only took place in the Carboniferous era 360-300 million years ago, so no more coal is being formed, not even millions of years from now.

We are reminded of the brave men and women charged and challenged with unearthing these prized minerals often with little to no reward. Aside from all of that I’m delighted I was locked out because it’s an incredibly interesting book and one I was genuinely sad to finish a couple of days later. The author doesn't have a science background, but surely a consult wouldn't have been out of the question?There was nothing really wrong with this listen, it just didn't grab me and writing this review so far after the fact I don't feel that I retained much. Also points out that the provenances of most of the most famous jewels are fabricated (especially the ones claiming to go back centuries). Yet, there's hardly any science at all, and what little there is – well, it's not very well explained. In Lapidarium , renowned art critic Hettie Judah explores the unexpected stories behind sixty stones that have shaped and inspired human history, from Dorset fossil-hunters to Chinese philosophers, Catherine the Great to Michelangelo. I think the book could've also benefited from more pictures, rather than just the single picture of each stone at the beginning of a chapter.