This is an exquisite book with fire in its heart like the finest of sapphires. The books works its way though the Lapidarium of the stones and metals of the world. Each stone is given a place in history like a snug setting and paced within the cultural context of its impact.. The stories are endlessly engaging and wonderfully informative. This is a fascinating, scholarly and beautiful book - I highly recommend.

My fault: changed phone, forgot to redownload the audiobooks, got them out of Netgalley.
It could seem a dry book but it's quite fascinating as there's historical, geological facts and the lore for each of them.
Loved it and learned a lot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This audiobook has been a pleasure to listen to.

Covering the history of 60 different types of stones, you would think it could be a dry topic, but the range of other topics and history the book goes through is fantastic. Each stone is like a different character and Nina Wadia has such a well-suited voice for this kind of book - Accessible and easy to listen to.

Definitely give the audiobook a go if you are interested in history, or even remotely in geology on a grand scale!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this audio ARC in return for an honest review.

“Lapidarium” is a great non-fiction book about the history of 60 varieties of stone. The language is easy enough to understand while not being condescending in its nature. I listened to this in the mornings before work and it’s a great way to get your brain in gear, I love listening to audiobooks on the bus as I feel like I’ve got the time to absorb the content and “Lapidarium” certainly feeds you plenty of information.

Nina Wadia narrates the audiobook and her voice is so nice to listen to, sometimes with non fiction audiobooks I find that the narrator feels very monotone and emotionless, but this certainly wasn’t the case with Nina Wadia. It feels like she’s reading you a fiction story, changing pitch and tone as she tells us about the history of stones, and the roles they play in historical events.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read about stones, I read “The Pebbles on the Beach” by Clarence Ellis earlier this year and these two books are very different. Ellis’ book focuses more on the formation of pebbles and stones that are native to the UK; while Judah’s book covers a variety of stones found over the world, not purely as pebbles but some that must be drawn out from kilometres below the earth’s surface.

If you’re interested in stones and geology I’d definitely recommend - and to be honest, even if you aren’t actively interested I’d still recommend. It’s a really interesting read, and you aren’t faced with a huge amount of lingo.

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 hear of incredible discoveries, greed, curses and forgeries alongside the geography and geology of their origins. Also we learn how their discoveries have impacted our lives from the past to the present. We are told of incredible creations and decorations, large and small, carved from these prized stones. We are reminded of the brave men and women charged and challenged with unearthing these prized minerals often with little to no reward. With pertinent references to sustainability, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening book with perfectly paced narration. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.