Description

‘The Meteorites conjures a small epiphany about our own place in the universe’ The Sunday Times

‘Stunning and riveting’ Noreen Masud, author of A Flat Place

‘Absolutely fascinating’ Mark Haddon

‘Dazzling’ Financial Times

From your window you can see the stars and distant planets: light years away, it’s easy to think that our existences and theirs will never intersect. Yet meteorites – mysterious, irregular rocks of sometimes immense value – connect us with the vastness of the universe. They may have brought the first life to our planet, and today they still reveal extraordinary scientific insights.

Helen Gordon reveals the fascinating stories of fallen meteorites and the lives they’ve touched – from collectors to kings, scientists to farmers. She meets amateur astronomers and gem dealers, goes meteorite hunting across rooftops and learns what objects moving through space can tell us about the fragility of life on Earth.

Publisher Review

Gripping, deft and riveting. Gordon moves with total mastery from the human to the cosmic and back again — Noreen Masud, author * A Flat Place * A brilliantly engaging tour of meteorites, a book that reminds us that while they might come from outer space they are part and parcel of our planet — Travis Elborough, author * Atlas of Unexpected Places * Praise for Notes from Deep Time: Astounding … To call this a “history” does not do justice to Helen Gordon’s ambition … Sheer intellectual and poetical entertainment — Simon Ings * Daily Telegraph * Profoundly considered and far-reaching … Notes from Deep Time reaches into a place that, in a post-religious era, offers a glimpse of something close to eternity * FT * A marvel-rich masterclass of narrative non-fiction, one of those books that teaches its reader to see the world completely differently — Max Porter Awe-inspiring * Mail on Sunday *