They fell from the sky long before we had maps. Meteorites are fragments of time: remnants of the birth of the solar system, mineral messages that cross the atmosphere and land in our pockets, display cases, and laboratories. Helen Gordon follows the trail of these objects from beyond: she travels to deserts and craters, visits auctions and museums; she meets scientists and meteorite hunters. What do these mysterious rocks tell us about the formation of the planets? How are they searched for, classified, and preserved? Why do they inspire such greed and wonder?
With a clear and magnetic style that blends chronicle, popular science and history, Helen Gordon guides us through the fascinating world of meteorites and invites us to look at the sky —and the stones on the ground— with new eyes.

“A small epiphany about our place in the universe” — The Sunday Times
"An absorbing blend of science and humanity... highly enjoyable" — Observer
"Dazzling... Gordon removes the barrier between our planet and the universe" — Financial Times
“A beautifully written and deeply human story of objects far older than human understanding… Informative, funny and moving, this is a book not just about meteorites, but about art, history and humanity itself.” — BBC Sky at Night