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''No one knows why or how standing stones were set upright thousands of years ago and yet, amazingly, here they still are, in our modern world, waiting for us to go out and find them. They are totems of longevity, endurance and mystery; they are symbols of survival set in contrast to our ephemeral human lives.'' A few months after discovering that her beloved husband, Stephen, had incurable cancer, Fiona Robertson began to write this book. As a megalith enthusiast, something resonated profoundly from the ancient monuments as she faced the prospect of losing him. Ideas of death, the deep past, survival and memory lie within the stones, and they offer a way to understand our collective history alongside our individual fates. Journeying across a number of ''stone lands'', from West Penwith and Avebury to the Lake District and Orkney, this book uncovers the magic and rich history of Britain''s most incredible megaliths - and what they mean in the shadow of personal pain. It also shows how, if we let them, they can enchant our world with their folklore, magic and mystery. The result is an enthralling memoir, one that is woven delicately around great grief but is ultimately about embracing life and ancient wonder - a luminous reminder of what it means to exist on this earth.
About the author
Fiona Robertson is a writer, editor and committed megalith enthusiast who drags her family all over the country in search of standing stones. She is passionate about archaeology, history and folklore, and in a former life as a publishing industry professional enjoyed building a list exploring these topics. Her cool megalith-focused commissions include
The Old Stones by The Megalithic Portal, which won the
Current Archaeology Book of the Year award. Follow her stones adventures on Instagram: @stone_lands
